Fossil Fuels: Oil and Natural Gas

1. Fossil Fuels: Oil and Natural Gas

2. Oil is the most widely used energy source and represents the largest industry on Earth

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5. Global Oil Demand & Supply • Worlds major producers of oil are not major consumers • Oil must be imported into countries like U.S. and Europe • Creates economic burden on these countries

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7. Oil Formation • Oil was formed by ancient microorganisms who died and were buried by sedimentary rock • Heat and pressure turned the dead organisms into oil • Oil is made of many hydrocarbon compounds

8. North American Fossil Fuel Reserves

9. Oil And Natural Gas • 1940’s oil and natural gas became most important energy sources • easier to transport • cleaner burning • 1993 63% of U.S. energy needs are met by these

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14. Oil and Natural Gas • Both are hydrocarbons • Usually oil and natural gas deposits are found together

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16. Exploration for Oil & Nat. Gas • Oil deposits are detected by structural traps • Geological features that trap oil and natural gas ANTICLINE: upward folding of rock SALT DOMES: underground columns of salt deposits

18. Crude Oil Recovery • Primary Oil Recovery • Drill well • Pumping out oil that flows by gravity into well

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22. North Sea Off-shore Oil Platforms • Extremely dangerous to work on

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24. How Is Crude Oil Refined? • From heaviest to lightest: • Asphalt, wax, naphtha, diesel oil, heating oil, jet fuel, gasoline, cooking gases (propane, butane)

25. How Is Crude Oil Refined? Crude oil • mixture of many different hydro-carbons that can be separated with distillation

26. Distillation process • Animation of distillation process

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29. Everyday the World uses 86 million barrels of oil; the United States uses 21 million barrels of oil or about 24% of the total.

30. What does the term “Peak Oil” mean?

31. Originally there were about 2.2 trillion barrels of oil in the ground: it took about 150 years to use the first 1.1 trillion barrels, but will take less than 50 years to use the second 1.1 trillion

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34. Natural Gas Formation • Similar to oil formation • Buried organisms pressurized & heated to a much higher temp • Natural Gas is mainly composed of methane

35. Natural Gas: Overview • Third most important fuel • 24% of world’s consumption • Mixture of 50-90% methane and bits of ethane, propane, butane and H2S

37. Properties of Natural Gas • Formed at higher temps than oil • CLEANEST FOSSIL FUEL • contains almost NO sulfur • most electrical power plants in California use natural gas because it pollutes less than oil • produces less carbon dioxide than oil

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39. A Big Difference Between Oil and Natural Gas: Natural Gas is often used to generate electricity because it is the cleanest burning fossil fuel while oil is rarely burned to produce electricity

40. Unfortunately, We Have Lost a Lot of Natural Gas Due to Carelessness

41. The Great Shale Gas Rush • Marcellus shale

42. Fracking • Interactive diagram of fracking

43. Environmental Problems • Air pollution (combustion) • increased CO2 levels • acid deposition • Oil spills (transportation) • Habitat Destruction • Aquifer contamination