Energy From Fossil Fuels

1. Energy sources and uses

History of energy sources Muscle power -humans -domestic animals -water and wind power 1700 Steam engine powered by firewood Coal is the dominant fuel Late 1800 Internal combustion engine Oil well drilling Refinement of crude oil into gasoline and other liquid fuels 1951 Crude oil dominant energy source

Global primary energy supply

Energy consumption in the United States

Types of energy sources 1. Primary:  Oil  Natural gas  Coal  Nuclear power  Water power  Wood and other 2. Secondary  Electric power

Electrical power production  Generators

Electrical power production Turbogenerators Primary source of energy

Electrical power production  Hydroturbogenerator

Fluctuation on demand  The base load represents the constant supply of power  As demand rises during the day, additional plants can be turned on and off  A deficiency in available power will prompt a brownout or blackout

Electric = clean energy? Using electricity creates no pollution Electricity must be generated from other sources: coal, hydropower, nuclear energy or alternative energy resources The thermal production of electricity has an efficiency of only 30% Energy loss occurs as electricity is transmitted and distributed to end users by connecting wires.

Matching sources to uses

2. Exploiting crude oil

How are fossil fuels formed?  Anaerobic conditions  Accumulation of sediment  Exposure to pressure and heat

How are supplies estimated? Educated Guess Based on Geologic Formation Knowledge of where fossil fuels have been found in the past Estimated reserves Exploratory drilling Further drilling is conducted to determine the extent and depth of the oil field Estimation of how much oil can be economically obtained from the field Proven reserves Estimates range from P05 to P90 being P90 more reliable Production Withdrawal of oil or gas from the field

Production  Primary recovery: 25%  Secondary and tertiary recovery: 50% to 60%  Involves manipulating pressure in the oil reservoir by injecting brine, steam or other substances.  Economics determine the extent to which reserves are exploited  An increase in the price makes more reserves available

3. Oil, the most important fossil fuel in American Economy?

Declining U.S. Reserves and Increasing Importation 1. M. King Hubbert  Proposed that oil exploitation would follow a bell-shaped curve  Predicted that U.S. production would peak between 1965 and The Oil Crisis of the 1970s  Low prices on the Middle Eastern countries = increasing dependence  OPEC formed a cartel and agreed to restrain production to get higher prices  OPEC embargo to countries that gave support to Israel

3. U.S. adjustment to higher prices  Increase domestic production of crude oil  Exploratory drilling  Alaska pipeline  Fiedls were reopened  Decrease consumption  Standards for automobile fuel efficiency  Insulation in buildings and appliances efficiency  Development of alternative energy sources was begun  To protect against other OPEC boycott  Strategic oil reserve was created

4. The recovery  Consumption declined  Production increased  OPEC was unable to restrain its own production. 5. Victims of success  Exploration in the US  Conservation efforts  Tax incentives and other subsidies  The need for conservation and development of alternative ways of transportation.

Problems of growing U.S. dependency on foreign oil 1. Costs of Purchase  The price paid at the pump is the same whether the oil is produced here or abroad. 2. Risk of Supply Disruptions  The Middle East is politically unstable  Military cost of oil 3. Resource Limitations  Diminished domestic reserves

Ways to become independent

4. Other fossil fuels

Natural Gas  Substantial reserves  Most is used for space heating and cooking  Increasingly employed to generate electrical power.  Limitations:  Environmental cost of pipelines  Can be explosive  Benefit:  Produces virtually no hydrocarbons or sulfur oxides (carbon dioxide and water)  Alternative uses:  Gas-run cars  Synthetic oil

Coal  Large reserves (about 250 billion tons)  51% of electricity comes from coal fired power plants.  Obtained by surface mining or underground mining  Limitations:  Mining can be hazardous  Substantial environmental impacts  Fires  CO2 emissions  Strip mining destroys the ecology of the region  Alternative uses  Clean coal technology program  Synfuels: liquid or gas fuels from coal

Oil shales and oil sands Oil shale Oil sand  A fine sedimentary rock containing a mixture of solid, wax-like hydrocarbons called kerogen.  Can be refined into gasoline and other petroleum products  Very little productivity makes it expensive  Extraction involves substantial environmental impacts  Sedimentary material containing bitumen, an extremely viscous tarlike hydrocarbon.  Can be refined  Cost competitive compared to today’s oils prices.  Extraction involves substantial environmental impacts

5. Fossil fuels and energy security

The Union of Concerned Scientists report: Energy security: Solutions to protect America’s power supply and reduce oil dependence. Security threats Supply-side policies Demand-side policies Development of non-fossil-fuel energy resources.

Security threats Middle east Oil dependence Nuclear power plants Hydropower dams Oil and gas pipelines Refineries Tankers Electrical grid Energy infrastructure: Melting of polar ice caps Rise of sea level Shifts in precipitation patterns Extreme storms, droughts and heat waves Ecosystem instability Disruptions in agriculture Global climate change

Energy supply-side policies Oil and natural gas consumption are outpacing U.S. production The National Energy Policy Report/ Cheney report (2001) recommends ways to meet the rising demands: Opening the ANWR and offshore locations to oil and gas exploration and production Adding new coal fired electric power plants Providing tax incentives to encourage energy production from fossil fuels and nuclear fuels Establish new electrical transmission lines Construction of natural gas pipeline to bring Alaskan natural gas Support for the efforts of other countries to develop their oil and gas resources and pipelines Government regulation of federal agencies issuing regulations that could affect energy supplies.

Energy demand-side policies Conservation CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy): raising the CAFÉ from 27,5 mpg to 40 mpg by 2012 CHPs (Combined Heat and Power / cogeneration)

CHPs

Energy demand-side policies Conservation CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy): raising the CAFÉ from 27,5 mpg to 40 mpg by 2012 CHPs (Combined Heat and Power / cogeneration): efficiency of 80% Derregulation: requires the utilities to maintain distribution services (transmission lines, telephone poles, etc), but to divest themselves of their power-generating facilities. Appliances: conservation measures such as energy standards for refrigerators and freezers Seeing the light: new building codes include improved insulation, double pane windows, use of fluorescent lights Internet: online shopping, working from home, less catalogs, less space

Development of non-fossil-fuel energy sources Two major pathways in developing non- fossil-fuel energy alternatives: Nuclear power Promoting renewable energy applications

Sources:  es.htm es.htm  tower.html tower.html  on-natural-gas on-natural-gas  energy-ignored / energy-ignored / 