So you think you know oil: maybe not

Step into the 21 st century...

Actually, I view mankind's resource usage, historically, as a progression, and understand that oil is now, somewhat after coal, after wood, after animal dung/fat or bunches of grass, etc.

At some point, humanity will be using what is next, although some of the older technology will always be present.

Funny, how in all that time, despite finding different ways to transport it and use it, we are still building a fire. Even our use of nuclear fuel is to build the 'fire' which we use to heat water to make the wheels go round and generate electricity we can send down the wire to make the wheels go 'round...

So, yes, we could use a few fundamental changes in the way we do things, just to be more efficient. Perhaps when we master gravity or spacetime we can move people and things large distances without building that fire, without tires or roads, lubricants, or gaskets, or seals to keep the wind and wet out.

If we are there yet, no one said so.

In the meantime, we use the energy we have. But if you have something new, something that doesn't build a fire (however you build it, wherever you build it) to make the wheels go 'round, I'm all ears.

You see, we use oil because the alternatives, by and large, coal, wood, animal fat/dung, were even dirtier, and in their heyday, even more polluting.

As far as a raw material for organic derrivatives, I'll defer to the folks who know more about that than I.

Is there an organic chemist in the house?

Chavez is small potatoes when it comes to oil. But yes, I share your characterization of this lunatic.

We should be worried - no, panic stricken about OPEC. OPEC is funding machine for international terror INC.

I merely suggested that by not mentioning OPEC and its stranglehold on us you were leaving out the elephant in the room.

And what I neglected to mention earlier: yes a fine article albeit incomplete. Too many in conservative circles are shamefully enamored of the “Arab sheiks” and Muslim “democracies” such as the one in the parastate of Turkey.

Excellence In Freepcasting bump

NO.

It goes into the general fund.

"Has there ever been a survey of our coastal waters outside those areas we currently drill in? Specifically the East coast of the US."

The USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) works with each state's Geological Survey department and they do seismic surveys to determine minerals, oil, gas, etc. The state of Florida has its own seismic research ships. As to how extensive and how recent these surveys are in the areas in question is something I don't know. The private sector has done surveys in those areas before the moratoriums.

My best guess is that they have rough approximations of the crude oil reservoirs. Today, the private sector is much more advanced in both the type of surveys done and the processing of the data for the subsurface imaging. I doubt the USGS can come close to what we can do. There needs to be new seismic surveys performed in my opionion.

I currently work with one geophysicist who was invloved in the ANWR survey with Exxon back in the 1980s that estimate 10-16 billion barrels and he says that the area most likely has 4-5 times that amount. The sismic survey and processing technology back in the 1980s was poor compared to today.

"Second, after reading all the hype about all those leases the oil companies hold that they haven’t exploited I wondered how in depth are the surveys the oil companies conduct in the areas they lease beforehand."

A new area of interest will usually start with a less expensive 2D seismic survey just to get an idea of what major features are below the subsurface and if there is anything interesting then they proceed further to more expensive 3D seismic surveys. This can take years. The next step is to do log wells and get a slice of the actual earth to match it to the seismic imaging to see if the seismic image is accurate to the actual slice. If they don't match, then something went wrong with the seismic processing. If all things seem good and they see features of interest then test wells are drilled to see if there is oil and to test flow pressures to determine the amount of oil underneath. (this is beyond my experience, I am seismic only).

Lease 181 in the eastern Gulf of Mexico which is 100 miles off the Florida panhandle is being looked at. It will take time and it's in deep water. Getting deep water rigs today is near impossible and some of the depths have never been drilled to such depths. Much easier to get a land rig and drill the ANWR. Lease 181 could take 10 years before a rig is in place.

"According to the oil company execs that replied to the criticism some of those leases contain nothing leading me to believe that accurate surveys aren’t conducted until after the lease is purchased."

Those leases either contain nothing, not much oil, or like lease 181 which will take years to explore and even more years to build the type of deep water rigs that can actually get to those extreme depths. And lease 181 has nowhere near 1 billion barrels much less 10-16 billion like the ANWR. I think lease 181 is estimated to have 150 million barrels. And that is in extreme deep water, which ironic enough, is more environmentally challenging with potential for total uncontrolled disaster than a simple land rig in the ANWR.

The ANWR with 16 billion barrels and producing 1 million barrels per day would last for 43 years. This would cut oil imports by about 10% and drastically reduce the trade deficit, which in turn would strengthen the dollar, which in turn would drive world wide crude oil prices down. Just cutting our trade deficit (not flooding the world with dollars) would drive oil prices down. Democrats are too stupid to know this as is McCain, unfortunately.

In the meantime, as I write, the industry is headed over to Dubai along with good paying jobs. It's a real shame.