Crude Oil Case Study

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Crude Oil - Contaminants
Sour Crude - Crude oil containing free sulfur, hydrogen sulfide, or other sulfur-containing compounds in amounts greater than 1% is considered sour crude [3]. Sulfurs must be removed from the crude oil before the oil can be refined as sulfurs are damaging to the environment. The higher the sulfur content the less you will pay for the fuel. Hydrodesulfurization removes the sulfur contents. A process in which hot hydrogen rich gas is pumped through the substance and H2S is formed and removed. These purified components of crude oil can then be used as fuel in percentage ratios, like making a cocktail. In order to obtain the most efficient mix for use and sale.

How Much Oil Is Left

BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy …show more content…

This technique fires hot chemical laced water deep underground, with the aim to break up subterranean rock and extract oil and natural gas from the hole. This method of extraction faces a lot of political opposition as well as environmental. Its true impact on the ground the oil is extracted on is not really known and it has been blamed for small earthquakes among other things. With an increasing focus on climate change more crude oil, which can impact the environment through emissions, is not without opposition on this front …show more content…

Peak oil is used as a thesis to describe the oil production peak and at some point of time after it will continue to fall. This is supposed to cause disastrous consequences for our economies since so much is invested in these large companies and crude oil as a society. The graph below displays the predicted rise and decline of the crude oil industry with us currently at the plateau point of the graph. Showing decline is just around the corner and an economic collapse with it and our current usage unsustainable. A theoretical production curve, describing the various stages of maturity [7].

As Crude oil is in every way a limited resource, economic abandonment should be considered and planned for. Decline could be caused by political action, malfunctions, sabotage of reserves by war or other many other factors. The motivating force behind decline could be just one factor, political or socioeconomic or environmental restrictions. Decline due to the depletion of reservoirs and the depletion of all reserves is highly likely. Realistically the decline will be driven by several of these factors and as they start to build up together. Crude oil as a fuel will then be abandoned and new sources will become common practice. This is difficult to comprehend since 90% of vehicles are powered by an oil based product, 40% of energy consumption is powered by oil. The world we live in today is extremely reliant

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