Transcript Oil Drilling
Oil Drilling: The Pursuit of Black Gold Tyler Evans
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, Erin Schnettler
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, Emma Levin
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ANWR: A Heated Debate
Oil exploration in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge is a very important aspect of STS. Future oil and gas developments, such as ANWR, rely heavily on science and improved technology and many of the previous developments have had substantial effects of society.
The debate on whether or not to drill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge has been an ongoing social, economic and political controversy throughout the past three decades. Much of the debate rests on the amount of economically recoverable oil and the potential harm that oil exploration might have on the dense natural wildlife within the region.
Background
Early 1900’s: First reports of surface oil on the North Slope of Alaska 1930’s: strong evidence that large oil deposits of oil did exist below the Alaskan Surface During World War II the United States Government declared the North Slope and the oil on it, reserved for the military.
In the 1950’s scientists began to realize the biodiversity of the land and proposed a plan to protect it.
By the 1960’s, President Eisenhower created an 8.9 million acre reserve, which he named the Artic National Wildlife Range.
In 1980, congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), which doubled the range to almost 20 million acres. The ANILCA renamed the land the Artic National Wildlife refuge and designated eight million acres as wilderness. However, the 1.5 million acre coastal plain that boarders the Beaufort Sea between Prudhoe Bay and the Canadian boarder, was not part of the designated wilderness.
The Coastal Plain region, known as section 1002, comprises approximately 8 percent of the 20 million-acre ANWR, and is the largest unexplored, potentially productive onshore basin in the United States
Proponents of drilling in ANWR argue:
Decrease our dependence on foreign oil Decrease the price of domestic oil Create jobs and help support the local Alaskan economy
Opponents claim:
Uncertainty over the amount of economically recoverable oil According to a report conducted by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), in March 12, 2001, the increased production from ANWR would only reduce the net share of foreign oil used by the U.S. in 2020 from 62 percent to 60 percent.
Americans use roughly 7 billion barrels of oil per year and the USGS estimates that there is only 7.7 billion barrels in ANWR. Furthermore, the actual pumping from ANWR would last for at least 25 years, so if you spread the 7.7 billion barrels of oil out over 25 or more years, it is very unlikely that ANWR could provide more than 3 percent of the oil that American consume each year Potential damage to the environment and surrounding wildlife (oil spills, road construction, pollution, etc..) Temporary solution Overall, the underlying issue is our Country’s unsustainable dependence on oil. It is clear that increasing oil production will just delay the inevitable; eventually, we are going to run out of oil and renewable resources such as wind, hydroelectric, solar, and biomass will be our only option. Therefore, development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not necessary. The procedures required for oil development would greatly impact the surrounding regions and would have adverse effects on individual species, indigenous people, and the environment as a whole.
Sources
Shogren, Elizabeth. "Arctic Refuge Damaged, Scientists Find." Los Angeles Times 5 Mar. 2003. 1 May 2010
"To Drill or Not to Drill, That is the Question." Arctic National Refuge. 1 May 2010
Oil Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge : the Technology & the Alaskan Oil Context
. Washington DC : Congress of the U.S., Office of Technology Assessment, Feb 1989.
Potential Oil Production From the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Updated Assessment . Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Reserves and Production Division. Energy Information Administration, 2000. 1 May 2010
Oil Technology
Introduction
In 2005, the United States manufactured 9 million barrels of crude oil per day and imported 13.21 million barrels per day from other countries (“How Oil Drilling Works”). Therefore, the United States relies heavily on various forms of oil. However, the rate at which we are consuming oil means that many of the oil reserves will be dried up within the decades. Thus, scientists, geologists, and multi-national corporations are searching for new and better ways to produce oil. This is pertinent to STS because humans rely on oil for day-to-day activities and to be able to continue consuming oil at an increasing rate means that new technology is needed to produce more oil in addition to technology that is less harmful to the environment. Ultimately, we need to look at our past oil drilling techniques and the damage they have caused to create new innovative more eco-friendly processes.
How is oil produced?
There is an easy seven-step process to ensure full comprehension on the production of oil. First, oil needs to be formed, which is done by folding, faulting, or pinching out. Next, the “diggers” need to locate the oil to make sure that the conditions are correct for the oil pipe. Third, all of the preparations for the actual oil drilling need to be done. For instance, they have to level the land to make sure the machinery can drill properly. Next, the oilrig system begins its work. There are five major areas of the rig: power system, mechanical system, rotating system, casting, and circulation system. Fifth, the oil drilling process takes place in five easy steps: assemble the tool; make mud; lay pipe; shake, shake, shake; finish the well. Sixth, the oil needs to be tested. There are three types of tests: well logging, drill-stem testing, and core samples. Finally, the oil is extracted.
Specific Oil Drilling Systems:
United Kingdom Offshore Oil After the Second World War, coal was replaced by oil and oil consumption exponentially increased. In 1965, oil was discovered in the southern sector of the North Sea and soon after, it was successfully producing commercial quantities.
Provisional Estimates of reserves from the two biggest barrels demonstrated that enough oil could be recovered from the North Sea to meet total UK demand of about 80 million tonnes per year for about five years [Shell/Esso Brent Discover].
Major feature for future production is that there is a rapid decline in production of oil from UK Continental Shelf developments.
Alberta Oil Sands The major difference between conventional oil reserves and oil sands deposits is the viscosity of the oil. In oil sand reserves, it is necessary to reduce its viscosity to keep the oil flowing through the reservoir.
The process of extraction has two major drawbacks: the process produces large volumes of sludge and bitumen recoveries from the oil sand are low.
The future of sand oil extraction is the creation of alternative technologies to increase the bitumen recovery and decrease the sludge. The Canadian government as well as private companies are actively pursuing these alternative technologies.
Future of Oil
Oil is a major facet in most powerful countries’ economies. Therefore, governments coupled with private companies are investing trillions of dollars into oil production and consumption. For example, the development of the Brent Production (four platforms) and its associated pipelines and terminals costs over 3 billion Euros. This is approximately a cost comparable to a moon shot. The future of oil drilling relies on finding new unlikely fields for production and continuing investments in current fields. Oil prices will also affect the future of oil production and consumption. The price of oil within the last century has fluctuated. Thus, the search for alternative sources of fuel will be invested in more, as oil prices remain high. Additionally, the growing “green movement” coupled with the drying out of current fields will aid in the search for alternative sources energy along with alternative techniques for drilling.
Oceanic Oil Spills: Costly Mistakes Major Oil Spills in History
Two major trends to note: 1. Oceanic oil spills are decreasing in frequency but increasing in scale 2. Each oil spill is unique (challenging for regulation, response preparation and prevention
The Life Cycle of an Oil Spill
Identifying the Source/Cause of the Spill Clean-up techniques at this stage aim to identify the source and stop the oil from escaping it. For example, underwater robots are being used at the DeepWater Horizon oil rig to try to cap the leak or re-route it. The environmental impacts at this stage are source/causation-specific. Fig. 1: April 26 th , 2010: The DeepWater Horizon oil drill exploded 50 miles of the coast of Louisiana. Weathering Once oil is introduced into the ocean, it will undergo a natural degradation process known as weathering. Clean-up techniques are vary with the different weathering steps. The overall environmental impacts of oil within the oceanic ecosystem include massive die-offs and unhealthy long-term populations. The most important steps include:
1.Spreading:
Clean-up techniques of oil slicks include floating booms and fire.
2.Natural dispersion
: Critical stage in which wave energy breaks apart the slick into droplets. Clean up techniques include the addition of chemical dispersants to accelerate the process. Fig 2&3: Diagram of oceanic oil weathering and an inflatable oil boom
3.Sedimentation/Sinking 4.Biodegradation
Coastal Arrival or “Beaching” A portion of the oil that is able to evade the clean-up techniques at sea is eventually deposited on shore. The negative implications of coastal arrival depend on whether the coastline is rocky or marshy, exposed or sheltered etc. Shoreline cleanup efforts have proven ineffective. Typical recovery timelines for rocky coastlines is three years and five years for wetlands. Fig 4&5: Coastal arrival of the Exxon Valdez Oil spill in Alaska, 1989 Long-term impacts Chronic exposure to oil can cause health impacts to wildlife and human populations such as endocrine disruption and cancer.
Future Perspectives
Advancing technologies such as nanosponges and bioremediation hold promise, however, the stages of an oil spill will continue to diversify and become more complicated, challenging effective clean-up techniques. Fig 6: Close up of a nanosponge: a paper-thin, ultra-absorbent sponge for future oil spill clean up