Oil

Oil Oil use is rising

drastically worldwide, accounting for 37% of the world’s energy

Crude oil, or petroleum, is made of a mixture of various types of hydrocarbons• oil refineries sort the oil

into different types, such as gasoline, tar, and asphalt

Extracting Oil Once geologists

have discovered an oil deposit, a company will conduct exploratory drilling• Oil is trapped

under pressure, and when a hole is drilled, oil will rise to the surface unassisted

Extracting Oil After primary

extraction, as much as 2/3 of the oil may remain

Secondary extraction involves solvents or water to flush out underground rocks and remove additional oil• This is expensive and

often is not done

Offshore Drilling Over 25% of the oil

and gas extracted in the US comes from offshore drilling sites

Floating or fixed platforms are built above the drilling site

Oil in Alaska

The northern slope of Alaska is a virtually untouched wildlife area

It also contains unknown amounts of oil

Since the 1920s, people have debating what to do with this resource: preserve the undisturbed natural area or drill for oil

Oil in Alaska

Small areas have been drilled and over 14 billion barrels of crude oil have been extracted• The oil is then

transported across Alaska via the trans-Alaska pipeline to oil tankers

Oil in Alaska The Arctic National

Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a federally protected area• It is home to 160

nesting bird species, fish and marine mammals, timber wolves, musk oxen, etc

• It is also a vital birthing area for caribou

Oil in Alaska

ANWR has been the focus of a debate for years and US policy has changed

In 1980, Congress put most of the refuge off-limits to oil but reserved for future decision-making a large coastal area

Since 2005, Congress has attempted to open the refuge to drilling but has been blocked

Refining Crude Oil

Refining separates the hydrocarbons into classes of different sizes

Different components of crude oil boil at different temperatures

Environmental Effects of Oil Drilling has

minor impacts, but roads and infrastructure must be built• This causes

major habitat alteration

Oil spills and other problems may cause additional damage

Environmental Effects in ANWR

Many scientists anticipate damage to vegetation and wildlife if drilling takes place

There are methods that can lessen the impact, such as building roads of ice that will melt in the summer and only drilling in the winter when caribou are not present

Natural Gas

Natural Gas Natural gas

is the fastest growing fossil fuel in use today• Supplies are projected to last around 60 years

Natural gas consists mostly of methane (CH4) and small amounts of other volatile hydrocarbons

Using Natural Gas

Natural gas was first used in the 1800s, but was not used wide scale

Today, it is used for heating and cooking

Types of Natural Gas

Biogenic gas—created by anaerobic decomposition at shallow depths• Can also be made from the decay of landfills—now is being sold

Types of Natural Gas

Thermogenic gas—results from compression and heat deep underground• May be formed near crude oil or from crude oil that is altered by heating

Extracting Natural Gas

Pumps are used to create pressure and pull natural gas and oil to the surface

Many of the easily accessible natural gas reserves have already been used up

Fracking