Our energy use and its consequences (including climate change) motivate some of the most contentious and complex public debates of our time. Although these issues are often cast in terms of renewable versus non-renewable energy, in reality both depend on finite Earth resources. The evolution of the Earth itself therefore offers a uniquely illuminating perspective from which to evaluate alternative pathways toward energy and environmental sustainability. Geofuels: Energy and the Earth systematically develops this perspective using informal, nontechnical language laced with humor. It is well suited to a broad readership, ranging from beginning university students to lifelong learners who are interested in how the Earth's past will influence their own future. It also provides simplified explanations of controversial topics, such as energy return on energy investment, peak oil, and fracking. The focus throughout is on building a sound physical understanding of how natural resources constrain our use of energy.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was introduced on December 2, 1970 by President Richard Nixon. The agency is charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. The EPA's struggle to protect health and the environment is seen through each of its official publications. These publications outline new policies, detail problems with enforcing laws, document the need for new legislation, and describe new tactics to use to solve these issues. This collection of publications ranges from historic documents to reports released in the new millennium, and features works like: Bicycle for a Better Environment, Health Effects of Increasing Sulfur Oxides Emissions Draft, and Women and Environmental Health.

It is a well-known fact that since the start of industrial crude oil extraction, some 150 years ago, the United States has consistently been the nation that consumes a greater proportion of the global production of that precious liquid fuel. What may be less obvious for many, nowadays, is that for most of that period the US was also the country with higher crude oil production. This handbook provides recent research on oil production.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed regulations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants. EPA believes that its proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) will "protect public health, move the United States towards a cleaner environment, and fight climate change while supplying Americans with reliable and affordable power." Burning fossil fuels to produce electricity results in the release of carbon dioxide, and represents the largest source of GHG emissions in the United States. This book discusses the implications for the electric power sector. It also examines the carbon dioxide emission rate goals in EPA's proposed rule for existing power plants; and discusses the Congressional responses and options to the EPA regulation of greenhouse gases.

Some Members of Congress have expressed concern about storage and management of petroleum coke (petcoke) in their districts. Despite a lack of data on observed health impacts, local concerns have included potential human health and environmental impacts of fugitive dusts and runoff into waterways. Broader concerns have also been raised about the carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) emissions from petcoke combustion. This book discusses the petcoke issues, small refinery opportunities and provides a background on the industry.

The ongoing discussion about reaching the "peak-oil point" (maximal delivery rate with conventional methods) emphasizes a fundamental change of the frame conditions of oil-based basic products. The alternative with the largest potential is the use of coal. Coal gasification is the production of coal gas (a mixture of mainly hydrogen and carbon monoxide) from coal adding agents like steam/water and oxygen, which can be used in a number of industrial processes (e.g. hydroformulation and Fischer-Tropsch process). Many different kinds of coal do naturally occur, and due to shrinking natural resources, there has been a substantial gain of interest in poor, ash-rich coal. Beside the quality of coal, there is a number of other parameters influencing the efficiency of coal gasification, such as temperature, pressure, and reactor type. Although several books dealing with the subject of gasification have recently been published, few are strictly focussed on coal as feedstock. This monograph provides the reader with the necessary chemical background on coal gasification. Several types of coal (baseline coal and ash-rich coal) are compared systematically, pointing out the technological efforts achieved so far to overcome this challenge. Using a new, innovative order scheme to evaluate the gasification process at a glance (the ternary diagram), the complex network of chemistry, engineering, and economic needs can be overviewed in a highly efficient way. This book is a must-have for Chemical and Process Engineers, Engineering Students, as well as Scientists in the Chemical Industry.

Handbook of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations is an authoritative source providing extensive up-to-date coverage of the technology used in the exploration, drilling, production, and operations in an offshore setting. Offshore oil and gas activity is growing at an expansive rate and this must-have training guide covers the full spectrum including geology, types of platforms, exploration methods, production and enhanced recovery methods, pipelines, and envinronmental managment and impact, specifically worldwide advances in study, control, and prevention of the industry's impact on the marine environment and its living resources. In addition, this book provides a go-to glossary for quick reference. Handbook of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations empowers oil and gas engineers and managers to understand and capture on one of the fastest growing markets in the energy sector today.

The federal government has encouraged the development and use of alternative fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with aviation and to enhance economic development and energy security for the United States. To help achieve these goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the aviation industry is actively supporting alternative jet fuels. This book examines the role of the federal government in the development and use of alternative jet fuels; and key challenges to developing and using alternative jet fuels and actions that the federal government plans to or could take to help address those challenges.

This book examines the lifeline of modern living - petroleum. This is what flows In our veins today. Every aspect of our life, from food to transport to housing, it is all petroleum based. Either its petroleum or its nothing. Our existence is draped in layers of petroleum. This book is a bible on the subject and covers every conceivable aspect of it, from its strategic importance to future prospects. Then the book goes on to delineate important strategic solutions to an unprecedented crisis that's coming our way.

This book discusses topical issues of detailed seismic data interpretation using high-resolution seismic (HRS) techniques, which are based on the numerical method developed by the authors for solving the inverse dynamic seismic problem (IDSP). The authors highlight the range of issues related to the development and application of HRS-Geo technologies on a variety of seismic data, and analyze a significant amount of practical material in various seismic and geological conditions. This analysis allows for the accurate estimation of geological indicators in sediments that are most important for the prediction and exploration of oil and gas deposits, including lithological composition, reservoir properties, and the nature and degree of reservoir rock saturation with fluids. The book is intended for professionals involved in seismic data processing and geological interpretation, students of geophysical and geological specialties, graduate students of these specializations.

Reservoir characterization as a discipline grew out of the recognition that more oil and gas could be extracted from reservoirs if the geology of the reservoir was understood. Prior to that awakening, reservoir development and production were the realm of the petroleum engineer. In fact, geologists of that time would have felt slighted if asked by corporate management to move from an exciting exploration assignment to a more mundane assignment working with an engineer to improve a reservoir s performance.

Slowly, reservoir characterization came into its own as a quantitative, multidisciplinary endeavor requiring a vast array of skills and knowledge sets. Perhaps the biggest attractor to becoming a reservoir geologist was the advent of fast computing, followed by visualization programs and theaters, all of which allow young geoscientists to practice their computing skills in a highly technical work environment. Also, the discipline grew in parallel with the evolution of data integration and the advent of asset teams in the petroleum industry. Finally, reservoir characterization flourished with the quantum improvements that have occurred in geophysical acquisition and processing techniques and that allow geophysicists to image internal reservoir complexities.
Practical resource describing different types of sandstone and shale reservoirsCase histories of reservoir studies for easy comparison Applications of standard, new, and emerging technologies
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The predicted ICT revolution has gained increasing attention in the oil industry the last few years. It is enabled by the use of ubiquitous real time data, collaborative techniques, and multiple expertises across disciplines, organizations and geographical locations.Integrated Operations in the Oil and Gas Industry: Sustainability and Capability Development covers the capability approach to integrated operations that documents research and development in the oil industry. By 'capability', we refer to the combined capacity and ability to plan and execute in accordance with business objectives through a designed combination of human skills, work processes, organizational change, and technology. This book will serve as a knowledge base for those who are interested in learning about, and those involved in, Integrated Operations in the Oil and Gas Industry.

In this book, the authors present and discuss the characteristics, performance and environmental impacts of diesel fuels. Topics include the effects of diesel fuel composition and properties on engine performance and pollutant emissions; biodiesel production from alternative feedstocks in Brazil; development of dual fuel combustion models for direct injected heavy duty diesel engines; the molecular properties of some diesel fuel components and their biodegradation; the effect of oxygen additives on the performance and combustion of diesel engines; contrasting the life-cycle performance of conventional and alternative diesel fuels; and the impact of ethyl-tert-butyl ether (ETBE) addition to diesel oil.

This book provides in-depth information on basic and applied aspects of biohydrogen production. It begins with an introduction to the topic, and follows with the basic scientific aspects of biohydrogen production, such as the enzyme involved in biohydrogen production, the microorganisms and metabolic engineering information. It then provides state-of-art information on various aspects of biohydrogen production methods such as from solid wastes, from industrial effluents, thermo-chemical route for biohydrogen production, etc. It also includes information on engineering aspects such as the design of bioreactors for biohydrogen production and scale-up issues. Finally, it touches on the issues of hydrogen economy and commercialization. The book introduces you to all aspects of biohydrogen research, helping you understand the various issues involved and plan your own research based on recent findings and commercial needs.

Provides information on the most advanced and innovative biohydrogen technologies, including fermentation and metabolic processesProvides examples on large-scale and commercial applications of biohydrogen processes and explains the steps necessary for scaling-upExplains the chemistry/theory of the processes involved and provides information on integration of the various processes and technologies on biohydrogenGuides through the process design, reactors and materials selectionDevotes a whole chapter on the economical aspects of the processes and their commercialization