Providing a comprehensive analysis of CO2 compression, transportation processes and safety issues for post combustion CO2 capture applications for a 900 MW pulverized hard coal-fired power plant, this book assesses techniques for boosting the pressure of CO2 to pipeline pressure values with a minimal amount of energy. Four different types of compressors are examined in detail: a conventional multistage centrifugal compressor, integrally geared centrifugal compressor, supersonic shock wave compressor, and pump machines. The study demonstrates that the total compression power is closely related to the thermodynamic process and is not determined by compressor efficiency alone. Another problem addressed is that of CO2 pipeline transport from the compressor outlet site to a disposal site under heat transfer conditions. The book also features an analysis of simulations and models that are used to determine the maximum safe pipeline distance to subsequent booster stations as a function of inlet pressure, ambient temperature, thickness of the thermal insulation and ground-level heat flux conditions. This book focuses on compression as well as transportation processes with particular emphasis on the safety risks related to the transport of CO2. The most important problem in terms of environmental protection is ensuring precise and reliable hazard identification. As hazards can only be managed effectively if they are properly identified, problems involving the discharge and atmospheric dispersion of CO2 are also discussed.

Extensive descriptions of a wide range of key or world-class mineral deposits of China are presented in the context of the country's general geology, tectonic units and mineral systems and their geodynamic evolution within the tectonic framework of the Asian continent. This comprehensive overview, incorporating the latest geological concepts, is the first such coverage written in English by a western expert, and will be of benefit to mineral explorers and miners, as well as to research scientists and students in institutions of higher education. In his compilation of this compendium of Chinese geology and mineral systems, Franco Pirajno draws on first-hand knowledge of China's geology and mineral deposits gained in numerous field visits and research projects with Chinese colleagues from various academic institutions over the past 18 years. First time that a western-based book on China's geology and mineral deposits is published Appropriate for use by the mineral exploration industry Modern English-language geological and mineral deposits information on China Most useful to Western (and Chinese) geoscientists

The International Conference on the State of the Art on Biogas Technology, Transfer and Diffusion was held in Cairo, Egypt, from 17 to 24 November 1984. The Conference was organized by the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASR T), the Egyptian National Research Centre (NRC), the Bioenergy Systems and Technology project (BST) of the US Agency for International Development (US/AID) Office of Energy, and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). A number of international organizations and agencies co-sponsored the Conference. More than 100 participants from 40 countries attended. The purpose of the Conference was to assess the viability of biogas technology (BGT) and propose future courses of action for exploiting BGT prospects to the fullest extent. The Conference emphasized a balanced coverage of technical, environ mental, social, economic and organizational aspects relevant to biogas systems design, operation and diffusion. It was organized to incorporate experiences that are pertinent, for the most part, to developing countries. In addition to the wide spectrum of presentations and country programs, structured and non-structured discussions among the participants were strongly encouraged in thematic sessions at round-table discussions, and through personal contacts during poster sessions and field trips. It was clear from the enthusiastic response of most participants that the Conference, in large measure, succeeded in fulfilling its mission. Although draft papers were distributed to all participants, it was felt that the results obtained were worthy of organized and refined documentation. And this is precisely what this book intends to do.

Over the past decade, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has come to the fore as a way to manage carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change. This book examines its introduction into the political scene, different interpretations of its significance as an emerging technology and the policy challenges facing government and international institutions with respect to its development, deployment and regulation. The focus of the book is on the construction of arguments about CCS in the public sphere, the coalitions of actors who have articulated distinctive perspectives on CCS and the varied strategies governments have adopted to integrate it into climate and energy policies. The authors analyse the issues decision-makers now confront in encouraging the uptake of the technology, managing uncertainties and regulating attendant risks. The book includes case studies of the reception of CCS in seven OECD countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. Developments in the EU form the subject of an eighth case study. The authors point to the political significance of CCS as a mitigation option offering a way forward for fossil fuels in a carbon constrained world, while also emphasizing the uncertainties that surround its future development and deployment. Students, scholars and researchers from a wide variety of fields who are interested in climate change, energy policy, and the politics and policy of the environment will find this book illuminating, as will officials and policy makers in international organizations and governments.

This book examines the concept and purpose of joint development agreements of offshore hydrocarbon deposits from the perspective of public international law and the law of the sea, taking into consideration and extensively reviewing State practice concerning seabed activities in disputed maritime areas and when hydrocarbon deposits extend across maritime boundaries. It distinguishes between agreements signed before and after the delimitation of maritime boundaries and analyzes the relevance of natural resources or unitization clauses included in maritime delimitation agreements. It also takes into consideration the relation between these resources and maritime delimitation and analyzes all the relevant international jurisprudence. Another innovative aspect of this book is that it examines the possibility of joint development of resources that lay between the continental shelf and the Area, considering both theoretical and practical problems. As such, the book is a useful tool for scholars and experts on public international law and the law of the sea, but also for national authorities and practitioners of international disputes resolution, as well as public and private entities working in the oil and gas industry.

I remember that the idea of this book emerged ?rst in Toulouse, during the Third Conference on Energy Markets - 3 years ago now. Anna Cret` ? gave a talk on a model dealing with seasonal gas storage in the USA, and Christian Von Hirschausen was her discussant. Both of them were devoting their efforts to understand the natural gas market in Europe and the relevant liberalization process. I found their interest in storage rather original, so I encouraged Anna to collect the most original cont- butions on this topic. Back in Milan with this idea in mind, she organized a working group at IEFE- Bocconi University, where she works. Then, during the following year, she - changed ideas and organized several meetings with the book's contributors. She regularly invited the most important Italian gas sector representatives to these me- ings, to make sure that the economic models were well suited to tackle the issues at stake in the European gas industry.

This volume, The Science of Algal Fuels (volume 25 of COLE), contains 26 chapters dealing with biofuels contributed by experts from numerous countries and covers several aspects of algal products, one being "oilgae from algae," mainly oils and fuels for engines. Among the prominent algal groups that participate in this process are the diatoms and green algae (Chlorophyceae). Their metabolism and breeding play an important role in biomass and extraction of crude oil and algal fuel. There is a strong relation between solar energy influencing algal culture and the photobiology of lipid metabolism. Currently, many international meetings and conferences on biofuel are taking place in many countries, and several new books and proceedings of conferences have appeared on this topic. All this indicates that this field is "hot" and in the forefront of applied bioscience.

The modern financial system was developed to support the rapid economic growth that took off about 200 years ago with the phenomenal amounts of cheap energy made available through the exploitation of fossil fuels. As a result, its viability is completely dependent upon the continuation of that growth. Unfortunately, the more recent fossil fuel discoveries, especially for oil, have tended to have lower production levels than earlier ones. In addition, greater amounts of energy are required to extract the fossil fuels leading to less net energy available for society. The Energy Return On Investment (EROI) for oil has fallen from 30:1 in the 1970's to 10:1 today. Thus, newer energy finds produce lower extraction rates and more of the energy provided is offset by the energy used in the extraction processes. The result has been economic stagnation or even contraction, with growth in China and India etc. only possible due to the extensive use of local coal reserves, and recession-induced drops in OECD country energy use. Renewable sources of energy will not be able to expand fast enough to replace the 87% of energy supplies provided by fossil fuels, and apart from hydro and wind, tend to have very low EROI rates. They are also critically dependent upon the cheap energy infrastructure provided by fossil fuels. The phenomenal amounts of path-dependent energy infrastructure will also greatly inhibit any move away from fossil fuels.

Without continued economic growth there will not be the extra output to fund loan interest payments, nor the revenue and profit growth to support share price/earnings multiples. The financial system acts as a time machine, creating asset prices based upon perceptions of the future. As an increasing percentage of investors come to accept the future reality of at best, financial asset prices will fall to reflect a realistic future. The resulting crash will remove the underpinnings of the banking, brokerage, mutual fund, pension fund, and insurance industries. The comfortable futures of many will be shown to have been based upon a mirage of future growth that will not take place. With the financial system acting as the critical coordination system of the global economy, its crash will also intensify economic problems. Written by a retired financial industry executive with over 25 years of experience, this book describes how the crisis will affect different regions and industries to help identify the career and investment choices which may provide a relative safe harbour.

F. Jerry Lucia, working in America's main oil-rich state, has produced a work that goes after one of the holy grails of oil prospecting. One main target in petroleum recovery is the description of the three-dimensional distribution of petrophysical properties on the interwell scale in carbonate reservoirs. Doing so would improve performance predictions by means of fluid-flow computer simulations. Lucia's book focuses on the improvement of geological, petrophysical, and geostatistical methods, describes the basic petrophysical properties, important geology parameters, and rock fabrics from cores, and discusses their spatial distribution. A closing chapter deals with reservoir models as an input into flow simulators.

Existing views on geodynamics (recharge, migration, discharge) of uids at deep layers of petroliferous basins are summarized. The in ltration and elision th- ries explaining development of uid pressures in deep formations are called into question based on quantitative estimates available for some artesian (petroliferous) basins. Using the West Siberian, Pechora, Terek-Kuma, Bukhara-Karshi, and other petroliferous basins as examples, the stratum-block structure of deep formations is substantiated for strati ed systems of platform in inter- and intramontane depr- sions. It is shown that petroliferous reservoirs at great depths are characterized, regardless of lithology, by largely ssure-related capacity and permeability (clayey rocks included) changeable in space and through geological time. Much attention is paid to development of abnormally high formation pressures. Peculiarities in heat and mass transfer at deep levels are considered for different regions. The energetic formation model substantiated for deep uids explains different anomalies (baric, thermal, hydrogeochemical, mineralogical, and others) at deep levels of platforms. Based on hydrogeodynamic considerations, the theory of oil origin and formation of hydrocarbon elds is proposed. The book is of interest for oilmen, hydrogeo- gists, geologists, and specialists dealing with prospecting of petroliferous deposits as well as industrial, mineral, and thermal waters in deep formations of strati ed sedimentary basins. vii Contents 1 Existing Views on Fluidodynamics in Petroliferous Formations . . 1 References ...11 2 Investigation Methods of Deep Fluidodynamics ...15 2. 1 Methods of Formation Pressure Reducing ...16 2. 2 Assessment of Directions of Density-Variable Fluid Flows by the "Filtration Force" Method ...

The long-held tenets of the energy sector are being rewritten in the twenty-first century. The rise of unconventional oil and gas and of renewables is transforming our economies and improving our understanding of the distribution of the world's energy resources and their impacts. A complete knowledge of the dynamics underpinning energy markets is necessary for decision-makers reconciling economic, energy, and environmental objectives. Those that anticipate global energy developments successfully can derive an advantage, while those that fail to do so risk making poor policy and investment decisions. Focused on solving the key challenges impeding the realization of advanced cellulosic biofuels and bioproducts in rural areas, Biomass and Biofuels: Advanced Biorefineries for Sustainable Production and Distribution provides comprehensive information on sustainable production of biomass feedstock, supply chain management of feedstocks to the biorefinery site, advanced conversion processes, and catalysts/biocatalysts for production of fuels and chemicals using conventional and integrated technologies. The book also presents detailed coverage of downstream processing, and ecological considerations for refineries processing lignocellulosic and algal biomass resources. Discussions of feedstock raw materials, methods for biomass conversion, and its effective integration to make biorefinery more sustainable - economically, environmentally, and socially - give you the tools to make informed decisions.

Oil is the lifeblood of modern industrial economies. Petroleum powers virtually all motorized transport, which in turn enables most economic activities and provides mobility for citizens. But oil is a finite resource that is steadily depleting. In the past decade, the phenomenon of global peak oil - the fact that annual world oil production must at some point reach a maximum and then decline - has emerged as one of the twenty-first century's greatest challenges. South Africa imports over two-thirds of its petroleum fuels, and history has shown that oil price shocks generally translate into a weakening currency, rising consumer prices, increasing joblessness and a slow-down in economic activity. This book examines the implications of peak oil for socioeconomic welfare in South Africa and proposes a wide range of strategies and policies for mitigating and adapting to the likely impacts. It contains a wealth of data in tables and figures that illustrate South Africa's oil dependencies and vulnerabilities to oil shocks. The material is presented from a systems perspective and is organized in key thematic areas including energy, transport, agriculture, macro-economy and society. The study highlights the risks, uncertainties and difficult choices South Africa faces if it is to tackle its oil addiction, and thereby serves as an example for researchers, planners and policy-makers in the developing world who will sooner or later confront similar challenges. This case study brings a fresh southern perspective to an issue of global importance, and shows how the era of flattening and then declining global oil supplies may be a pivotal period in which either the project of industrialization progressively runs out of steam, or societies are able to undertake a proactive transition to a more sustainable future.

This book approaches the energy science sub-field carbon capture with an interdisciplinary discussion based upon fundamental chemical concepts ranging from thermodynamics, combustion, kinetics, mass transfer, material properties, and the relationship between the chemistry and process of carbon capture technologies. Energy science itself is a broad field that spans many disciplines -- policy, mathematics, physical chemistry, chemical engineering, geology, materials science and mineralogy -- and the author has selected the material, as well as end-of-chapter problems and policy discussions, that provide the necessary tools to interested students.

The first volume in a new Springer Series on Shipping and Transport Logistics, Oil Transport Management provides a full historical account of the evolution of the oil transport industry since the 1800's. In this comprehensive guide, the authors investigate the industry and describe the shipping market and its structure, as well as forecasting, location plan and the transportation chain. They dedicate a separate chapter to each topic to cover various concepts, including: an introduction to the tanker shipping market, including how the freight, new vessel building, second hand and demolition markets influence one another, the economic structure and organization of the tanker industry in both the past and present, and forecasting the need for oil-based sea transportation. Further chapters present case studies and simulations to illustrate the importance of factory location decisions and the need for oil infrastructure investments. Chapter One also includes a regression equation to predict the fleet size in tanker shipping. Oil Transport Management is a key reference, which can be practically applied to wider global research and practices. Ideal for both industry practitioners, and researchers and students of shipping studies, Oil Transport Management provides a concise yet comprehensive coverage of the oil transport industry's history and a guide for its future development.

The International Workshop on Turbulent Combustion was held September 14-15, 2000, at the Nagoya Institute of Technology, to review the present status of turbu lent combustion studies. Reviews were presented by Prof. F. A. Williams of the Uni versity of California, San Diego; Prof. Ken Bray of the University of Cambridge; and Prof. Jay Gore of Purdue University. Dr. Howard Baum of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Dr. Jim McDonough of the University of Ken tucky participated in the discussion. Some ten papers, describing the latest findings of Japanese studies in this field, were given at the meeting. About half of these studies are supported by a national project, the Open and Integrated Research Pro gram, Creation of New Functionalized Thermo-Fluid Systems by Turbulence Con trol, that started only recently under the sponsorship of the Science and Technology Agency of Japan. The meeting was a great success and gave impetus and a sense of perspective to young Japanese researchers through the excellent reviews and valu able comments their work received. I believe that this kind of open discussion is indispensable for any project to produce a good outcome, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all who participated in the meeting. Finally, I would like to express my special thanks to Prof. Tatsuya Hasegawa of the Nagoya Institute of Technology, Prof. Akira Yoshida of Tokyo Denki University, Prof."

The National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF), announced in the Government of India s Budget 2010-11, is seen as a major step in India's quest for energy security and reducing the carbon intensity of energy. Funding research and innovative projects in clean energy technologies, and harnessing renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels constitute the objectives of the NCEF. The NCEF s utilization of funds is considered to be rather low and disbursements poorly aligned with the fund s stated objectives, thus posing a potential risk of diluting the focus of NCEF with adverse implications for the much-needed research and innovation in the clean energy sector in India.
The book provides a detailed framework for promoting effective utilization and administration of NCEF. To this effect, it identifies the most promising avenues for utilization of NCEF resources for catalytic opportunities and deployment of new technologies. It also identifies and prioritizes the specific energy sub-sectors towards which the NCEF resources are directed. It also makes suggestions for designing a smart monitoring and evaluation framework for the NCEF.
This work provides significant information for the government so that appropriate mid-course corrections may be made in a timely manner. This will also be useful in honing the strategic thinking on a suitable energy-technology policy and an assessment of technology needs and other barriers to the clean energy sector in India."

Much of the world's petroleum is located on continental margins, and any further development of these offshore deposits would be impossible without new technologies and new methods contained in this volume. Written by some of the world's foremost authorities on oil and gas, this volume explains for the practicing engineer and the engineering student some of the most important and cutting-edge techniques for developing offshore fields on continental margins.

As the annual production of carbon Dioxide (CO2) reaches 30 billion tones, the growing issue of the greenhouse effect has triggered the development of technologies for CO2 sequestration, storage and use as a reactant. Collecting together the reports of the Congress at University of Rome (Campus Bio-medico) held 16th April 2012, CO2: A Valuable Source of Carbon presents and discusses promising technologies for the industrial exploitation of CO2. Divided into two parts, the current technology is evaluated and summarized before European and national projects are presented. The focus on CO2 recovery, particularly in value-added production, proposes applicable methods to develop sustainable practices and even to mitigate greenhouse gas emission from large-scale fossil fuels usage. Including current data and real-world examples, CO2: A valuable source of carbon provides students, engineers, researchers and industry professional with up-to-date material and potential areas for development and research.

It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I present to the international scientific community this collection of papers presented at the symposium on Surface Phenomena in Enhanced Oil Recovery held at Stockholm, Sweden, during August 20-25, 1979. It has been an exciting and exhausting experience to edit the papers included in this volume. The proceedings cover six major areas of research related to chemical flooding processes for enhanced oil recovery, namely, 1) Fundamental aspects of the oil displacement process, 2) Micro structure of surfactant systems, 3) Emulsion rheology and oil dis placement mechanisms, 4) Wettability and oil displacement mecha nisms, 5) Adsorption, clays and chemical loss mechanisms, and 6) Polymer rheology and surfactant-polymer interactions. This book also includes two invited review papers, namely, "Research on Enhanced Oil Recovery: Past, Present and Future," and "Formation and Properties of Micelles and Microemulsions" by Professor J. J. Taber and Professor H. F. Eicke respectively. This symposium volume reflects the current state-of-art and our understanding of various surface phenomena in enhanced oil recovery processes. The participation by researchers from various countries in this symposium reflects the global interest in this area of research and the international effort to develop che science and technology of enhanced oil recovery processes.

The opportunity of repowering the existing condensing power stations by means of gas turbogenerators offers an important opportunity to considerably improvement of their energy efficiency. The Modernization Potential of Gas turbines in the Coal-Fired Power Industry presents the methodology, calculation procedures and tools used to support enterprise planning for adapting power stations to dual-fuel gas-steam combined-cycle technologies. Both the conceptual and practical aspects of the conversion of existing coal-fired power plants is covered. Discussions of the feasibility, advantages and disadvantages and possible methods are supported by chapters presenting equations of energy efficiency for the conditions of repowering a power unit by installing a gas turbogenerator in a parallel system and the results of technical calculations involving the selection heating structures of heat recovery steam generators. A methodology for analyzing thermodynamic and economic effectiveness for the selection of a structure of the heat recovery steam generator for the repowered power unit is also explained. The Modernization Potential of Gas turbines in the Coal-Fired Power Industry is an informative monograph written for researchers, postgraduate students and policy makers in power engineering.

The book is an up-to-date basic reference for natural gas hydrate (NGH) in the Arctic Ocean. Geographical, geological, environmental, energy, new technology, and regulatory matters are discussed. The book should be of interest to general readers and scientists and students as well as industry and government agencies concerned with energy and ocean management. NGH is a solid crystalline material that compresses gas by about a factor of about 164 during crystallization from natural gas (mainly methane) - rich pore waters over time. NGH displaces water and may form large concentrations in sediment pore space. Its formation introduces changes in the geotechnical character of host sediment that allows it to be distinguished by seismic and electric exploration methods. The chemical reaction that forms NGH from gas and water molecules is highly reversible, which allows controlled conversion of the NGH to its constituent gas and water. This can be achieved rapidly by one of a number of processes including heating, depressurization, inhibitor injection, dissolution, and molecular replacement. The produced gas has the potential to make NGH a valuable unconventional natural gas resource, and perhaps the largest on earth. Estimates for NGH distribution, concentration, economic targets, and volumes in the Arctic Ocean have been carried out by restricting the economic target to deepwater turbidite sands, which are also sediment hosts for more deeply buried conventional hydrocarbon deposits. Resource base estimates are based on NGH petroleum system analysis approach using industry-standard parameters along with analogs from three relatively well known examples (Nankai-Japan, Gulf of Mexico-United States, and Arctic permafrost hydrate). Drilling data has substantiated new geotechnical-level seismic analysis techniques for estimating not just the presence of NGH but prospect volumes. In addition to a volumetric estimate for NGH having economic potential, a sedimentary depositional model is proposed to aid exploration in the five different regions around the deep central Arctic Ocean basin. Related topics are also discussed. Transport and logistics for NGH may also be applicable for stranded conventional gas and oil deposits. Arising from a discussion of new technology and methodologies that could be applied to developing NGH, suggestions are made for the lowering of exploration and capital expenses that could make NGH competitive on a produced cost basis. The basis for the extraordinarily low environmental risk for exploration and production of NGH is discussed, especially with respect to the environmentally fragile Arctic region. It is suggested that because of the low environmental risk, special regulations could be written that would provide a framework for very low cost and safe development.

"The Chinese Oil Industry: History and Future" presents a wealth of tables and figures with new data on Chinese fossil fuel production and consumption, together with a peak oil model to forecast future trends in energy supply and demand. Energy experts in China and the United States provide you with a unique overview of the entire Chinese oil industry. The authors discuss trends in production and consumption of global significance through to the middle of the 21st century, including the energy returned on energy invested (EROI) for China s oil and gas.

The role of oil in the industrialization of China is described as arefour phases in the history of the Chinese oil industry. Detailed coverage of resources and exploration, pipeline development, refining and marketing, petroleum and natural gas pricing policies, and international cooperation is followed by consideration of conservation, renewable energy, and environmental impact. The authors also address the importance of coal and the probable future of coal production.
- Offers a comprehensive view of theChinese oil industry

- Presents new and previously unpublished data

- Covers history and future trends in production and consumption

- Introduces a new peak oil model for China

- Discusses EROI trend of oil and natural gas and its consequences for the Chinese economy

- Written from an objective viewpoint by leading energy experts"

Economic and environmental requirements for advanced power generating systems demand the removal of corrosive and other sulfurous compounds from hot coal gas. After a brief account of the world energy resources and an overview of clean coal technologies, a review of regenerable metal oxide sorbents for cleaning the hot gas is provided. Zinc oxide, copper oxide, calcium oxide, manganese oxide based as well as supported and mixed metal oxide sorbents are treated. Performance analysis of these sorbents, effects of various parameters on the desulfurization efficiency, kinetics of sulfidation and regeneration reactions, sulfiding and regeneration mechanisms are discussed. Two chapters present recent results in the direct production of elemental sulfur from regeneration or SO2-rich gases.

According to the conventional wisdom, we live in a post-industrial information age. This book, however, paints a different picture: We live in the age of oil. Petroleum fuels and feedstocks are responsible for much of what we take for granted in modern society, from chemical products such as fertilizer and plastics, to the energy that moves people and goods in a global economy. Oil is a nearly perfect fuel: Energy dense, safe to store, easy to transport, and mostly environmentally benign. Most importantly, oil has been cheap and abundant during the past 150 years. In 1998, two respected geologists, Colin Campbell and Jean Laherrere, published a detailed article announcing that the "end of cheap oil" would happen before 2010, which meant that the world would face a peak, or at least a plateau, in global daily oil production in the first decade of the new millennium. Today, two billion people under the age of 14 have lived the majority of their lives past the point when this century-long growth in oil supplies came to an end, which also marks the end of the first half of the age of oil. This transition has ushered in a new reality of high oil prices, stagnating oil supplies, and sluggish economies. In this book, a leading authority on energy explores the contributions and continuing legacy of Colin Campbell and Jean Laherrere, the two geologists who modified the terms of the debate about oil. The book provides a unique perspective and state-of-the-art overview of today's energy reality and its enormous economic and social implications. - Covers a topic that eclipses climate change as the most important but least understood challenge for contemporary society - Explores the works of Colin Campbell and Jean Laherrere, the leading authorities in the field of Peak Oil, authors of "The End of Cheap Oil" (Scientific American, 1998), and founding members of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas - Addresses a broad audience of scientists, engineers, and economists in a format that is accessible to the general public - Provides a complete overview of the basic geological, chemical, physical, economic and historical concepts that every oil consumer should understand - Presents the latest information on oil production, reserves, discoveries, prices, and fields in easy-to-understand graphs and plots

1 Oxford and Webster's dictionaries,2 give trans-Atlantic agreement in English with a common definition for 'Quality' as 'degree of excellence'. Compared with the many words taken up by other authors' definitions, this is remarkably brief and no doubt unsatisfactory to many people. Yet if 'degree' means a stage in an ascending or descending series, in intensity or in amount, then measurement is by definition explicitly required if terms such as 'quality level', 'good quality', 'high quality' etc. are to have any real meaning. Using measurement is inherent in the methods of all the major writers on the achievement of business improvement through quality. Results from measurements allow improvement by using tools commonly grouped under the heading Statistical Process Control (SPC). Results also form part of the judging criteria of Total Quality Management (TQM) models such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the USA and the more recent European Quality Award. Future revisions of the ISO 9000 series of quality management system standards will specifically require measure ment of defects. However, it is not easy for quality professionals or line managers to find examples of what they should measure and how to do it in their own particular functions in their own particular industries; case st\}dies always seem to refer to others."