This insightful book offers practical advice to fieldworkers in social research, enabling robust and judicious applications of research methods and techniques in data collection. It also outlines data collection challenges that are commonly faced when working in the field. Authors address key strategies to tackle the major challenges to fieldwork, including advice on using indigenous or innovative skills and making intelligent use of the advantages already available within standard research methodologies. International contributors provide a hands-on account of research methodologies as applied in the field, with particular focus on research ethics and community culture and interactions. The book offers a number of useful case studies, featuring examples of the application of research techniques in different cultural and socio-economic contexts. Utilizing an innovative and dynamic 'storytelling' method, this book will be a useful research tool for fieldworkers engaging in social science research in community settings, as well as students in the field learning the core techniques of fieldwork.

This inspiring work presents a truly knowledge-based approach to education as an alternative to the current curriculum that is based on consolidating pre-conceived ideas. It demonstrates the advantages of the new curriculum, both in terms of acquiring knowledge and preventing current problems such as technological disasters, global injustice, and environmental destruction. It also shows how it can eliminate plagiarism, low retention in classrooms, non-representative grading, and other common problems. Examples are given from various disciplines, ranging from science and engineering to philosophy and law.

Can "green petroleum" reverse global warming and bring down high gasoline prices? Written in non-technical language for the layperson, this book investigates and details how the oil and gas industry can "go green" with new processes and technologies, thus bringing the world's most important industry closer to environmental and economic sustainability.

Petroleum and natural gas still remain the single biggest resource for energy on earth. Even as alternative and renewable sources are developed, petroleum and natural gas continue to be, by far, the most used and, if engineered properly, the most cost-effective and efficient, source of energy on the planet. Contrary to some beliefs, the industry can, in fact, be sustainable, from an environmental, economic, and resource perspective. Petroleum and natural gas are, after all, natural sources of energy and do not have to be treated as pariahs. This groundbreaking new text describes hydrocarbons in basement formations, how they can be characterized and engineered, and how they can be engineered properly, to best achieve sustainability. Covering the basic theories and the underlying scientific concepts, the authors then go on to explain the best practices and new technologies and processes for utilizing basement formations for the petroleum and natural gas industries. Covering all of the hottest issues in the industry, from oil shale, tar sands, and hydraulic fracturing, this book is a must-have for any engineer working in the industry. This textbook is an excellent resource for petroleum engineering students, reservoir engineers, supervisors & managers, researchers and environmental engineers for planning every aspect of rig operations in the most sustainable, environmentally responsible manner, using the most up-to-date technological advancements in equipment and processes.

In this highly anticipated volume, the world-renowned authors take a basic approach to present the principles of petroleum reservoir simulation in an easy-to-use and accessible format. Applicable to any oil and gas recovery method, this book uses a block-centered grid and a point-distributed grid. It treats various boundary conditions as fictitious wells, gives algebraic equations for their flowrates and presents an elaborate treatment of radial grid for single-well simulation to analyze well test results and to create well pseudo-functions necessary in conducting a practical reservoir simulation study. This book is accompanied by companion site that includes a single-phase simulator, a user s manual, data and output files for four solved problems. The easy-to-use simulator allows students, readers and educators to input new problems and get their solutions."

This is the only book that takes a zero-waste approach to propose 100% sustainable water purification techniques. Water is synonymous with life. This has been the case since pre-historic time to the modern era. For the first time, humanity faces a crisis that eclipses the energy crisis, which has often incapacitated the global economy. The Climate-Water-Food nexus epitomizes our current civilization that depends on energy as the driver. Many recognize this crisis as a product of fossil fuel production, which allegedly triggered climate change and the "climate change debate." Others predict the onslaught of "water wars" in the coming decades. As the world gears up to another lineup of empty promises and ensuing chaos, this book turns this crisis on its head and shows the source of the water crisis. The science behind the water cycle is described in clear language, without resorting to dogmatic assertions and spurious assumptions. The role of the sun, natural carbon dioxide (CO2) and water and the need to maintain natural processes free from artificial chemicals are discussed in detail. The book makes it clear how most of the currently used purification techniques violates the natural cycle involving sunlight, CO2 and water, and thus become unsustainable. A series of water purification techniques, as usable for drinking, agricultural and industrial applications are presented. The advantages of these techniques and their long-term sustainability are highlighted, with discussion on improvements in the future. Whether for the engineer or scientist working in the field or laboratory or the student, this is a must-have for any engineer, scientist, student, or policymaker.

This is the second volume in a four-volume series aimed at guiding the pharmaceutical industry toward sustainability. After analyzing and exposing some of the backward and ill-conceived notions that guide the present state of the industry, this volume presents key theories and new, groundbreaking solutions for re-thinking the processes involved in the engineering of pharmaceuticals and offers a fundamental paradigm shift. The 4 volumes in this ambitious project are: Volume 1: Practice, Analysis, and Methodology Volume 2: Theories and Solutions Volume 3: Applications for Mental Disorder Treatments Volume 4: Applications for Physical Disorder Treatments This ground-breaking set of books is a unique and state-of-the-art study that only appears here, within these pages. A fascinating study for the engineer, scientist, and pharmacist working in the pharmaceutical industry and interested in sustainability, it is also a valuable textbook for students and faculty studying these subjects.

There have been many books on the topic of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) over the last 100 years. They all, however, focus on how to recover more oil faster, taking a rather myopic approach. The solutions presented all work fantastically in theory and even in the laboratory, but each fails to produce results in the field with long-term success. The petroleum industry is almost resigned to the belief that for an EOR technique to be successful, it must be propped up with public funds or must compromise environmental integrity. In line with modern engineering practices, previous books discuss how existing technologies can be tweaked to accommodate for any shortcomings that just came to light. This book is unlike any other book on the topic of recovery in particular and engineering in general. This groundbreaking volume is a continuation of the author's and his research group's work that started publishing on the subject of global sustainability involving energy and the environment, dating back to early 2000s. Starting with a paradigm shift in engineering that involves a long-term focus, rather than looking for short-term solutions, the methods and theories presented here delve into applying green engineering and zero waste principles to EOR. Historically, EOR has received mixed success, mainly because innovations in these disciplines relied heavily on processed materials, which are both uneconomical and toxic to the environment. This book explains how engineers missed entirely the causes of unsustainability in these technologies due to the prevalence of many myths that are embedded in modern engineering. Once these myths are deconstructed, the appropriate technologies emerge and the merits of them both in terms of economic and environmental benefits become clear. The book reveals how previous practices in EOR can be replaced with their sustainable versions while saving in material costs. A number of innovative technologies are introduced that can render well known technologies, such as steam flood, in situ combustion, chemical flooding, and microbial EOR environmentally sustainable and economically attractive. A triple dividend is received once these technologies are applied in otherwise marginal reservoirs, unconventional plays and even abandoned formations. The overall reserve, which reflects recoverable oil with new technologies, goes up drastically. Further benefits are drawn when processes such as value addition of waste material is performed. Overall this book shows how EOR can be rendered green while increasing the profitability. This is in stark contrast to the past practices that considered environmental integrity as a drain on profitability. This book proves that a paradigm shift can turn a "technological disaster" into a technological marvel.

This third volume in a four-volume set offers new theories and applications for the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Having laid the groundwork in the first two volumes, the authors now embark on significant, real-life scenarios that apply their philosophy to mental disorder treatments. The goal of the project is to take the industry toward sustainability, not just in terms of the chemical engineering used to create medicines, but also environmentally, economically, and personally. Their unique approach uses a more holistic and philosophically cohesive method for treating mental disorders, making the industry "greener" and the patient healthier. The four volumes in "The Greening of Pharmaceutical Engineering" are: Volume 1: Practice, Analysis, and Methodology Volume 2: Theories and Solutions Volume 3: Applications for Mental Disorder Treatments Volume 4: Applications for Physical Disorder Treatments This ground-breaking set of books is a unique and state-of-the-art study that only appears here, within these pages. A fascinating study for the engineer, scientist, and pharmacist working in the pharmaceutical industry and interested in sustainability, it is also a valuable textbook for students and faculty studying these subjects.

The Future of Petroleum Operations

This state-of-the-art text analyzes some of the most contentious issues in the energy industry, covering new and greener processes for engineers and scientists and urging them to move petroleum operations closer to sustainability. Although petroleum is still the world's most diverse, efficient, and abundant energy source, there is a growing initiative from global political and industry leaders to "go green," because of climate concerns and high gasoline prices. This book investigates and details how to do that.

This groundbreaking new volume: Explains why current petroleum industry practices are inherently unsustainable and offers unique new solutions for "greening" the petroleum industryDiscusses hot-button issues, such as global warming, carbon sequestration, zero-waste management, and sustainabilityShows engineers and scientists how to implement the processes necessary to be more environmentally consciousOffers, for the first time, a new theory that certain carbons do not contribute to global warming, but their origin and the processes involved do

Praise for "The Greening of Petroleum Operations"

"The book proposes a paradigm shift in energy management. It correctly identifies root causes of environmental impact of current petroleum production operations. With proper science, the book shows that fossil fuel production and utilization are inherently sustainable as long as natural materials and energy sources are used.... This book has the potential of revolutionizing energy management practices."
--Farouq Ali, Honorary Professor of Oil and Gas Engineering, University of Calgary

This book presents and discusses current research in the study of water supply systems, with a particular focus on the demand, distribution and contaminants found in natural water. Topics discussed include groundwater contamination and challenges in meeting increasing water demand; bottle water export potential; disinfection by-products in rural water supply systems; wastewater discharge; water pollution; nutrient mineral deficiency in drinking water and the distribution of trace metal pollutants in surface water systems.

This is the first book in the petroleum sector to shed light on the real obstacles to sustainable development and provides solutions to each problem encountered. Each solution is complete with an economic analysis that clarifies why petroleum operations can continue with even greater profit than before while ensuring that the negative environmental impact is diminished. The new screening tools and models proposed in this book will provide one with proper guidelines to achieve true sustainability in both technology development and management of the petroleum sector.

It has long been recognized that science is the pursuit of knowledge, knowledge is power, and power is political. However, the fantasy of science being apolitical is a hallmark legacy of the enlightenment era, an era that romanticized pursuit of knowledge, disconnected from the baggage of power, politics, and dogmatic assertions. Yet, while the age of information has exponentially increased our access to knowledge, we can see, as clearly as ever, that scientific knowledge is neither apolitical nor dogma-free, and it certainly is not disconnected from power. It is hard to imagine another era when the separation between science and politics has been this blurred as it is today. At the same time, it is true that no other topic than climate change has been so politically charged, with one side dominating the scientific narration and branding anyone opposing the mainstream as a "climate change denier," and the other standing in staunch defiance that climate change exists. In an age of political and scientific turmoil, how can we navigate out way to coming towards a more objective understanding of the scientific issues surrounding the climate change debate? This book presents the current debate of climate change as scientifically futile, on both sides of the scientific, and often, political, spectrum. The climate change debate has become like obesity, cancer, diabetes or opioid addiction, which is to say that the debate should not be if these maladies exist, but rather, what causes them. Instead of looking for the cause and making adjustments to remove those causes from our lifestyle, a combination of the capitalist drive towards mass production and a lack of identifying the roots of the problems, new solutions, or substitutes, have been proposed as "quick fixes" to the problems. This book identifies the root causes of climate change and shows that climate change is real and it is also preventable, but that it can be reversed only if we stop introducing pollutants in the ensuing greenhouse gases. The book brings back common sense and grounds scientists to the fundamentals of heat and mass transfer, while at the same time disconnecting politicking and hysteria from true scientific analysis of the phenomenon of global climate.

No modern technology truly emulates the science of nature. Yet today, some of the most important technological breakthroughs have been mere manifestations of the linearisation of nature science: nature linearised by focusing only on its external features. Today, computers process information exactly opposite to how the human brain does. Turbines produce electrical energy while polluting the environment beyond repair even as electric eels produce much higher-intensity electricity while cleaning the environment. Batteries store very little electricity while producing very toxic spent materials. Synthetic plastic materials look like natural plastic, yet their syntheses follow an exactly opposite path. Furthermore, synthetic plastics do not have a single positive impact on the environment, whereas natural plastic materials do not have a single negative impact. In medical science, every promise made at the onset of commercialisation proven to be opposite of what actually happened: witness Prozac, Vioxx, Viagra, etc., Nature, on the other hand, did not allow a single product to impact the long-term negatively. Even the deadliest venom (eg: cobra, poisoned arrow tree frog) has numerous beneficial effects in the long-term. This catalogue carries on in all directions: microwave cooking, fluorescent lighting, nuclear energy, cellular phones, refrigeration cycles to combustion cycles. In essence, nature continues to improve matters in its quality, as modern technologies continue to degrade the same into baser qualities.

This book focuses on technological solutions that promise sustainability in the long term including thermodynamic reversibility, negative entropy, direct applications of solar and wind energy, direct-use fuel cell, and other approaches whose essence is profoundly innovative: economically attractive, environmentally appealing and socially responsible.

This second edition of the original volume adds significant new innovations for revolutionizing the processes and methods used in petroleum reservoir simulations. With the advent of shale drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and underbalanced drilling has come a virtual renaissance of scientific methodologies in the oil and gas industry. New ways of thinking are being pioneered, and Dr. Islam and his team have, for years now, been at the forefront of these important changes. This book clarifies the underlying mathematics and physics behind reservoir simulation and makes it easy to have a range of simulation results along with their respective probability. This makes the risk analysis based on knowledge rather than guess work. The book offers by far the strongest tool for engineers and managers to back up reservoir simulation predictions with real science. The book adds transparency and ease to the process of reservoir simulation in way never witnessed before. Finally, No other book provides readers complete access to the 3D, 3-phase reservoir simulation software that is available with this text. A must-have for any reservoir engineer or petroleum engineer working upstream, whether in exploration, drilling, or production, this text is also a valuable textbook for advanced students and graduate students in petroleum or chemical engineering departments.

Nature thrives on diversity and flexibility, gaining strength from heterogeneity, whereas the quest for homogeneity seems to motivate much of modern engineering. Nature is non-linear and inherently promotes multiplicity of solutions. Modern applied science, however, continues to define problems as linearly as possible, promoting "single"-ness of solution, while particularly avoiding non-linear problems. Nature is inherently sustainable and promotes zero-waste, both in mass and energy. Engineering solutions today start with a "safety factor" while promoting an obsession with excess (hence, waste). Nature is truly transient, never showing any exact repeatability or steady state. Engineering today is obsessed with standards and replicability, always seeking "steady-state" solutions. This book promotes the approach that breaks out of the traditional path of linearising natural phenomena and accepting research that is inherently pro-nature. This book offers the best hope of finally emulating nature rather than deviating from it.