Introduction To The Oil And Gas Industry Commerce Essay

Introduction To The Oil And Gas Industry Commerce Essay The production of crude oil can include up to three different stages and they are primary, secondary and tertiary. The tertiary method is also known as the Enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Different methods of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) are designed to recover oil left in the reservoir after both primary and secondary recovery methods have been implemented as per their economic limits. It is also defined as the process where some external energy, sources were introduced to enhance the production of oil from the oil field which is left out after the exploitation of the primary and secondary methods economically. These external sources can be gases, chemicals or even steam through injection systems and the processes involved are gas injection, chemical injection, thermal injection and microbial injection. The purpose of Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is to increase oil production, primarily through an increase in temperature, pressure, or an enhancement of the oils ability to flow through the reservoir. The challenge of EOR is that the remaining oil is located in regions of the reservoir that are difficult to access, and the oil is held in the pores by capillary pressure. During primary recovery, the natural pressure of the reservoir drives oil into the wellbore, and artificial lift techniques (such as pumps) bring the oil to the surface. Only about 10 percent of a reservoirs original oil in place (OOIP) is typically produced during primary recovery. Secondary recovery methods applied to the fields productive life generally by injecting water or gas to displace oil and drive it to a production wellbore, resulting in the recovery of 20 to 40 percent of the original oil in place. Once the reservoir is half empty it is very expensive to extract and not profitable for the companies to produc e oil. At this point of time the companies may abandon the reservoir which is half full. In the past twenty years, many research organizations and oil companies have conducted extensive theoretical and laboratory EOR (enhanced oil recovery) researches to include validating pilot and field trials relevant to much needed domestic commercial application, while western countries had terminated such endeavors almost completely due to low oil prices. In recent years, oil demand has increased and now these operations have become more desirable. On an average, two-thirds of the original oil discovered in the U.S remains in the ground after conventional recovery operations. This oil represents about 200 billion barrels. Due to these factors most of the major oil companies are interested in techniques to extract this oil. And thats where enhanced oil recovery comes in. 2. CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES 2.1 Gas injection: This is the most common and effective method to improve the oil production from the field, which is noted as the most effective one for production of oil for different oil fields. This was first tried in Texas in the 1970s. This technique has been aimed to improve the pressure of reservoir, maintaining low operating costs with the increase in production of oil. The initial expenses for the basic equipment and components of gas are very high, due to which this technique has not seen widespread application. On the other hand the operating costs for this system are very low, these upfront investment costs were the barriers for the smaller independent oil companies to implement this gas injection EOR; however the investment return made possible for even independent smaller companies with the record oil prices. This method associates with nitrogen, natural gas and mainly carbon dioxide with the injection process into the field. The gas (carbon dioxide) spreads and pushes the extra oil to the place it can be extracted out easily. Gradually carbon dioxide dissolves in the oil which helps to improve the oil flow rate by reducing the viscosity of the oil. In these applications, more than half and up to two thirds of the injected carbon dioxide returns with the oil produced and is usually re-injected into the reservoir to minimize the operating costs and the remaining gas is trapped in the oil reservoir in various means. The utilization of the carbon dioxide for the gas injection EOR resulted in the prevention of plenty harmful gases from entering the natural air. C:UsersROCKYDesktopenhanced-oil-recovery.jpg 2.2 Thermal recovery: Steam injection technique has been commercially used since 1960s in California fields. As heat is required to enhance the oil flow rate, steam is sent into the reservoir through the injection system to reduce its viscosity or thin the heavy viscous oil, and improve its ability to flow through the reservoir which can be produced at the producing bore well. Dolberry oil assessed that steam associate for 52percent of present techniques used for Enhanced oil recovery, when compared to the carbon dioxide at 31percent and nitrogen 17percent. The technology called Steam Slugging contains a mixture of steam and carbon dioxide that appeared to double the production of oil within a less period of time which produced good results, making extra ten barrels per day with added advantages like water disposal and cleaning of the bore well. In this process each well is injected for about to 12 hours and then the well is left soaked for 12 to 15 hours in which the gas (carbon dioxide) compounds with the oil while and at the same time nitrogen gas helps in pulling the oil to the place where pressure is low. The extra heat produced by the extra pressure helps to loosen the oil in the pay zone. Eventually the oil produced in this process is extracted in the pay zone surroundings. 2.3 Chemical recovery: There are two types of chemicals that can be sent to the field to enhance the oil production, they are polymers and surfactants. The long chain molecules called polymers which thickens the water used to sweep oil through the reservoir into producing wells. Surfactants are detergent like chemicals that helps to obstruct droplets of oil from moving in the reservoir by lowering the interfacial tension. Implementation of this technique is generally obstructed by the cost factor in chemicals. In this process, the chemicals are sent into the different wells through injection system which helps in extracting the oil from the wells which are nearby. 2.4 Microbial enhanced oil recovery: This method is not used very often because of the high prices and the developments in this technique are very recent. This method refers to the use of micro organisms to recover extra oil from live oil fields, improving the oil production in the reserve. In this method micro organisms are introduced into the reserve to produce harmless by-products, such as gases or slippery natural substances which help to push oil out of the well. The use of micro organisms and their metabolic products to improve the oil production involves the injection of the selected microorganisms into the oil field and the subsequent stimulation and transportation of their in-situ growth products in order that their presence will help in further reduction of residual oil left in the oil field after secondary recovery is exhausted. 3. GLOBAL TRENDS Most of the oil companies aimed to decrease the exploration costs of the existing oil fields and increase their production and recoverable reserves. Many integration methods and co-operations have been established among the companies especially in the Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) area, aiming not only to increase their reserves, but also to extend the useful reservoir lifetime. In a study USA case is analyzed from 1986 to the beginning of 1998, since this is the country that has applied most of these techniques. Recently formed strategic associations in this period are also analyzed. A bibliometric analysis has been performed which shows RD tendencies of EOR method in universities, oil companies and institutions. The study shows that the EOR methods applied worldwide enhanced the production of oil and gas reserves, supported on technologies such as multilateral and horizontal wells, 3D-4D seismic techniques, simulators, nuclear magnetic resonance, materials (polymers, foams, nutrients etc) and equipment (coiled tubing) etc have been proved to be very effective. Current trends in United States enhanced oil recovery (EOR) projects are analyzed for the period from 1980-1987. The analysis is based on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) EOR project data base which contains information on more than 1200 projects. The National Institute for Petroleum and Energy Research (NIPER) keeps this data base up to date and analyze trends in the data under the provisions of a cooperative agreement with the DOE. The noticeable trend is the steady decline in the number of projects starting per year since 1981, which corresponds the steady decline in the oil prices during that period. On the other hand, polymer and immiscible carbon dioxide projects which peaked in number of starts in 1983. The trend seems to be clearly moving towards the lower risk projects within the screening criteria. True field experimentation with assumptions of higher risks has been decreasing. This trend has seen a change in 1986 as the planned projects appeared to have reversed the decline in project starts, however during this time sharp drop in oil prices led companies to abandon some projects and postpone others. Only the large capital investments already made has seen new starts. Despite the temporary setback, long-term EOR prospects remain good, largely because EOR remains one of the cheapest sources of new oil reserves and could play a key role in maintaining steady oil production for the future. The global market for EOR, estimated at nearly $62.5 billion (for barrels of crude oil) for 2009, has shown exciting growth since 2005 totaling $3.1 billion. Hazy regulations, technological challenges and costly implementation, kept oil companies from using EOR. However, EOR is becoming more attractive and feasible due to the government interest and investment, new technologies and availability of resources (such as CO2). It is expected that the EOR takes a good place in the world market. A number of factors fueled governments interest in EOR, the first one being the increase in oil production besides increase in the oil revenue. Countries that are able to increase their oil production are often lowering their increase in demand for oil import. It is estimated that 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide worldwide could be captured through the use of CO2-EOR, which helps to reduce industrial emissions and in turn reduce green house gases. In Texas, where EOR now accounts for 20% of its oil production, it is estimated the benefits of EOR production will result in additional revenue of $200 billion and will create 1.5 million jobs. 4. ADVANTAGES This is the only technology that combines the benefits of two traditional enhanced oil recovery methods to retrieve more oil which would have been waste remaining in the ground of no use. This method increased revenue and profits for the oil drillers who are able to extract 10percent more of the previously unrecoverable oil from an oil field. The U.S Department of energy estimates that there are approximately 240 billion barrels of oil that can be recovered with next generation enhanced oil recovery methods. Oil drillers are not the only group who would benefit from more effective oil recovery methods. It is expected that the governments and local treasuries would make $280 billion in profit in the form of taxes and royalties from the produced oil. In the process of gas injection most of the carbon dioxide is injected into ground which is produced by human activities such as oil refining or fertilizer manufacturing not only enhances the oil production, but also helps in the reduction of the green house gases which affects the atmosphere. 5. CONCLUSION Although the advantages of the Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process has not been recognized until the recent years, the process has seen a rapid growth in the recent years which helped many companies, governments in enhancing their oil production. This process not only helps in producing more oil but also stood as an environmental friendly system which helps in eradicating the green house gases. These statements strongly support the Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to be the future technique to recover more oil with low operating costs and environment friendly method.

Analyzing the Storm. Essay -- essays research papers

The setting in this story creates the perfect environment for an adulterous affair. In Kate Chopin's "The Storm", Chopin not only creates the perfect setting but also uses the setting as a symbol of the affair. Most likely occurring in the late 1800's and taking place in the deep South, the story gives an account of an adulterous affair between Calixta, wife to Bobinot and mother to four year old Bibi, and Alcee, husband to Clarisse, during a terrible rain storm. The presence of the storm is not merely coincidental. It is the driving force behind the story and the affair. As the storm begins, climaxes and ends so does the affair and the story. From the opening we see that Chopin intends to use the storm to move the story forward. The story begins with Bobinot and Bibi inside the local store. As they attempt to leave they notice storm clouds approaching the town. Deciding to wait out the storm, they remain inside. Meanwhile, Calixta is at home sewing and unaware of the storm. Soon realizing the storm is approaching, she begins frantically running about the house closing windows and doors and retrieving clothes left on the porch. Seeking shelter from the rain, Alcee approaches as Calixta steps on to her front porch. Chopin writes, "As she stepped outside, Alcee Laballiere rode in at the gate" (96). By providing a terrible storm Chopin creates an ingenious setting for this chance meeting. Chopin's intentions become even more apparent im...

How far had Mussolini achieved his aims in domestic policy by 1939? Essay

In order to assess how Mussolini achieved his objective in domestic policy, one must traced back to the moment when he first became the prime minister in 1922. While the timeline is important to know, the central role of World War 1 must also be considered. The aftermath of World War 1 had ravaged Italy’s political situation the most, paving the way for Mussolini to appear and create a Fascism state as Italy was desperate for a saviour to rescue her, combined with Mussolini’s opportunistic and charismatic personalities, he had a high chance in achieving his domestic policies successfully. In his first year as prime minister, Musollini hold very limited power and not to say, he was leading a coalition government which the Fascist party represented the least membership in the parliament. Coalition government can be seen as undesirable and most of the parties would want to avoid it since it was an obstacle to achieve its aim. He therefore needed to alter this unfavourable circumstance decisively and carefully to take control of the parliament as a means to establish a totalitarian state which was the core in his domestic policy. In the totalitarian ideology basis, the supremacy over the individual rights of its citizens shouldn’t be questioned as the popular Fascism slogan stated, â€Å"Everything within the State, nothing against the State, nothing outside the State.†. This means liberalism was seen as the national enemy. In his domestic view, Mussolini saw that by having a liberal mind, people would soon voiced out their opinions and soon, his dictatorship would be in the stage of shattering. Moreover, this point serves as the basic foundation in the early years of totalitarianism in Italy as he needed to constraint the citizens’ mind before enforcing his totalitarianism rule. Mussolini also rekindled his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church as religion plays a significant role in the Italians’ daily life and also the world as the Vatican was the nucleus of the Christian world. Hence, he won major supports from the citizens and was able to prevent revolution for the time being. This successful domestic policy of his preceded his fascism dream state. In addition, we must consider the fact that the establishment Acerbo Law of 1923 by Mussolini provides as a tool to make way for the Fascist to control the parliament. Appropriately, Mussolini hold an election in 1924 to make his government more legal and also to ensure Fascist Party control in the parliament. Two thirds of the seats in parliament will be given to the party who won in the election and consequently, there was a sense of unfairness and discrimination in this case. The opposition party had every reason to be concerned as this will made the administration even more corrupted than before and illegitimate, however, Mussolini cleverly manipulated the whole situation for his own good. Mateotti crisis was a clear illustration of it that he managed to kill two birds in one stone. Besides crushing his main political opponent, he also used this incident to send as a warning to the other opposition parties if they went against the Fascist. This may explained why Aventine Secession soon followed. Even though Mussolini kept saying that he was not involved in the crime, most of the historians agreed that he actually was part of it. Since he wanted to create a fascism state, mostly his domestic policy may derived from his wish. Historians may see his domestic policy as harsh and unjust but it is effective in ceasing absolute power in the Italy’s parliament. Another significant piece of evidence to show how far did Mussolini achieved his domestic policy is the fact that Mussolini had intruded into the Italians’ daily life considerably. The press censorship stands as one of the key principle of totalitarian ideology and so, the Fascist implemented the complete monopoly of all means of communications. Again, this is to ensure the citizens won’t have the freedom of speech and have the chance to exercise their liberal mind. If the press media were to air, the materials must be related about the glory of Fascism. Not to say, Mussolini’s cult of personality was promoted even further as children in schools were taught to think that â€Å"Mussolini is always right† and his pictures were everywhere in Italy. People were also instructed to stand and salute at the mere moment of hearing Mussolini’s name. Ethically, Mussolini had changed people’s usual life especially the younger generation because their minds are easy to be brainwashed and they also held a massive influence in the Italy’s society that can shape Italy in the future. That is exactly what Mussolini was thinking about by implementing his unethical domestic policy. In some circumstances, it can be said as a success but only for a short period of time as Mussolini was overthrown in 1943. Thereby his domestic policy is successful, only to a certain extent in which he was able to manipulate the Italians’ life. In conclusion, to a large extent, Mussolini was successful in carrying out his domestic policy and he had carved his name as one of the most formidable politicians in Italy’s history. While Italy’s messy condition enables Mussolini to execute his domestic policy smoothly, his military background should also be considered. As he was a veteran of World War I, he knew how to appeal to the people as they just survived from the great war, strengthening their nationalism even more. Thereby, it is because of his pragmatic and manipulative approach as well as his personal life experience that enabled Mussolini to achieve his domestic policy successfully.

How Did Crassus Die in the Battle of Carrhae

The death of Crassus (Marcus Licinius Crassus) is a classic Roman object lesson in greed. Crassus was a wealthy Roman businessman of the first century BCE, and one of the three Romans who made up the first Triumvirate, along with Pompey and Julius Caesar. His death was an ignominious failure, he and his son and most of his army slaughtered by the Parthians at the Battle of Carrhae. The cognomen Crassus means roughly stupid, greedy, and fat in Latin, and in the aftermath of his death, he was vilified as a stupid, greedy man whose fatal flaw led to public and private disaster. Plutarch describes him as an avaricious man, stating that Crassus and his men died as a result of his single-minded pursuit of wealth in central Asia. His folly not only killed his army but destroyed the triumvirate and demolished any hope of future diplomatic relations between Rome and Parthia. Leaving Rome In the mid-first century BCE, Crassus was the proconsul of Syria, and as a result, he had become enormously wealthy. According to several sources, in 53 BCE, Crassus proposed that he act as general to wage a military campaign against the Parthians (modern Turkey). He was sixty years old, and it had been 20 years since he had participated in a battle. There was no very good reason to attack the Parthians who had not attacked the Romans: Crassus was primarily interested in gaining the wealth of Parthia, and his colleagues in the Senate hated the idea. Efforts to stop Crassus included the formal announcement of bad omens by several tribunes, particularly C. Ateius Capito. Ateius went so far as to attempt to have Crassus arrested, but the other tribunes stopped him. Finally, Ateius stood at the gates of Rome and performed a ritual curse against Crassus. Crassus ignored all these warnings and set out on the campaign which was to end with the loss of his own life, as well as a large part of his army and his son Publius Crassus. Death in the Battle of Carrhae As he prepared to go to war against Parthia, Crassus turned down the offer of 40,000 men from the king of Armenia if he would cross the Armenian lands. Instead, Crassus chose to cross the Euphrates and travel overland to Carrhae (Harran in Turkey), on the advice of a treacherous Arab chief called Ariamnes. There he engaged in battle with the numerically inferior Parthians, and his infantry found they were no match for the barrage of arrows fired by the Parthians. Crassus ignored advice to reconsider his tactics, preferring to wait until the Parthians ran out of ammunition. That didnt happen, in part because his enemy used the Parthian shot tactic, of turning around in their saddles and firing arrows while riding away from the battle. Crassus men finally demanded that he negotiate an end to the battle with the Parthians, and he headed off to the meeting with the general Surena. The parley went awry, and Crassus and all of his officers were killed. Crassus died in a scuffle, possibly killed by Pomaxathres. Seven Roman eagles were also lost to the Parthians, a great humiliation to Rome, making this a defeat on the order of Teutoberg and Allia. Mockery and Outcome Although none of the Roman sources could have seen how Crassus died and how his body was treated after death, a rich set of myths are written about that. One myth said the Parthians poured molten gold into his mouth, to show the futility of greed. Others say the generals body remained unburied, cast among the undistinguished heaps of corpses to be torn apart by birds and beasts. Plutarch reported that the winning general, the Parthian Surena, sent Crassus body to the Parthian King Hyrodes. At a wedding party of Hyrodes son, Crassuss head was used as a prop in a performance of Euripides The Bacchae. Over time, the myth grew and was elaborated, and the upshot of the gory details was the death of any possibility of diplomatic reconciliation with Parthia for the next two centuries. The Triumvirate of Crassus, Caesar, and Pompey was dissolved, and without Crassus, Caesar and Pompey met in battle at the Battle of Pharsalus after crossing the Rubicon. As Plutarch says: before he went upon his Parthian expedition, [Crassus] found his possessions to amount to seven thousand one hundred talents; most of which, if we may scandal him with a truth, he got by fire and rapine, making his advantages of the public calamities. He died in pursuit of wealth from Asia. Sources: Braund, David. Dionysiac Tragedy in Plutarch, Crassus. The Classical Quarterly 43.2 (1993): 468–74. Print. Rawson, Elizabeth. Crassorum . Latomus 41.3 (1982): 540–49. Print.Funera Simpson, Adelaide D. The Departure of Crassus for Parthia. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 69 (1938): 532–41. Print.