Is oil a renewable resource?

[rwh11385]

Sorry no WMD's here.

No brains either.

Too bad cars don't run on bong smoke, you'd be set.

[s0urce]

Lol

[kylebes1]

What the fuck are you blabbing about? Put oil back in the ground? Put plutonium IN the ground? Do you realize that plutonium is an isotope of uranium? Nobody uses naturally occuring forms of plutonium, have you seen where it lies on the periodic table? Do you know what a periodic table is? Plutonium doesn't come from the ground you fool, it's a by-product from nuclear reactors. Go put some gas in your car and quit acting like you know something.

No violence man

The bi products of nuclear power can be contained and stored... maybe one day there will be a better way... this would allow for more electric cars, etc...

The difference I am trying to show is that the bi products of burning hydrocarbons cannot be contained, they come out of your exhaust pipe into the air...

Nuclear is not the solution, that is not what I am saying. And aren't periodic tables on the inside flap of birthcontrol packages?

[s0urce]

No violence man

The bi products of nuclear power can be contained and stored... maybe one day there will be a better way... this would allow for more electric cars, etc...

The difference I am trying to show is that the bi products of burning hydrocarbons cannot be contained, they come out of your exhaust pipe into the air...

Nuclear is not the solution, that is not what I am saying. And aren't periodic tables on the inside flap of birthcontrol packages?

Cute but no. Go throw a boomerang.

[rwh11385]

someone could easily produce hybrid semi trucks or have solar panels on the top of the cargo they are pulling... and save some gas, or a lot... but it's not cost effective. we could cut demand a little by using less, and pricings might go down and so would their profits...

until there's a motivation to do so, it's not goin to happen because it doesn't make sense in the bottom line.

there's no easily replacement for gasoline right now... the infrastructure isn't there for hydrogen. we can reduce our waste/usage though


i'm no hippie, but i definitely will buy a Lexus hybrid or something when i graduate.

[Ghost]

I guess I have some authority on this one: 4 years at uni studying Petroleum Geology and now working for Chevron

Is oil renewable: No, not on our timescale.

Are we discovering enough to replace our existing consumption: No

There has been scaremungering about oil depletion for as long as I can remember, how come these depletion forecasts never eventuate?:

Because narrow minded economists or witch doctor geologists repeatedly proclaim we using far more than we a finding and the end is ni! - and everyone of them is correct at that time. However, what is impossible to forecast is the rapid increase of technology which allows us to produce more of what we have found. ie, in the 1930's, 30% recovery of the oil and gas in place (OGIP) was about the tech limit, today that can be as high as 80% recovery - we havent discovered enough to replace comsumption, but we be are producing enough.

More on Ryans point:

Massive, as in farking huge reserves of hydocarbons (be they gas, oil or oil sand, tar sand and condensate) exist, and are known about- if we included all the known reserves of hydrocarbons in our books every year- we would have a near inexhaustable supply for a 100 years to come- no matter the increase in consumption.

However, these reserves are not econically viable at present, although, if the oil price remains high these reserves become more attractive and some one will develop the technology to produce them. For example, Canadas tar/oil sands, from memory have a reserve base of near 1 trillion barrels (1 billion barrel oil field is considered a giant), however, the recovery factor of these sands (at our current technological state) may be 5% and require a massive capital expenditure to recover (which may rely on a continued high oil price to remain economically viable- which as we know from history, cannot be predicted)

So, to summarise- higher (not necessarily todays high) oil and gas prices are here to stay. Prices will continue to fluctuate, but will maintain I higher mean than the previous decades. The rapidly expanding economies of China and India push the demand for oil yet again, it is these two countries that will in all likelihood, stop an oil price slide due to their insatiable thirst for oil- whatever we can produce- they will take.

Also, here is an interesting concept for you: Gas condensates (gas condensed into a liquid at certain temperatures) exist at ocean bottom locations around the world, and have the potential to cause the next hot house (massive rapid global temperature increase) as they exist in condensate form where the ocean water is cool enough- it is theorised that if ocean temperatures are raised a couple of degrees (which is already happening in some areas), these hydrocarbons will be released from their condensed state into the atmosphere as green house gas, with the potential to wipe out all life on Earth. Interesting concept. Yet, completely valid.

Also, here is more food for thought about the record profits being made by oil companies. Go and compare the average ROI for the last for a mega oil company with that of ANY of company that has lasted that long. The oil industry rides the highs, but also sucks up the lows and on average is a poor performer on ROI over the long term. The US Congress is retarded and has a short term view of the world. If you tax oil companies, they will decrease exploration and R&D = oil price increase....

Ash

[nando]

another thing to consider is refining capacity, we just don't have enough. in a couple months, many of the refineries will be shutting down for what is called "turn around," expect prices to go up and supplies to be strained even more (and you can thank the gov. for making the refiners wait until the peak driving season, they were supposed to do their turnarounds this winter when demand is lower).

[Ryan Stewart]

The refining capacity argument is backroom bullshit.

They have closed 3 completely updated operational ones in Kansas and even denied a private investor from buying them and reopening them.

[chuckybob]

there's no easily replacement for gasoline right now... the infrastructure isn't there for hydrogen.

not for liquid hydrogen, but all you need to produce hydrogen gas is water, a catalyst (like salt) and like 9v of electricity.

water powered cars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImGaraPrEo8

http://www.keelynet.com/energy/garrett.htm

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/6427/Water+Powered+Car

http://waterpoweredcar.com/

http://www.watermelon-kid.com/places/FairPark/fp-history/essays/wrr-father.htm#water

"During the years immediately following his wife's untimely demise, Garrett and his oldest son experimented with a device that enabled a car to use water as fuel. Patented in 1935, the Garretts' "electrolytic carburetor" was demonstrated publicly but for some unknown reason was never marketed."

i wish my e30 had a carb...

liquid hydrogen is straight bullshit, it costs as much to produce as gasoline, and gives off more pollution.

[Old'n'Slow]

bad english is my first language. good english is not native to me.

I was more after views on the oil companies record profits in the hundereds of trillions and why people accept paying these prices, to readly. Im not so concerned where oil comes from.

While I agree it seems wrong that profits are high right now, some of that money is helping to pay for the "next big thing". In other words, the petro companies know the supply of oil is not endless, but if they aren't the ones with the "big idea" they're history. Gas costs are still VERY low. Nobody whines when a can of pop is a buck, even though it costs next to nothing to manufacture. Oil goes through multiple processes in order to get it to point we can use it as a fuel and it still costs less than about $.50 for 12 oz.

Lastly, you can thank Wal*Mart for helping drive the Chinese economy to the point that new car purchases there are at record levels. That means they are competing for oil alongside the US. We should not be ignoring the buildup of their armed forces. We can't mass produce much of anything these days. Those jobs are no longer offered here and China is where they've gone. Parts of the US may end up looking a lot like more like third world countries as the wealth moves into the hands of fewer and jobs continue to leave the country at record rates. DO NOT trust the employment numbers provided by the US Government. In order to make the numbers less shocking, fast-food workers have been re-classified as having "manufacturing jobs" under Bush. When the plant in your town closes and the workers are shifted into lower paying fast food jobs at the McDonald's in the local Wal*Mart, the government treats that as a no-net-loss situation!

Gas ain't expensive..................yet.

[RobertK]

i'm no hippie, but i definitely will buy a Lexus hybrid or something when i graduate.

Actually.. unless you're main concern is saving the earth from pollution buying a new hybrid car costs more than driving a paid for car that gets 25mpg. Considering on average a new car loses 60% of it's value within the first 4 years you drive it.

So a $45,000 hybrid would lose $27,000 in value after the first 4 years which is $6750 a year in depreciation. The average American uses 500 gallons of gasoline each year.

You would essentially have to use almost 5 times that much gas per year (2500 gallons) in your Hybrid to make up for the loss in depreciation NOT including the interest spent on the loan.

[rwh11385]

I was planning on a CPO Lexus or similar anyway. Just choosing among products for the hybrids.

Hell, Chevy has a hybrid TRUCK. It's the new game. Hopefully most cars will be hybrids, and maybe E85 if that shit is good as it seems, then we'll cut use and waste a little bit.

[chuckybob]

Gas costs are still VERY low. Nobody whines when a can of pop is a buck, even though it costs next to nothing to manufacture.

thing is, most people dont depend on soda pop to make a living.

[BeirBrennerE30]

gas is still one of the cheepest things you can buy... bottled water is more expensive...

And as for hybrids... unless you drive at exactily 60 mph and only on the highway without ever hitting the breaks... you wont be saving a statistically significant amount of gas... its a marketing ploy

[BeirBrennerE30]

also the lack of knowledge of how ecomony's work and where oil comes from is shocking