Energy sources petroleum

Hydrocarbons from petroleum (qv) are still the principal energy source for the United States as shown in Table 1. About 60% of the world s energy is supphed by gas and oil and about 27% from coal (6—8). The annual energy demand for oil in different world areas is given in Table 2. 

The commercial production of shale oil as an alternative energy source has not been economically feasible. As of 1995, all commercial oil shale operations in the world (Petrobras, Bra2il PAMA, Israel The Chinese Petroleum Corporation, Fushun and Maoming, China KivioH Oil Shale Processing Plant, Kohda-Jarve, Estonia) receive some sort of economic incentives or assistance from the countries in which they are operating. 

E. L. BurweU and I. A. Jacobson, Jr., "Concurrent Gasification and Retorting of Oil Shale—a Dual Energy Source," Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting, SPE 5535, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), AIME, Denver, Colo., Apr. 7—9, 1975. 

Energy source Chemicals Petroleum refining Paper Primary metals Other... 

Remick, R.J., Tiller, A.J., Advanced Methods for Low Pressure Storage of CNG, Non-petroleum Vehicular Fuels Conference, Washington, April 1985 Otto, K., Alternative Energy Sources IV, Vol 6 p241, Ann Arbor Science, MI Barton, S.S., Holland, J.A. Quinn, D.F., "The Development of Adsorbent Carbon for Storage of Compressed Natural Gas, Report AF-85-01, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, 1985 1201 Wilson Ave, Downsview, Ontario, Canada M3M 1J8... 

The fear of accidents like Chernobyl, and the high cost of nuclear waste disposal, halted nuclear power plant construction in the United States m the 1980s, and in most ol the rest ol the world by the 1990s. Because nuclear fusion does not present the waste disposal problem of fission reactors, there is hope that fusion will be the primary energy source late in the twenty-first centuiy as the supplies of natural gas and petroleum dwindle. 

Some petroleum geologists believe that there may be more methane trapped in hydrates than what is associated with natural gas reserves. However, as an energy source, there is considerable uncertainty whether this methane can ever be recovered safely, economically, and with minimal environmental impact. The Russians have experimented with the use of antifreeze to break down hydrates at some onshore locations in Siberia. But perhaps a more promising approach would be to pipe warm surface water to the bottom to melt the hydrates, with a collector positioned to convey the gas to the surface. Another approach might be to free methane by somehow reducing the pressure on the methane hydrates. 

Excise taxes placed on specific energy sources tend to reduce the demand for these energy sources in both the short and the long run. The federal government imposes excise taxes on almost all petroleum products and coal (see Table I). The federal government also imposes excise taxes on many transportation uses of methanol, ethanol, natural gas, and propane and imposes a fee on electricity produced from nuclear power plants. 

What is the source of the vast amount of energy consumed by our mechanized society The largest of all of our energy sources is the sun, and energy from the sun is stored in our fuels (wood, coal, petroleum) as a result of the photosynthesis process. 

Industrial civilization was built by the consumption of fossil fuels. Currently, well over 80% of world energy comes from the three main fossil fuels petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Because these are nonrenewable resources, there will come a time when these energy bank accounts are exhausted. Experts disagree on how soon the depletion of fossil fuels will occur, but eventually it will be necessary to find other energy sources. 

Joseph A. Pratt. Letting the Grandchildren Do It Environmental Planning during the Ascent of Oil as a Major Energy Source. The Public Historian. 2 (Summer 1980) 28-61. Source for Bureau of Mines studies of automotive exhaust, water pollution, and sulfur-rich petroleum and environment to be monitored by voluntary self-regulation, not legislation. 

Hydrogen plays a pivotal role in all strategies to lower CO2 emissions, improve the air quality of urbanized areas and increase the possibilities of covering the energy demand with energy sources other than petroleum. 

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