PeakOil is You
Will the world ever run out of oil?
Re: Will the world ever run out of oil?
by Tanada » Sun 30 Dec 2007, 11:04:21
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Greenshine', 'T')he world will never run out of oil.
This is a basically true statement because new oil is always being formed by geological processes, at a very low rate.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he perception of "peak oil" as truth can not be proven due to the lack of information and ability to scan all the world's supply.
The reallity of PO as truth exists no matter if you choose to perceive it or not. Every mineral with a finite supply and a slow accumulation rate has a point where additional collection becomes cost prohibitive. natural resources care not a wit about your desires, pollitics or ethics. The world simply is what it is. Crude oil has peaked or is peakinging in its rate of production.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Alfred Tennyson', 'W')e are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
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Re: Will the world ever run out of oil?
by eastbay » Sun 30 Dec 2007, 14:06:09
Greenshine... welcome to the PO board.
You're right. It'll never run out... but it will soon get mighty expensive!
.... and the sooner the better too!
You're right. It'll never run out... but it will soon get mighty expensive!
.... and the sooner the better too!Got Dharma?
Everything is Impermanent. Shakyamuni Buddha
Everything is Impermanent. Shakyamuni Buddha
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Re: Will the world ever run out of oil?
by Twilight » Sun 30 Dec 2007, 14:17:28
Peak oil has nothing to do with "running out". It's about rate. You fail calculus. Next!
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Re: Will the world ever run out of oil?
by Kingcoal » Sun 30 Dec 2007, 14:49:54
To use a highly simplified analogy, put yourself under an airtight dome with a couple of plants. You have unlimited water and plant food but pretty quickly, carbon dioxide builds up and you find it difficult to breathe. After a while, you die because you are consuming oxygen faster than the plants are creating it.
Actually, with oil it's even worse. Oil is continuously being created, but that's only half the picture. The oil has to be trapped under a geologic formation, generally a "salt dome” and those are comparatively rare. Most of the time, the oil just percolates up to the surface and evaporates. An oil reservoir is a combination of feedstock, heat, pressure and most importantly, an airtight roof. The formation may be underneath miles of ocean water. The oil has to be under pressure to be extractable. Most of the time, you can’t even get half of it to the surface because the pressure drops. Without pressure, it doesn’t matter if you have a 6 trillion barrel reservoir, if there is no pressure it’s going to stay right where it’s at. Yes, we have plenty of oil, more than enough for a hundred years or so, we just can’t get to it without expending more energy than it will ultimately yield. That’s peak oil.
Actually, with oil it's even worse. Oil is continuously being created, but that's only half the picture. The oil has to be trapped under a geologic formation, generally a "salt dome” and those are comparatively rare. Most of the time, the oil just percolates up to the surface and evaporates. An oil reservoir is a combination of feedstock, heat, pressure and most importantly, an airtight roof. The formation may be underneath miles of ocean water. The oil has to be under pressure to be extractable. Most of the time, you can’t even get half of it to the surface because the pressure drops. Without pressure, it doesn’t matter if you have a 6 trillion barrel reservoir, if there is no pressure it’s going to stay right where it’s at. Yes, we have plenty of oil, more than enough for a hundred years or so, we just can’t get to it without expending more energy than it will ultimately yield. That’s peak oil.
"That's the problem with mercy, kid... It just ain't professional" - Fast Eddie, The Color of Money
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Re: Will the world ever run out of oil?
by Blacksmith » Sun 30 Dec 2007, 23:07:48
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', 'T')o use a highly simplified analogy, put yourself under an airtight dome with a couple of plants. You have unlimited water and plant food but pretty quickly, carbon dioxide builds up and you find it difficult to breathe. After a while, you die because you are consuming oxygen faster than the plants are creating it.
Actually, with oil it's even worse. Oil is continuously being created, but that's only half the picture. The oil has to be trapped under a geologic formation, generally a "salt dome” and those are comparatively rare. Most of the time, the oil just percolates up to the surface and evaporates. An oil reservoir is a combination of feedstock, heat, pressure and most importantly, an airtight roof. The formation may be underneath miles of ocean water. The oil has to be under pressure to be extractable. Most of the time, you can’t even get half of it to the surface because the pressure drops. Without pressure, it doesn’t matter if you have a 6 trillion barrel reservoir, if there is no pressure it’s going to stay right where it’s at. Yes, we have plenty of oil, more than enough for a hundred years or so, we just can’t get to it without expending more energy than it will ultimately yield. That’s peak oil.
Actually, with oil it's even worse. Oil is continuously being created, but that's only half the picture. The oil has to be trapped under a geologic formation, generally a "salt dome” and those are comparatively rare. Most of the time, the oil just percolates up to the surface and evaporates. An oil reservoir is a combination of feedstock, heat, pressure and most importantly, an airtight roof. The formation may be underneath miles of ocean water. The oil has to be under pressure to be extractable. Most of the time, you can’t even get half of it to the surface because the pressure drops. Without pressure, it doesn’t matter if you have a 6 trillion barrel reservoir, if there is no pressure it’s going to stay right where it’s at. Yes, we have plenty of oil, more than enough for a hundred years or so, we just can’t get to it without expending more energy than it will ultimately yield. That’s peak oil.
Highly simplified, not geologically correct, but in essence true.
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