ESL Lesson 1
Oil in Our Every Day Life
ESL Lesson 2
The History of Mining
ESL Lesson 3
Economic growth
ESL Lesson 4
Delivery Systems
ESL Lesson 5
Cities and Population Movement
ESL Lesson 6
Recycling
ESL Lesson 7
Rubber
ESL Lesson 8
Farming
Economics
Below forty dollars a barrel, oil-shale oil is not competitive with (cost effective compared to) conventional crude oil. If the price of oil were to stay permanently over forty dollars a barrel [with no chance of declining], then companies would exploit (begin to manufacture) oil shale. Generally, the oil shale has to be mined, transported, retorted, and then disposed of, so at least 40% of the energy value is consumed (used) in production. Best estimates by Royal Dutch Shell put the EROEI at (3:1) Every 1 unit of energy put in you get 3 positive units of energy out. This compares to a figure of typically 20 to 100 for conventional oil extraction. Water is also needed to add hydrogen to the oil-shale oil before it can be shipped to a conventional oil refinery. The largest deposit of oil shale in the United States is in western Colorado a dry region with no surplus water, so the water has to be piped in (sent by pipe). The oil shale can be ground into slurry and transported via (by) pipeline to a more suitable (better) pre-refining location.
In 2005, Royal Dutch Shell announced that its in-situ extraction technology could be competitive at prices over $30/bbl, the Shell method has produced in commercial (larger) quantities after a pilot project shown successful.
US companies in oil shale that use the in-situ conversion program: Shell, Exxon Mobil, EGL Resources, Oil Tech. It is unknown what Oil Shale Exploration uses.
Continue to: Environmental Considerations
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Recycling
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Oil shale
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Economics
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Environmental Considerations
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Shale Oil Extraction Imminent
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