What they won't tell you about Alberta's oil

[quinton]

http://dymaxionworld.blogspot.com/2006/05/problems-without-end.html

Apparently, it takes more energy to extract oil from tar sands in Alberta than is contained in the oil that is produced, as much as 3x more. To get the oil out of the tar sands, they are using natural gas to cook it. But the energy of the oil that is produced is less than the energy of the natural gas that is used to produce it.

At a time when everybody is worried about our finite supplies of fossil fuels running out, why they are wasting energy to extract oil from the tar sands?

I guess it is economic to develop the tar sands as long as the price of energy in natural gas (in $/BTU) is cheaper than that in oil, but as natural gas supplies in N. America deplete (they are already half gone), it will eventually not be economic to produce oil from the tar sands (unless they switch to coal to cook the oil out of the sands).

I guess for the petroleum industry, it's all about the money.

 

[Jo Canadian]

I remember hearing about that when I was living in Ft. Mcmurray back in 96. At that time it did take more energy to extract the oil. I believe since then they have refined the process to be more efficient which is most likley the result of the Boom now. I'm not too sure how much the ratio is now, but I know it's better than before.

 

[Finder]

Supposedly they are coming up with a new way to extract the oil in northern Europe. I don't have the figurers on me, nor the links but supposedly it has to do with freezing the area you are going to extract from and fill the centre with warm water which brings the oil, as oil to the surface to be collected and this is supposed to be enviormentally sound and effective. I think it was Shell which is behind this.

 

[fuzzylogix]

Alberta's gas is running out too. Canadas main gas supplies are in BC, NWT and the Atlantic area. That is why Alberta is planning to build nuclear reactors. Currently, the oil fields are responsible for over half the hothouse gas production in Canada each year.

 

[Finder]

fuzzylogix, well if these fuels are running out or not I still think we should develope other renewable forms. Putting your eggs in one basket just isn't a very good idea.

 

[fuzzylogix]

absolutely!!!!

I am so furious with this country that we dont have decent affordable public transport. Look at that ridiculous Toronto core. There should be high speed trains going across all of Southern Ontario into Quebec.

also, there is huge concern about the use of oil. Chemical Engineers will tell you that burning oil is the hugest waste of it. We need it for plastics. All the money spent on war should be used to fund research into finding alternate energy sources. Hell, for that cost, we could all have solar powered homes by now.

The pollution to ourselves by this burning of fossil fuels is killing us. Forget DU. We have death right in our own backyard.

One day I saw a news item on a government sponsored research project to study why Hamilton citizens have such a high rate of respiratory problems. It was ,like, asshole,go and open your window and take a breath of air!!!!

 

[darkbeaver]

RE: What they won't tell

We used to have a national energy program, now we have American management, and anyway under the terms of NAFTA we don't have control of our energy resources Uncle Sham does. Check out the IN TIMES OF WAR CLAUSE. sAME WITH WATER SAME WITH ELECTRICITY.