How to Get Even More Out!

Secondary and Tertiary (Enhanced) extraction of oil are explained. Using injection of salt water or carbon dioxide to retrieve more oil. Enhanced extraction techniques using steam, surfactants (soap), or biologically active means. Number of wells and their production in barrels per day in the US vs Saudi Arabia over time.

[@sarcasmo57]

And that's what I need to know about wells.

[@ZIlberbot]

😀 👍

[@416dl]

Having grown up in the oil fields of Pennsylvania the subject has always been of interest but seldom have I encountered explanations and illustrations as effective as these, Doc. Thanks for posting...we're watching.

[@tomkelly8827]

Here in Canada we have the tar sands and steam is the most common method of extraction as far as I know. That is really interesting to see why Saudi Arabia is always such an oil powerhouse. As a farmer, I would love to hear you cover biogas production from manure and scraps. I have seen a number of places that are doing this, mainly dairies, and it seems like a really good source for fuel, since no food is used and the manure can still be spread back on the fields afterwards

[@JohnSmith-uy3fp]

My car was making too much smoke from burning oil so I was going to junk it. I put water in the crank case with a little bit of oil to make it slippery and it hardly smoked at all. I got a few more weeks out of it before the engine siezed up.

[@hiker919]

Hello Energy prof. Would you please do a video on NH3 as a motor fuel? It burns well in internal combustion engines. It has reasonably high energy density. It is produced already in large quantities. The science of production is well understood. Wholesale is about 40 cents/gallon. It is very easy to liquefy and transport. It is lighter than air, so it disperses quickly if released. It is difficult to burn outside of an engine. It produces nitrogen and water when burned, no CO2.. It may be produced from water and air and heat. Refueling an ammonia powered vehicle is much faster than recharging an electric vehicle. Ammonia is an appropriate fuel for trucks, as well as passenger cars. Manufacture from natural gas is marginally cheaper but a production plant in Norway based on electrolysis of water successfully competed for many decades. To me a nuclear and ammonia economy is the obvious answer to the climate change problem, as the science of production and economics of ammonia are already well established. NH3 may also be manufactured to store off peak power. Thank you for considering this.

[@tomkelly8827]

Interesting, very interesting. I have heard of Ammonia as a fuel but never seen the argument for it put so clearly. Your point about off peak power is well taken for sure.

[@okeybuckeye524]

Injecting your well with botulism is pretty crazy. That would make for the cleanest fingernails in the history of the oil field.

[@TheDuckofDoom.]

I thought that the temperature a couple miles down is high enough that extra steam would be pointless (also the rock absorbing the heat) and bacteria would just die.

[@tomkelly8827]

Wouldn't gasifiing and condensing coal into liquid fuels be more profitable? Wood, plastics and rubber could be processed into diesel, gasoline and Airplane fuel with the right type of refinery. I think that you will say that as long as the price of oil is high enough then it would be a viable solution... So do you know what kind of price is needed for this to make sense?

[@GreenStarTech]

This has been happening in South Africa since the 1960's; research Sasol.

[@andrewmiller5326]

Sugar. In water. More

[@f.f.s.d.o.a.7294]

MiB throwback

[@waltergrimm7161]

Or, how to suck the last rest out of the ground

[@totoro5421]

This information is quite depressing... Even seems easier to demand rich people all over to stop consuming so much.

[@garyplewa9277]

Demand? In a free society that is called tyranny. By rich people, are you referring to politicians and celebrities, who fly around in private jets and limos? I guess the farmer who uses fuel in his tractor to grow food or the truck driver who transports food and material good are "rich over consumers" too, by your definition.

[@JohnDoe-ne4kg]

The latter are providing a public good, even while economically benefiting themselves. The former, not so much

[@r-gart]

I find it quite entertaining. The facts are much more interesting than the narratives surrounding them

[@Bob_Lob_Law]

Don't sweat. The days of oil and gas are numbered. Coal is already dead.