This book reviews the major events in the development of the international oil market as a background to a description of its intricate operating structure. The oil market is considered as a multilateral oligopoly, composed of three groups of economic and political agents: oil companies, producing countries and consuming countries.

Resource curse theory claims that resource abundance encourages violent conflict. A study of 37 oil-producing developing countries, however, reveals that oil states with very high levels of oil revenue are remarkably stable. An analysis of the ways in which governments spend oil revenues identifies ...

Denmark possesses only a small share of the exploitation rights to North Sea oil and is a minor producer when compared to Norway and the UK. However, Denmark is still an oil exporter and a very important supplier of oil for certain countries, in particular Sweden. A field-by-field analysis of the Da...

Excerpts from a report on a joint OAPEC, OPEC, and Oxford seminar held in Oxford, England focus on issues related to recent developments in the oil market, future prospects for prices, the impact of the recent decline in oil prices on oil exporting countries, and possibilities for a dialogue and cooperation between oil producers and consumers. The report, which was translated from the Arabic, quotes opinions of several participants under the various topics.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how oil export dependencies of Middle East and North African (MENA) oil producers have evolved over the past two decades and to identify the main driving factors from an energy policy perspective. The paper expresses the oil export dependency of each economy in terms of a multiplicative identity that captures effective export price, export to primary oil supply ratio, oil dependency and oil export intensity of the country. Using the data for 1980–2006, the evolution in these factors is investigated for seven MENA countries and the influence of the above factors is decomposed using the Laspeyres index. The analysis shows that energy price and increasing energy intensity in the MENA countries have influenced the overall oil export dependency. R...

Alkyl esters of long-chain fatty acid are called biodiesel. These esters can be obtained from vegetable oils by transesterification with methanol/ethanol. Biodiesel derived from non-edible vegetable oil has good potential as an alternative diesel fuel. Biodiesel is an attractive alternative fuel because it is environmentally friendly and can be synthesized from edible and non-edible oils. A large variety of plants that produce non-edible oils can be considered for biodiesel production. The non-edible oils, such as jatropha, microalgae, neem, karanja, rubber seed, mahua, silk cotton tree, etc., are easily available in developing countries and are very economical comparable to edible oils.

We analyze the dynamic effect of prices and price volatility on current oil production, both on the level of country groups and the major individual producer countries. A comprehensive dataset at monthly frequency allows us to include a rich lag structure while controlling for key global and local d...

In order to forecast the policy for the low price circumstance of oil in major oil producing countries of Middle East, the trends of national oil companies in individual countries have been analyzed. This paper describes the trends of national oil companies in Kuwait and United Arab Emirates (UAE). It also describes the recent trends in the other oil producing countries. In Kuwait, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation generalizes the oil industries. The oil production ability has recovered up to 2.5 million bbl per day in 1993, which exceeded 2.4 million bbl per day before the Gulf War. In response to the stringency of financial conditions after the Gulf War, a plan is being promoted, in which the levels in all the fields of oil industries are to be recovered the levels before the Gulf War. In UAE, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. generalizes the oil industries. The oil production ability of UAE is 2.4 million bbl per day, and UAE plans the production enhancement, expansion of oil refining ability and development of natural gas. 17 figs., 11 tabs.

Biodiesel is becoming a well-established "alternative" diesel fuel derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. This fuel is being produced and used commercially in numerous countries around the world. In almost all cases, the vegetable oil or animal fat is transesterified with methanol to give the...

According to the author, Alberta, an heavenly province of Western Canada, is the theater of the biggest ecological crime of the moment in the form of oil exploitation. Alberta gathers all the aberrations and dramas that have been seen before in other oil producing countries, in particular in Africa, Middle-East and Asia: corruption, defiance of minority rights, terror threats, environment destruction etc

...from U.S. Steel, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods...letter incorporating by reference the December 19, 2011...Letter from Maverick, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods...exchange rates in effect as certified by the Federal Reserve...Oil country tubular...

This week's In the News looks at the latest attempts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to curb record low oil prices. In an effort to lift prices from 1998 lows of ten dollars per barrel to eighteen dollars per barrel by April 1, 2000, OPEC ministers agreed to limit oil exports by 2.1 million barrels per day at a March meeting in Vienna. The so-called Hague pact includes non-OPEC producers in Mexico, Norway, Russia, and Oman, and if all nations comply, the world oil market should shrink by 2.6 percent. Although the decision has increased optimism among American oil producers, skeptics question whether or not economically depressed countries like Russia can afford the cuts. According to Mehdi Varzi of finance house Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, however, "if [OPEC] gets 75 percent compliance it's very good news for oil prices." The seven resources discussed provide news, analysis, financial data, and background information on falling oil prices.

Insufficient domestic resource for investment is one of the main obstacles to economic growth in the developing countries. Access to external resources, however, can remove such obstacles. In the past two decades developing countries sought to increase inflow of outside resources via aid and trade concession from the industrialized countries. With minor exceptions notwithstanding, the attempt has not been very successful. The success of the oil cartel in enabling the member countries to increase the inflow of resources from the West, especially since 1973 when oil prices quadrupled, made producer's associations an attractive vehicle for resource transfer. The purpose of this study was to assess the revenue potential of cartel-like arrangement, for primary commodities other than oil, in alleviating the capital shortage of the principal producers. Although the theoretical analysis presented applies to commodities in general, the empirical investigation was limited to a few commodities. These are copper, tea, and natural phosphate.

This paper summarizes the trends and developments in the OPEC cartel since the Arab oil boycott. It discusses the economic developments among OPEC countries and the impacts on the US economy caused price increases. It discusses the adjustments the US and other world markets are making to cut the amounts of oil consumption. The paper also goes on to discuss the effects of a possible Persian Gulf cut-off of oil to the US and US allies. The effects of falling oil prices on Arab oil producers as compared to benefits are compared.

Apart from political influences, energy balances and economic calculations seem to be determining factors in the decision to produce ethanol from sugar cane and beet. The energy balances for cane and beet sugar to ethanol are positive. The price of ethanol from sugar cane and beet give satisfactory results in comparison with that from crude oil. When unmarketable sugar is available at a low price in developing countries, it seems attractive to produce ethanol in order to reduce oil imports.

Abstract It is conventional wisdom that Norway is the role model for oil-producing countries; its sensible policies and transparency in the management of its oil revenues have resulted in macroeconomic stability, which most oil producing countries from Africa and Latin America, hobbled by cycles of boom and bust or a Dutch disease, have always been denied. This paper does not take this conventional wisdom for granted given that the Norwegian government's fiscal policy has remained aligned with the cycles of the international oil market. To test whether the Norwegian economy is stable, this paper considers whether the famous 2001 stabilisation policy reform, meant to spread the spending of oil revenues over time, has ushered in a period of lower volatility in Norway. Its results are negativ...

Under current slack market conditions, a ban on trade with Libya is not likely to have a major impact on US oil supplies or prices. Current US oil imports from Libya are small, and oil is readily available from other sources. Libya could experience a temporary loss of oil revenues until it found new customers. Tight market conditions - unlikely in 1982 - would maximize the potential adverse effects on the United States and minimize those on Libya. US oil companies - both those producing and refining Libyan oil - are more likely to feel the adverse effects of a trade ban than the United States as a whole. Although a ban would probably prevent direct imports of Libyan oil from entering the United States, some Libyan oil could still enter the country as products refined elsewhere.

Commercial scale oil shale and oil sands development will require water, the amount of which will depend on the technologies adopted and the scale of development that occurs. Water in oil shale and oil sands country is already in scarce supply, and because of the arid nature of the region and limitations on water consumption imposed by interstate compacts and the Endangered Species Act, the State of Utah normally does not issue new water rights in oil shale or oil sands rich areas. Prospective oil shale and oil sands developers that do not already hold adequate water rights can acquire water rights from willing sellers, but large and secure water supplies may be difficult and expensive to acquire, driving oil shale and oil sands developers to seek alternative sources of supply. Produced water is one such potential source of supply. When oil and gas are developed, operators often encounter ground water that must be removed and disposed of to facilitate hydrocarbon extraction. Water produced through mineral extraction was traditionally poor in quality and treated as a waste product rather than a valuable resource. However, the increase in produced water volume and the often-higher quality water associated with coalbed methane development have drawn attention to potential uses of produced water and its treatment under appropriations law. This growing interest in produced water has led to litigation and statutory changes that must be understood and evaluated if produced water is to be harnessed in the oil shale and oil sands development process. Conversely, if water is generated as a byproduct of oil shale and oil sands production, consideration must be given to how this water will be disposed of or utilized in the shale oil production process. This report explores the role produced water could play in commercial oil shale and oil sands production, explaining the evolving regulatory framework associated with produced water, Utah water law and produced water regulation, and the obstacles that must be overcome in order for produced water to support the nascent oil shale and oil sands industries.

1993 should be the year in which United Yemen finally starts to fulfil its potential as a significant oil producer. In recession for three years, the country desperately needs the revenues and has spared no effort in its attempt to provide the right financial climate within which international oil companies can operate. But the last three years, in terms of revenues from actual oil production, have been disastrous, with production from the much-touted Shabwa fields persistently deferred and with the overall climate for the oil industry clouded by a border dispute with Saudi Arabia that prompted at least one western major, BP, to suspend operations for a while. (author)

The seventh sheet of memo paper of the daybreak There is no reason to become fair in the international problem as well called Japanese-American trade war if partiality competition and a big layer look alike and it is the international trade to deal with products in the first place. Raw material resources on the earth, and there is a remarkable difference in the resources strong country and the resources weak country as for it. A former petroleum shock was remembered, and it was decided that Japan to produce an oil crisis artificially and which it was really put in was made to buy expensive petroleum from now on in the Middle and Near East oil country when it was seen. The country which it is made to obey on the other hand, to say private property resources as the country established in the weapon and to be cannot be able to do fair competition in the phosphorus mineral as well. (NEDO)

This paper reports that Venezuela's 1991 foreign investment reforms did little to encourage U.S. oil companies to invest there despite the overall investment attractiveness of the country's oil sector, says the U.S. General Accounting Office. In a report to Congress, GAO noted Venezuela's oil production peaked in 1970, declined through 1985, and since then has increased by about 21% through 1990. The primary factors affecting continued increases in production through 1996 include Petroleos de Venezuela SA's ability to encourage investment capital, the cost of producing and refining heavy and extra heavy crude oil., and the level of production quotas imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, of which Venezuela is a member. GAO noted Venezuela implemented policy reforms in 1991 to encourage some foreign and private investment petroleum related ventures. However, these reforms have not yet succeeded in attracting U.S. investment in oil exploration, production, or refining in Venezuela.

This paper proposes an overview and a prospective glance on the oil barrel price. It indicates the relevant indicators: Brent quotation, euro/dollar parity, economic activity indicators, world oil consumption distribution, crude oil production, refining capacity. It briefly presents the involved stake holders: crude oil producers, oil refiners, refined product dealers, and the OPEC. It discusses the major retrospective trends: evolution in relationship with geopolitical events and energy policies, strong correlation between oil demand and economic growth, prevalence of OPEC, growing importance of national oil companies. An emerging trend is noticed: growing role of emerging countries on the crude market. Some prospective issues are discussed: duration and intensity of economic recession, separation between economic growth and energy consumption, pace and ambition level of policies of struggle against climate change, exploitable resources, and geopolitical hazards. Four evolution hypotheses are discussed

The paper discusses the outlook for the gas and oil industries of the Far East. Large crude producing countries are upgrading their mature oil properties. Offshore gas fields are being found and developed as new pipeline infrastructures open several remote areas. Separate evaluations are given for China, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Viet Nam, Pakistan, Myanmar, Brunei, Philippines, and briefly for Cambodia, Bangladesh, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, Afghanistan, and the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area.

This paper reports on the small island group that was host to the first Indian Ocean Regional Seminar on Petroleum Exploration in mid-December. Efforts are under way to set up a regional system for cooperation in petroleum between countries in the region that hope to become oil producers. Offshore permits are held by Enterprise Oil and recently by Texaco. Ultamar Exploration Ltd. signed an eight-year offshore exploration contract becoming only the fourth company to attempt exploration off the archipelago.

Process Evaluation and Development Corp. (Peadco of Mexico City) are making commercially available a process that will for the first time produce fine-grade newsprint from bagasse with the required tear-strength and opaqueness. Various countries are showing an interest in the process, which produces newsprint 20% more cheaply than wood-pulp newsprint. In addition, sugar producers receive as much as $1.50 per ton more than the fuel-oil value of bagasse.

Olive oil production is a traditional agricultural industry in Mediterranean countries and Portugal is one of the ten major producers. This industry generates an effluent, olive mill wastewater. This effluent does not undergo any treatment and is usually stored in evaporation lagoons or spread on th...

Five waste streams are reviewed in this technical report sewage sludge, construction and demolitation waste, waste oils, wastes from coal-fired power plants and biodegradable municipal waste. The review focuses on the quantities of waste produced and on systems used to collect and treat them in several European countries and regions.

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) is the largest oil and gas exploration and production company in Nigeria. It is the operator of a joint venture in which The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (NNPC) holds 55 per cent, Shell 30 per cent, Elf 10 per cent and Agip 5 per cent. The first commercial oil field at Oloibiri in the Niger Delta was discovered in 1956 leading to the first export of oil in Nigeria in 1958. Currently, SPDC produces almost half the country's oil from more than 90 oil fields in the Niger Delta area. It also supplies more than half the country's commercial gas. Its oil mining lease area of 31,000 square kilometres contains more than half the country's oil and gas reserves. The scale of the company's operation is massive, involving an infrastructure of 6,200 kilometres of pipelines, more than 1,000 wells, 87 production stations, seven gas (NAG) plants and two large oil terminals at Forcados and Bonny. The company's operations are managed via two autonomous divisions, (East and West), which are based in Warri, Delta State, and Port Harcourt, Rivers State, respectively, with a small corporate centre in Lagos. (author)

Our world is confronted with increasing concerns about global warming and security of energy supply. Renewable energy is promoted as one of the solutions to these challenges. One source of renewable energy is palm oil (derivatives). Crude palm oil and its derivatives can be used to produce biodiesel as well as to produce electricity and heat. Essent, a Dutch electricity producer, has co-fired palm oil for the generation of electricity from renewable sources. However, there has been an increasing concern about the sustainability of palm oil production. It is feared that the large-scale consumption of palm oil by the energy sector may have negative effects, e.g. on the environment in producing countries. In a reaction to this concern Essent suspended its sourcing of palm oil and asked a commission of experts to advise her on the possibilities of sourcing palm oil from verified sustainable sources. This report is the result of the Commission's work and documents the advice of the Commission to Essent. The assignment to the Commission is to determine whether it is possible to implement a certification system for palm oil products in the short term that enables sourcing of palm oil from verified sustainable sources.

The international dimensions of the energy problem have been illustrated only by the oil crisis in 1973 in all its consequences. Although the worldwide economic difficulties caused by this crisis have not been mastered yet new moments of danger are again appearing in outlines. It is true that the policy of the industrial countries concerning energy conservation and petroleum substitution shows its first successes. However, new price increases on the oil sector cannot be excluded in the future. Therefore a better cooperation between the industrial and oil-exporting countries is required. This cooperation must also contribute to prevent economic misdevelopments in the producing countries. It must also duly account for the great political importance of petroleum for the Third World.

Ghana produces about 2,000,000 metric tons of oil palm fruits annually, and small-scale processors contribute about 60% of crude palm oil production. The country is not self-sufficient in the fats and oils needed for industrial use and home consumption. A large percentage of the palm oil produced by small-scale processors cannot be utilized by the larger scale industries in Ghana or abroad because of its poor quality. There is an urgent need to explore the causes and to identify ways to address the situation. We carried out a diagnostic study in the Kwaebibirem District using key informant interviews, focus group discussions and surveys based on a semi-structured questionnaire to assess the processing practices of small-scale oil palm fruit processors, and to analyse the rationale behind t...

Turkeys economy is mainly dependent on agriculture and the country provides almost all petroleum demand through imports, the evaluation of vegetable alternative engine fuels is of great importance. In this study, usability of methyl ester of rapeseed oil and hazelnut produced abundant in Turkey was examined. Experiments were carried out in a four-cylinder, four-stroke, 46 kW, direct injection diesel engine. A comparison of diesel fuel, the rapeseed oil methyl ester and the hazelnut oil methyl ester blends was made from the engine performance and emissions point of view. Engine performance and emission tests were carried out with 4 different fuel that 100% diesel (SD), 50% rapeseed oil methyl ester and 50% diesel (B1), 50% hazelnut oil methyl ester and %50 diesel (B2), 25% rapeseed oil meth...

This paper discusses (1) background to carbon taxes including environmental issues - global warming and CO{sub 2} emissions, fuel substitution and the encouragement of non-hydrocarbon fuel use; (2) climate-change convention and related conferences including those at Rio de Janeiro; (3) carbon-tax proposals, including implications for oil, coal and gas; (4) the European Union view and a critique of the European Union strategy; (5) the oil-producer's view including discrimination against oil, the impact on the incentives to use oil and gas and (6) the developing countries' view, including the need to increase fuel use for industrialisation; financial constraints on energy use, and CO{sub 2} emissions in the developing countries. 5 tabs.

Individual country reports on drilling, oil and gas production, and petroleum exploration and reserves are given for Africa. Nigeria was the continent's largest oil producer in 1979, averaging 2.3 million bpd, followed closely by Libya with 2.07 million bpd. Algeria cut production of crude oil in 1979 to a level of 1,194,350 bpd, and increased gas production to 2031 mmcfd. In Egypt, the return of Israeli-occupied oil fields and a surge in productive capacity enabled production averaging 524,000 bpd. Brief country reports are included for Gabon, Angola, Republic of the Congo, Cameroun, Tunisia, Morocco, Zaire, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Niger, Chad, Republic of South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Seychelles Islands, Mauritania, Republic of Mali, Benin, Kenya, Madagascar, Botswana, Gambia, Mozambique, and Senegal.

Malaysia is one of the world's largest palm oil producing countries, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of the total world production. Palm oil mills produce palm oil and kernel palm oil as the main products. Excess biomass residue in the form of fiber and shell is also produced, which can be used as fuel in boilers to meet energy and process heat demand in the industries. The total biomass energy potential is estimated to be equivalent to 2 to 3 per cent of the total power produced in the country. In order to evaluate the potential of biomass solid as a fuel in the combustion system, it is necessary to know the heating value of the biomass solid. This parameter is typically a function of the fuel composition. The key parameter that influences the thermal efficiency of palm oil waste (POW) is moisture content when it is burned. This paper described how the higher heating value (HHV) of POW is determined using a calorimeter. HHV was correlated as a function of moisture content (MC) for palm oil fibre and shells. In this study, the quality of the POW was characterized by low fixed carbon and relatively high moisture content that could influence the heating value. Experimental results indicate that HHV varies with MC. A linear correlation was made between HHV and MC. 8 refs., 4 tabs., 3 figs.

Mexico is one of the major mineral-producing countries in the world, continuing in 1988 a role that the nation had assumed since the first European settlement of the Western Hemisphere. With respect to nonfuel minerals, Mexico was the world's leading producer of bismuth and silver; was among the top 5 producers of barite, fluorspar, graphite, molybdenum, and strontium; and was among the top 10 producers of antimony, white arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, salt, selenium, sulfur, and zinc. In the mineral fuels sector, Mexico was the sixth largest producer of crude oil and ranked eighth in terms of proven oil reserves. In addition, Mexico was the largest foreign supplier of crude oil and cement to the United States. Topics discussed in the report include: Government policies and programs; Production; Trade; Commodity review--Metals, Industrial minerals, and Mineral fuels.

The role of the Soviet Union--world's largest producer of crude oil, possessor of world's largest reserves of natural gas, as well as a major exporter and importer of growing quantities of oil--has been almost completely neglected in literature on oil politics. This book attempts to remedy this imbalance. Today, oil is the strategic keystone of contemporary international trade relations, and this analysis uses political science to examine politicization of Soviet foreign trade and the use of oil as a political weapon aimed at for furthering Soviet foreign policy. Answers are sought for such questions as (1) why does the Soviet Union import both oil and natural gas if it is so rich in fuel resources; (2) did the Soviets reap any advantages from the Arab oil embargoes of 1967 and 1973-74; (3) how did the closure of the Suez Canal affect Soviet oil interests; (4) were Soviet energy policies in Siberia affected by the improvement in Sino-American relations; (5) has the Soviet Union made any political inroads through its oil sales to Third World states; (6) is it true that political relations between the Soviet Union and other states affect the price charged for Soviet oil; (7) and will the Soviet Union and the other CMEA states collectively become net importers of oil by 1980. The Soviet Union is the only major developed country not dependent on oil imports. Klinghoffer describes the size and location of the major oil fields, as well as the patterns of production and usage in the Soviet Union, but he is primarily concerned with the political consistency behind seemingly disparate Soviet economic policies toward oil. He tells the little-known history of Soviet oil sales to Israel when even American oil companies refused to sell to the young state, suggests that Soviet oil policy has deliberately kept Cuba industrially underdeveloped, and describes the stumbling blocks on the road to Japanese and American cooperation in developing Siberia, to give just three examples.

This paper was produced by ECON Analysis in conjunction with the Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) for the Norwegian Research Council's 'Petropol' programme. It is part of a joint project entitled, 'Oil companies and the new petroleum provinces: ethics, business and politics'. This paper examines the possibilities for partnerships between oil companies and multilateral government institutions to address the negative impacts of oil projects that often prevent the resulting revenues leading to social and economic benefits for the host country (author) (ml)

Despite its low oil and gas resources, South Africa plays a major role in Africa in the energy domain. This country is the 6. world producer of coal (with a 224 Mt production in 2000), it supplies 60% of the electric power produced in the African continent and disposes of a 470000 b/day refining capacity (apart from synthesis products), which is the second biggest capacity of Africa behind Egypt and before Algeria and Nigeria. (J.S.)

Dynamotive Technologies, a British Columbia company, reports good result from experiments to produce synthetic oil from sugar cane waste that could supply many third world countries with a cheap, environmentally friendly source of fuel for powering electric generators. The company is currently building a new pilot plant to produce {sup B}ioOil' (as the product is called). The plant will convert ten tonnes of agricultural waste to produce some 6,000 litres of BioOil. The fuel produced by the existing pilot plant has been tested in an industrial gas turbine power generation package developed by Orenda Aerospace ( a division of Magellan). The BioOil exhibited good combustion qualities and a very favourable emission profile, with significantly less nitrous oxide and sulphur oxide emissions than conventional oil. Full-scale engine testing to validate commercial operation on such fuels is planned. If successful, BioOil could be a significant source of fuel to generate electricity in places such as the tropical islands in the Carribean, the South Pacific and Indian Oceans where sugar cane is grown in large quantities. Currently, annual sugar cane waste (bagasse) is estimated at 375 million tonnes. A plant using less than one-thousandth of that would produce nearly 4.8 million gallons of BioOil annually. It would also generate 30,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emission credits.

It is expected that palm oil will reduce black smoke/particulates in exhaust gas from the diesel engine. Therefore, an investigation for practical application of palm oil is made on adaptability as a fuel oil and supply potential. For utilization of palm oil to diesel engines, it is necessary to depress a pour point by methylesterification (methylester (ME) oil) and blending with light oil. When using ME oil, such improvements are seen as improved fuel consumption per heat quantity, reduced emission of black smoke/particulates and reduced emission of sulfur oxide; however, reduced emission of nitrogen oxide cannot be expected. When using ME Oil in Japan, 4,940,000 tons are required if it is blended with light oil at an average blending rate of 20%. In Malaysia, which is the largest palm oil producing country, production was 6,140,000 tons in 1991 and is estimated to be 7,600,000 tons in 1995 and 8,750,000 tons in 2000. For utilization of palm oil, supply potential of Indonesia is also expected. 42 figs., 47 tabs.

Flaring of associated gas produced when crude oil is brought to the surface is a resource waste and contributes to global and local environmental pressures. In contrast, harnessing this gas could provide development opportunities to countries with large and unmet energy needs. A seminar held in Oslo, Norway, on the 18th and 19th of June 2001 focussed on development and poverty alleviation in relation to gas flaring. Presentations and discussions centred on how developing countries, and in particular the poor, can benefit from reduced gas flaring. This seminar brought governments and corporations together to discuss corporate strategies and government policies. The seminar concluded that a joint initiatives on gas flaring should be considered, with active participation from national governments in petroleum producing countries, the petroleum industry, international development and environmental organisations and interested donor countries. (author)

Present legislation effectively bans the export of crude oil produced in the United States. The ban has been in effect for years and is particularly stringent with respect to crude oil produced in Alaska, particularly on the North Slope. The Alaska crude export ban is specifically provided for in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act of 1973 and in other legislation. It was imposed for two reasons. The first was to reduce US dependence on imported crude oil. The Arab oil embargo had been imposed shortly before the Act was passed and a greater measure of energy independence was considered imperative at that time. The second reason was to assure that funds expended in building an Alaskan pipeline would benefit domestic users rather than simply employed to facilitate shipments to other countries. The main objective of this report is to estimate the potential impacts on crude oil prices that would result from lifting the export ban Alaskan crude oil. The report focuses on the Japanese market and the US West Coast market. Japan is the principal potential export market for Alaskan crude oil. Exports to that market would also affect the price of Alaskan crude oil as well as crude oil and product prices on the West Coast and the volume of petroleum imported in that area. 3 figs., 8 tabs.

ProblemThe olive oil mill sector is very important in Spain, the world's leading producer of olive oil. Spanish olive oil production is 2.2 times higher than that of the second country in the ranking, Italy. However, there are very few publications on occupational health and safety in the sector, and there are even less on the managerial issues concerned. Such studies can help define and implement better health and safety strategies and actions. MethodAfter visits, inspections and interviews carried out in three olive oil mills, we drew up a questionnaire. With the collaboration of the Labor Authority, during the two-year research period, 2009-2010, we put questionnaires to the managers of 184 olive oil mills. Our survey aimed at a statistical analysis of the production and prevention orga...

Venezuela`s historical background and projects related to its oil fields are outlined for the prediction of the course the country will follow. Venezuela was the top oil exporter in the world in the 1920s-1960s, with its oil industry serving as the key industry to support the Venezuelan economy. In 1975, a hydrocarbon industry nationalization law was enacted, under which PDV (Petroleos de Venezuela) came in 1976 to govern the whole oil industry. For Venezuela, dependent on oil for a quarter of its GDP, it is important to increase its revenues by increasing oil production. The oil price reduction in 1985 and political and economic crises, however, imposed restrictions on PDV`s activities, impeding a large investment in prospecting. Venezuela then decided to reinforce its oil producing capabilities by positively introducing foreign capital. The efforts included the first through third international competitive tenders for the revitalization of near-limit oil fields, project for Orinoco oil belt development, Orimulsion project, etc. 9 refs., 5 figs., 8 tabs.

The primary purpose of this report is to provide the groundwork to develop the methods to forecast the world crude oil price. The methodology is used by both literature survey and empirical study. For this purpose, first of all, this report reviewed the present situation and the outlook of the world oil market based on oil demand, supply and prices. This analysis attempted to provide a deeper understanding to support the development of oil forecasting methods. The result of this review, in general, showed that the oil demand will be maintained annually at an average rate of around 2.4% under assumption that oil supply has no problem until 2020. The review showed that crude oil price will be a 3% increasing rate annually in the 1999 real term. This report used the contents of the summary review as reference data in order to link the KEEIOF model. In an effort to further investigate the contents of oil political economy, this report reviewed the articles of political economy about oil industry. It pointed out that the world oil industry is experiencing the change of restructuring oil industry after the Gulf War in 1990. The contents of restructuring oil industry are characterized by the 'open access' to resources not only in the Persian Gulf, but elsewhere in the world as well - especially the Caspian Sea Basin. In addition, the contents showed that the oil industries are shifted from government control to government and industry cooperation after the Gulf War. In order to examine the characters and the problems surrounding oil producing countries, this report described the model of OPEC behavior and strategy of oil management with political and military factors. Among examining the models of OPEC behavior, this report focused on hybrid model to explain OPEC behavior. In reviewing political and religious power structure in the Middle East, the report revealed that US emphasizes the importance of the Middle East for guaranteeing oil security. However, three religions with only God are continuously fighting among themselves to implant their religious principles over the world. This report attempted to investigate environmental factors affecting the determination of the world crude oil price. First of all, this report reviewed the trend of the determination of the world crude oil and its formula that informed importing countries. Secondly, environmental factors to decide the world crude oil are investigated by oil producing countries, oil consuming countries, and the US. In investigating environmental factors, the crude oil producing countries have a positive relationship between increasing demand of oil and the trend of crude oil prices with analysis of covariance({delta}) and correlation({sigma}) in 1971 to 1999. But there is no constant relationship between decreasing oil production and increasing oil prices with correlation. The trend of oil stocks in OECD and the trend of oil prices demonstrated the same direction in analysis of {delta} and {sigma} so that their relationships are significant. In addition, the relationship between SPR of the US and the trend of crude oil prices showed a negative relationship so that the relation has no meaning. It seems a political power game. In order to create the forecasting model of the world crude oil price, this report firstly reviewed the existing forecasting models such as Pindyck and a simulation. The reviewing results showed that Pindyck model with optimization did not consider the concept of 'back stop technology' and the simulation model did not include the concept of non-market such as political factors and oil producing countries' disciplined adherence. Finally, therefore, this report tried to include market mechanism and non-market factors mentioned above to forecast the world crude oil price using KEEIOF model. But this report did not show precise empirical results from KEEIOF model due to the lack of appropriate data and time constraint. KEEIOF model accounts for the concept of this model, the basic structure, fundamental equations. The remaining work is worth the next project to obtain final results from KEEIOF model. Delphi method, which forecasts the world crude oil price with the concept of political economy, carried by Center for Energy and Environmental policy (CEEP), showed an increasing crude oil price in the near future. (author). 22 figs., 12 tabs.

The increasing industrialization and motorization of the world has led to a steep rise for the demand of petroleum-based fuels. Petroleum-based fuels are obtained from limited reserves. These finite reserves are highly concentrated in certain regions of the world. Therefore, those countries not having these resources are facing energy/foreign exchange crisis, mainly due to the import of crude petroleum. Hence, it is necessary to look for alternative fuels which can be produced from resources available locally within the country such as alcohol, biodiesel, vegetable oils etc. This paper reviews the production, characterization and current statuses of vegetable oil and biodiesel as well as the experimental research work carried out in various countries. This paper touches upon well-to-wheel ...

Economic expansion in developed countries coupled with dramatically growing economies in countries such as China and India have precipitated a steady increase in demand for oil and natural gas. The Caspian Sea region holds large quantities of both oil and natural gas. Because the Caspian Sea is landlocked and the region?s nations are distant from the largest energy markets, transportation must at least begin by pipeline. While some lines currently exist, pipelines with the capacity of transporting larger amounts of energy resources must be constructed to meet the global demand. This study is conducted for a multinational oil and natural gas producer to develop a multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) framework for evaluating five possible pipeline routes in the Caspian Sea region. The prop...

The two major political events of 1991 produced a much less dramatic reaction in the global oil industry than might have been expected. The economic dislocation in the former USSR caused oil production to fall sharply but this was largely offset by a concurrent fall in demand. Within twelve months of the invasion of Kuwait, crude oil prices had returned to their pre-invasion level; there was no shortage of supply due to the ability of some producers to boost their output rapidly. Details are given of world oil production and developments in oil demand. Demand stagnated in 1991 due to mainly to the economic chaos in the former USSR and a slowdown in sales in the USA; this has produced problems for the future of the refining industry. By contrast, the outlook for the natural gas industry is much more buoyant. Most clean air or carbon emissions legislation is designed to promote the use of gas rather than other hydrocarbons. World gas production rose by 1.5% in 1991; details by production on a country by country basis are given. (UK).

Tree palms are a promising source of fuel extenders and substitutes. They are perennials which bear oil for a period of two to three decades after a roughly four year preliminary growth period. Tree palms are now one of the most efficient energy crops: the best modern varieties can provide up to 6 tonnes per hectare per year of mesocarp and kernal oils. Palms are particularly attractive in areas where more conventional farming would pose a significant threat of laterization of cause major ecological problems. Technology for palm oil production is can range between village level manual operations and highly industrialized mills. Process energy is often supplied by combustion of byproducts. Although palm oil is a good energy crop, its physical and combustion properties preclude most use in conventional diesel engines, although palm oil could be directly blended with residual fuel oils for use in some large engines. At present, two uses for palm oil as a diesel fuel extender or substitute appear attractive: microemulsion blends using palm soapstock and monoesters produced by exchanging small alcohols for the glycerol in triglycerides. The amount of alcohols required for conversion of a substantial fraction of palm oil or palm oil soapstock to fuel extenders or substitutes is proportionately small, and, to a major extent, can be supplied by palm processing waste materials. Fermentation and gasification produced alcohols in the one to four carbon range are suitable for use in formulating palm oil based fuels. On a stoichiometric basis, it appears that the value of the palm oil and alcohols are very close to their value as export items. Use of these palm oil fuels could help to decrease balance of payments problems for developing countries, as well as provide a secure market for agricultural products and improved rural employment.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the domestic demand for petroleum products in the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries employing a recent data series (1982-2005). Understanding the domestic demand of oil producing countries is important due to the existence of subsidised supply, loss of foreign exchange income and the environmental effects of oil use. The paper analyses the evolution of petroleum product demand in MENA and presents an econometric analysis of demand using a simple log-linear specification for four petroleum products, namely gasoline, diesel, kerosene and fuel oil. The study covers seven MENA countries, namely Algeria, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar. The results show that demand has grown quite fast in these countries probably because the fuel price has been kept very low while income has risen fast and thus demand has grown fast. The gasoline demand model has performed better than other models in terms of producing expected signs for the parameters. The results for the kerosene model was the least satisfactory as most of the coefficients were found to be statistically insignificant. However, in terms of numerical results, this study compares well with other similar studies of the past. (author)

Because of the oil price and production increases, in the last decade, a huge transfer of wealth and income began moving from the consuming to the oil-producing countries. Moreover, the industrialized developed countries entered a new era of slower economic growth as compared to the pre-OPEC era. The oil-producing countries rates of economic growth, on the other hand, have skyrocketed, and all their economic indicators are steeply upward and positive. During the past decade, therefore, Saudi Arabia has undergone rapid economic growth and development. This newly acquired and still increasing revenue has permitted the government to embark upon a series of ambitious and expensive five-year development plans to industrialize the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the year 2000. Because of the limited duration of this development effort and the absence of studies of the process itself as it unfolded in Saudi Arabia, it is not at all clear why this success had been achieved. Therefore, the question to be asked is: How was it possible for Saudi Arabia to have made such rapid progress in the achievement of its development goals. It was determined through this study that the rapid increase in domestic absorptive capacity was due, first of all, to the large increases in oil revenues, which permitted importation and augmentation of cooperant factors. Second, this absorptive capacity also expanded as a result of skillful and insightful planning that was undertaken to eliminate bottlenecks, establish priorities, and maintain a degree of balance.

The global epidemic of diabetes has not spared the Arabic-speaking countries, which have some of the highest prevalence of type II diabetes. This is particularly true of the Arab Gulf, a conglomerate of high income, oil-producing countries where prevalence rates are the highest. The prevalence rates among adults of the Arabic speaking countries as a whole range between 4%–21%, with the lowest being in Somalia and the highest in Kuwait. As economic growth has accelerated, so has the movement of the populations to urban centers where people are more likely to adopt lifestyles that embrace increased high-calorie food consumption and sedentary lifestyles. These factors likely contribute to the increased prevalence of obesity and diabetes in the Arabic speaking countries.

Sugarcane presents a tremendous potential as a renewable energy source for the non-oil producing countries of the Caribbean. The energy cane concept is sugarcane managed for maximum dry matter (total fermentable solids for alcohol fuel and combustible solids for electricity) rather than sucrose. The use of sugarcane as a renewable energy source can provide a solution, either partial or total, to the Caribbean energy problem. Sugar cane production and the use of this crop as a renewable energy source are described.

The first part of the book is devoted to an analysis of the world oil crisis and the reasons why it is lasting so long. The second part examines possible ways of preventing the oil crisis from degenerating into an energy crisis. An investment policy aimed at reducing consumption and developing the production of non-petroleum energy sources should result in a more balanced energy market and the start of negotiations with the producing countries. The third part deals with the intervention that must be made by governments to stimulate this investment policy in business and by consumers. The French energy policy may be considered as an interesting example.

Oil and natural gas are produced in southeast and northwest New Mexico from eight of New Mexico's thirty-three counties. In southeast New Mexico, production is from the Permian Basin, which includes parts of Lea, Eddy, Chaves, and Roosevelt counties. The New Mexico part of the Permian Basin includes the Central Basin Platform, the Northwest Shelf, and the deep-marine Delaware Basin. In northwest New Mexico, production is from the San Juan Basin, which includes parts of San Juan, Rio Arriba, McKinley, and Sandoval countries. Exploration activities for oil and gas in New Mexico are discussed.

A Vancouver, British Columbia, independent and its Sudanese partner have filed a development plan with the government of Sudan to produce an initial 40,000 b/d from Heglig and Unity oil fields in Sudan. Arakis Energy Corp., and the private Sudanese company State Petroleum Corp. (SPC) want to begin the first commercial hydrocarbon production in the destitute, war torn country. They are picking up where Chevron Corp. left off after years of grappling with an ambitious, costly - and ultimately futile - effort to export crude-oil from Sudan. After finding almost 300 million bbl of oil in Sudan during the early 1980s, Chevron scuttled a $2 billion project to export 50,000 b/d of Sudanese crude in 1986. It drilled 90 wells and sank more than $1 billion into the project. But it dropped the plan, citing the 1986 collapse of oil prices and concerns over security after repeated guerrilla attacks delayed work. The paper details the project.

This article introduces some features of the recent petroleum policies of the important Middle Eastern OPEC countries and discusses their effects on the future petroleum market. Saudi Arabia as the leader of OPEC produces a little more than 30% of the total production limit imposed upon the OPEC, and occupies 26% of the petroleum buried in the whole world. The Saudi Arabian Government, intending to get rid of its red-letter finance resulting from the two oil shocks, is strongly requesting Saudi Aramco to gain as much as possible from petroleum. Against the 24.52-million B/D of petroleum production ceiling imposed upon the OPEC countries, Saudi Arabia is allotted an 8-million B/D share. To increase its income, Saudi Arabia is planning to render its crude oil `lighter.` For this purpose, investment in oil field exploitation is being directed to the Hawtah oil field for ASL and to the Shaybah oil field for AXL. Kuwait is in debt of 30-billion dollars following the Gulf War. At the current stage Kuwait produces 2.5-million B/D. The KPC has made its plan known for increasing the production to 3-million B/D by 2000 and to 3.5-million B/D by 2005, and wants an increase to 2.2-million B/D for 1996 from the current OPEC production limit. 7 figs., 2 tabs.

In developing countries like India where 70% of country's petroleum needs are met by import, energy security assumes significance in view of uncertainty of supply and increasing price of petroleum fuels. Fuels of bio origin not only provide energy security, but also reduce emissions of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases and ensure rural upliftment by increasing employment in agricultural sector. India cannot afford to produce biodiesel from edible oil seeds as it is done in the American and European countries. Extensive focus has been given on producing biodiesel from non-edible sources, specifically from Jatropha. Discrepancies between the expectation and realities regarding Jatropha as a feedstock necessitate efforts for diversification of the feedstocks. Scientific research should ...

Although China has recently signed large contracts with Venezuela for crude oil, experts are convinced that Chinese refiners will want more Canadian crude oil because they have greater confidence in Canada as a reliable provider. Production difficulties with nationalized oil industries in Venezuela and Mexico will create further opportunities for Canadian oil producers. The recent recession has caused delays in plans to increase pipeline capacity. China may invest $US 8 billion in Venezuelan oil in order to increase exports to China to over a million barrels per day by 2015. The Chinese government granted the Venezuelan government a $4 billion loan last year. The Venezuelan government has increased the maximum royalty rates paid by foreign oil companies. The Venezuelan-owned Citgo operates more than 7000 gasoline retail outlets in the United States. The country is capable of processing 1.3 million barrels per day. Studies have suggested that the Chinese see their investments as a business opportunity, and not as a means of antagonizing western countries. It was concluded that economists are predicting that Venezuela's currency will be devalued this year. 3 figs.

Congressional efforts to break up the large integrated oil companies are meeting with resistance from major newspapers, universities, and a variety of governmental agencies who agree with the oil companies that proposed legislation is a threat to the national economy. They see divestiture as a step toward duplication, waste, and inefficiency with an end result of higher costs and higher prices for the consumer. At hearings held on Senate Bill 2387 (Petroleum Industry Competition Act) several institutional studies confirmed that the oil industry is competitive and many alleged noncompetitive practices are only the result of government policies. Government agencies testified that the industry cannot sell off major components at the same time it is raising capital for new facilities and exploration. Effects on the national economy will include fuel and food supplies, national security, foreign relations with oil-producing countries, and investments in developing countries. The effects of past legislation have already caused a slowdown in oil exploration and production and adversely affected the economy. A breakup of the oil companies could mean that the public will later demand steps toward nationalization of the industry in order to solve energy problems. (DCK)

Since 1980 Ivory Coast produces oil and natural gas, its gettable reserves reach 16 Mt for oil and 30 Gm{sup 3} for gas. Wood and agricultural wastes represent the most important energy resource of this country but forests are threatened: from 12 million hectares of forests only 1 million remain. All the oil produced (0,9 Mt/y) is exported, 60 % of the natural gas of the Foxtrot site is burnt in the power plant of Azito. In 2001 the electric power production capacity reached 1700 MW, 604 MW of which came from hydro-electricity installations. Since 1995 the consumption of electricity has been sharply increasing at a pace of 9% a year. (A.C.)

Thermochemical processing of tall oil soap originating from various mixtures of birch and pine has been experimentally investigated. The organic matter of tall oil soap, which is a by- product of Kraft pulping, originates mainly from wood extractives. Conventional processing of tall oil soap involves acidulation with sulphuric acid to yield crude tall oil and subsequent distillation of the oil at centralised refineries. Because tall oil originating from birch wood is far less valuable than that from pine, there is an economic incentive in the Nordic countries to develop alternative conversion processes for the tall oil soap produced at pulp mills where birch is widely used as feedstock. Furthermore, thermochemical processing of tall oil soap does not introduce sulphur into the chemical recovery cycle. This would be a significant advantage in future mills employing closure of water circuits and/or sulphur-free pulping. In small-scale experiments tall oil soaps from wood mixtures with high birch content have been processed using both liquid-phase thermal treatment and pyrolysis. The liquid-phase thermal treatment at 450 deg C under a nitrogen atmosphere yielded a good-quality oil product at high yield (about 50 % of the energy content of the tall oil soap). In the atmospheric pyrolysis of birch tall oil soap a separation of inorganic and organic constituents was obtained. The energy value of the product gases was high. Both processes are promising, but the pyrolysis alternative has the greater economic potential, providing that the promising preliminary experimental results have given a true picture of the performance of the full-scale pyrolysis process. (orig.)

Thermochemical processing of tall oil soap originating from various mixtures of birch and pine has been experimentally investigated. The organic matter of tall oil soap, which is a by- product of Kraft pulping, originated mainly from wood extractives. Conventional processing of tall oil soap involves acidification with sulfuric acid to yield crude tall oil and subsequent distillation of the oil at centralized refineries. Because tall oil originating from birch wood is far less valuable than that from pine, there is an economic incentive in the Nordic Countries to develop alternative conversion processes for the tall oil soap produced at pulp mills where birch is widely used as feedstock. Furthermore, thermochemical processing of tall oil soap does not introduce sulfur into the chemical recovery cycle. This would be a significant advantage in future mills employing closure of water circuits and/or sulfur-free pulping. In small-scale experiments tall oil soaps from wood mixtures with high birch content have been processed using both liquid-phase thermal treatment and pyrolysis. The liquid-phase thermal treatment at 450 deg C under a nitrogen atmosphere yielded a good-quality oil product at high yield (about 50 % of the energy content of the tall oil soap). Also in the atmospheric pyrolysis of birch tall oil soap a separation of inorganic and organic constituents was obtained. The energy value of the product gases was high. Both processes are promising, but the pyrolysis alternative has the greater economic potential, providing that the promising preliminary experimental results have given a true picture of the performance of the full-scale pyrolysis process Bioenergy Research Programme; 3 refs., 3 figs.

The oil and gas basins of Australia are confined to its western and northwestern margins. They are typical pericontinental depressions in the continent-ocean transition zone with a passive tectonic regime. The following oil and gas basins are definable from the south to northward: the Perth, Carnarvon, Canning, Browse, and Bonaparte. All these basins are well studied. Among them, the Carnarvon basin is the most productive. Despite the discovery of approximately a hundred oil and gas fields in this basin, its continental slopes are still insufficiently known. In this connection, the morphostructural features of the productive areas were analyzed using a specialized GIS technique. The performed analysis of the Carnarvon hydrocarbon-bearing basin demonstrated the efficiency of this technique and allowed several promising zones located west, north, and south of the discovered oil and gas fields and forming a single trend with them to be outlined. The total reserves of the country are as high as 2.1 × 109 t of oil and 840 × 109 m3 of gas. The annual oil production in Australia by January 1, 2008 was 22.25 × 106 t of oil and 14 × 109 m3 of gas. Approximately 95% of the oil and 80% of the gas produced in Australia by the beginning of 2008 were obtained from offshore parts of its basins.

Ten treatments of frankfurters were produced with interesterified oil and oil blends (palm oil, palm stearin, cottonseed oil, hazelnut oil and their mixtures) and were compared to control, produced with all animal fat. Addition of interesterified oil and oil blends affected (pL*) of most of the samples with interesterified oil and oil blends were higher (pp>0.05) scores for sensory attributes with the control, while all other treatments were also acceptable.

This article objectified to analyze the influence of the appearance of great reserves of oil in the layer daily pay-salt and its consequences in the Brazilian agribusiness, raising the possibility of occurrence of the 'dutch illness' and the impacts in the production of ethanol, that before the daily pay-salt, were one of the great products of Brazil. In case that the expectation is confirmed, Brazil could be between the six countries that possess the biggest reserves of the world. The results point with respect to a little steady scene, case the country if it becomes a great exporter of crude oil. One of the great problems for the agribusiness will be related with the fall of the exportations of the agricultural and industrialized products, when the country will start to import more, in view of the cambial valuation, for the fortified currency. It will be able to have an impact of the displacement of the workmanship's agriculture for the sector of services, and the valuation of the wages, reducing the edge of profit of the agricultural producers. This movement will tend to increase the unemployment tax of the country throughout the time. It is defined one public politics for fuel sector. It is considered that one public politics for the fuel sector is defined to prevent experiences as of the Brazilian Program of Alcohol, that extinct had to the international quotations of oil. (author)

While the islands of Sao Tome e Principe (STP) were once a leading cocoa producer, cocoa production is now relatively insignificant and the country is little known today outside the lusophone world. But STP could soon gain strategic and economic importance as its territorial waters are suspected to hold large quantities of crude oil. This article explores STP's shift away from domination by cocoa exports, narrating the decline and final collapse of the plantation economy and the country's slide towards overwhelming dependence on external assistance in the form of foreign aid and external debt. In this context, it calls STP an unviable state as its fledgling domestic economy fails to generate enough revenue to sustain its highly import-reliant consumption patterns. But it finds STP on the verge of another major transformation as it is likely to become a crude oil producer within a few years. In the course of this research, the authors came across major irregularities in the conduct of the country's oil policy and some of this information appears for the first time in the public domain. In this context, their research points to opportunities for rent-seeking and corrupt behaviour, which stem from access to foreign aid and natural resources. (author)

Gulf countries experienced rapid growth in the last four decades from oil production and its price increase. Natural water resources are very limited to meet this growth, and as result, desalted seawater in Kuwait became the main source of potable water, about 93% in 2002. The electric power and desalted water, produced in co-generation power desalting plants (CPDP), consumptions are continuously increasing, almost doubled every 10 years, due to population and standard of living increases. This led to the consumption of huge amounts of fuel, draining the country main fuel (and income) resource, and negatively affecting the environment. One tenth of Kuwait?s oil production was consumed by the CPDP in 2003. If the trend of almost doubling the consumption every 10 years prevails, the total oi...

The forecasts made by the first report of the 'Club of Rome', the experience gained from the oil crisis of 1973, and finally the revolution in Iran as well as the invasion of Soviet troups in Afghanistan had given rise to fears that the supply of raw materials of the Western industrial countries could be threatened. The present paper which summarizes the most important results of the experts talk could contribute to an appeasement: for the future, there cannot be predicted crises for the supply of mineral raw materials. This happens less as people are determined to make available financial means for the opening of new oil springs and as they contribute to find a fair arrangement between producer and consumer countries. Temporary dead-locks which can never be excluded can be overcome by a diversification of the offerers, by a substitution and the necessity to keep adequate stock holding.

The members of the European Community share an economic and social destiny, enjoying a high standard of development fueled largely by imported oil. The 1973 and 1979 oil shortages continue to be felt because their roots can be traced to market patterns that date back several decades and reflect development and energy policies that should have been controlled and coordinated. A review of market trends before the crisis and the impacts of the crises recognizes the variations in energy opportunities among the separate countries; however, it is emphasized that a shared policy to normalize trade relations with producing countries and diversify energy sources will give the European Community greater economic and political strength to negotiate. The complexities of devising a common policy make it a slow process involving the evaluation of attitudes and adaptations to developments. 66 references, 8 figures, 2 tables.

The Asian petroleum market has recently shown a lot of change, and what is noticeable among these is that liberalization within the countries of this block tends to expand gradually and controlling the sulfur content of petroleum products is being reinforced in relation to environmental problems. Besides, petroleum consumption within this area is continuously increasing together with high economic growth around developing countries so that it is expected that there is a good possibility that this area will grow as the biggest petroleum market in the world in the near future. In relation to this, countries within this area struggle to expand their purification capacity, and some countries such as China, India, and Indonesia are expected to expand them gradually though it is somewhat put off in the name of protecting the domestic petroleum industry and petroleum control. Also, looking into the consumption pattern of petroleum in the region, it is expected to grow continuously, centered on light-grade and heavy-grade products, and since it is anticipated that the supply amount of light oil is especially short of the demand, its supply and demand problem will gather strength greatly in the future. The region that can supply petroleum continuously to Asia is the Middle East. Though it is expected that some amount can be continuously brought in from the West African region, it seems that they do not have much supply reserve in terms of amount. New construction and addition of petroleum purification facilities are carried out per country around the `the principle of purification-done in consumption site` in the Asian region, and once these purification facilities begin to run in earnest, then it is anticipated that the trading of petroleum products will be more activated and price competition will be intensified. In order for the domestic petroleum industry to effectively respond in the fierce domestic and foreign petroleum market, it seems that we need to establish medium and long- range management strategies, and efforts to carry out these step by step are also needed. Besides, because the region that can supply petroleum continuously is only the Middle East, it needs to maintain amicable relationships with the Middle Eastern oil-producing countries sincerely for the stable security of crude oil. What domestic petroleum industry must notice next is the advancement of the Middle Eastern oil-producing countries into the down streams of the Asia and Pacific region. Lastly, domestic petroleum industry needs to more actively develop overseas businesses not slanting to domestic market. Our petroleum companies should strive to grow as global enterprises with broader vision by participating in purification and marketing businesses around developing countries in order to arm itself with full international competitiveness. 27 figs., 29 tabs.

Liquid-phase thermochemical processing of tall oil soap has been experimentally investigated. The organic matter of tall oil soap, which is a by-product of kraft pulping, originates mainly from wood extractives. Conventional processing of tall oil soap involves acidulation to yield crude tall oil and subsequent distillation of the oil at centralized refineries. Because tall oil originating from birch wood is far less valuable than that from pine, there is an economic incentive in the Nordic countries to develop alternative conversion processes for the tall oil soap produced at pulp mills where birch is widely used as feedstock. Both catalytic hydrotreatment and liquid-phase thermal treatment of a mixed pine/birch soap have been investigated in the laboratory. Liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons were the principal products formed in both types of treatment. Although the liquid product formed under hydrotreatment conditions contained a higher proportion of aliphatic compounds, it was clear that the thermal treatment process would be, economically, the more favorable option. In the thermal process, a predominantly hydrocarbon oil product was obtained at 450 deg C using a residence time of at least 60 min. About 50 % of the energy content of the tall oil soap was recovered as oil product, about 30 % as gases, and about 20 % as organic material contained in an aqueous slurry phase. When the oil product was carefully separated from the aqueous slurry phase, only trace amounts of impurities, such as water, sodium and organic acid salts were present in the product. A techno-economic evaluation of the process concept has been performed. The economics of the thermal treatment process appear to be favorable in comparison with those of the conventional acidulation process

A dispute between PetroKazakhstan, a Calgary-based oil company, and the State of Kazakhstan (formerly part of the Soviet Union) is chronicled. The Calgary-based company began operations in Canada in 1986 as Hurricane Hydrocarbons. The company (then Hurricane Hydrocarbons) moved into Kazakhstan by purchasing a state-owned oil production company in 1996; it is now the second largest oil producer in Kazakhstan, producing about 15 per cent of the country's reserves, in addition to owning the most modern refinery in the country. The company's success is attributed to its relentless drive to upgrade its workforce of some 5,700, and convert the business it acquired from the State into a capitalist Western-style operation. The transformation was achieved with the help of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), an Alberta technical institute with extensive training facilities in Kazakhstan, providing programs in environmental management, operations and oil-well optimization and downhole development. The highly profitable operations of PetroKazakhstan attracted much attention, including that of Kazakhstan's Agency for Regulation of Natural Monopolies and Protection of Competition. The Agency wants to fine the Calgary-based company $6.3 million for making 'unjust profits' on the sale of refined petroleum products. PetroKazakhstan denies any wrongdoing, is contesting the fine, while vigorously pursuing opportunities to increase its presence and production in Kazakhstan despite the charge and the region's volatile politics.

The active role of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the oil and gas sector of the former Soviet Union was discussed. The EBRD was formed in 1991 with a mandate to help Central and Eastern European countries, particularly countries of the former Soviet Union, to make a transition from the command economy to a market economy. To date, the EBRD has made 15 investments in oil and gas projects with total project costs of nearly $2 billion US. The first projects were joint venture projects with western oil companies. Some of these were the Chernogorskoye project in the Nizhnevortovsk oil region, the Polar Lights project in the Russian Timan-Pechora region, the KomiArctic Oil project in the Komi region of the Russian Federation, two Fracmaster projects and the Geoilbent project. The first years of the projects were difficult, due to the strains of trying to adapt to new challenges and changes. The fiscal regime has changed with time and new taxes have been added and others changed. Many of the legal issues with past projects have been solved. One area of concern with the joint ventures is the export of the produced oil to western markets to achieve international market prices. At present, the joint ventures export between 30 to 50 per cent of their production, but the the Russian Federation would like to increase its export capacity. Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) have been found to be particularly suitable for the development of large oil fields such as the offshore Sakhalin Island project in the far east of the Russian Federation. Western companies such as Shell, Marathon, Mitsui and Mitsubishi are involved in the first of these developments. Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea area are other regions outside the Russian Federation which have important potential for international participation in the development of oil fields. Efforts are being made to rehabilitate the fields and to partially rebuild existing pipelines and to construct new ones.

ShengLi oil field is the second greatest one in China. In recent years, with the constant augmentation of its magnitude, public utilities, residence and staff quantity, the oil-firing consumption for manufacture and living is also increasing steadily. The oil Field Administrative Bureau is going to adopt CWS to replace partial fuels in order to cut down the expenses of valuable petroleum resources. As a new type of oil-substitute fuel, CWS is paid wide attention to in the world. A lot of research works on CWS combustion technology had been done in many countries such as Russia, Japan, Swede, Italy and USA Being one of the first units who work on CWS combustion, Zhejiang university, which had engaged in the CWS combustion tests on the 4T/h- 230T/h industrial and utility boilers, has accumulated abundant experience and possessed many pieces of patents since 1981. The Oil Field Administrative Bureau and Zhejiang university cooperated to study CWS combustion technology in order to observe the feasibility of shifting to burn CWS on oil-fired boilers in oil fields and to provide basis and operating experience for spreading CWS combustion technology. CWS used in this test is produced in Yanri CWS plant. The data of coal industrial analysis and ultimate analysis is shown.

Production of ethanol (ethyl alcohol) for automobile fuel is underway on a large scale in Brazil and has attracted great interest in the United States and other countries. Crops producing starch or sugars provide the feedstocks for fermentation. Fermentation technology is making rapid advances. However, there are serious concerns about the availability of crop land, the environmental impacts of greatly expanded production, and the use of high quality energy (gas and oil) by many existing conversion systems. Further development of integrated systems, efficiently producing ethanol and using by-products, appear to be highly desirable.

This presentation discusses the environment, the petroleum fortune and future generations, licence policy, and regional issues. A principal aim for the Norwegian government is to combine the role as a major energy producer with the desire to be a leading country in environmental issues. Norway is now a major oil and gas producer that produces effectively, profitably and more environmentally friendly than other petroleum countries. The MILJOESOK process was started to strengthen the cooperation between Norwegian authorities and the industry in the environmental sector. The emissions of greenhouse gases per unit produced have been reduced. The emissions to sea of oil and chemicals are also being reduced. Another principle aim is that the oil and gas resources should give the highest possible value creation and secure welfare and employment. With the present production level the reserves of oil will last for 15 years and the reserves of gas for 110 years. The state income generated by the petroleum production is expected to peak around the turn of the millennium, then to decline gradually toward 2050. The petroleum fund is established to be a buffer till long into the future. In 2010, the yield from this fund is expected to be twice the amount of oil money used over the state budget today. Compared with the UK, Norway has chosen to exploit the resources in a step by step fashion at a moderate rate. This policy can be seen in the granting of concession. New concessions will be granted at a rate suitable for smoothing out the activity level and strengthening onshore employment. The North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea are quite different as to mapping and maturity and hence require different concession policies. The new deep-sea fields in the Norwegian Sea offer technological challenges and it is important that offshore activities in this area create opportunities for regional development on land

Management of food wastes has been the subject of investigation especially in developing countries where food processors produce enormous quantities of waste materials from the processed foods they manufacture. One possible solution is to integrate biogas technology to augment, at least, the fuel needs of the company. The escalation in the cost of energy brought about by the cartel members of the oil-exporting countries has affected considerably food processing companies in maintaining an optimal margin of profit. Conversion of food wastes into biofuel through the process of anaerobic digestion may lessen energy consumption significantly, in addition to reduction of environmental pollution in the area. In this paper, researches on the possibility of utilizing some food processing wastes from food manufacturing industries have been undertaken. This may be the time that regional research cooperation be intensified to help and solve the common problems on energy in developing countries.

This paper introduces the current situation in energy resources in Turkey as seen from a position of the assistant manager of the Turkish Petroleum Public Corporation Research Center. It also details topographies, geologies and the state of development in petroleum, natural gas, and coal producing areas in the country. As a general index, Turkey produces energy corresponding to about half of the domestic consumption. The total amount of primary energy produced in Turkey in 1989 was 27.8 million tons converted to crude oil (petroleum and coal account for 56%), while imports amounted to 27 million tons. In order to meet the energy demand that keeps increasing, the import must be increased or the production capacity must be expanded. Speaking of petroleum, almost all of the Turkish petroleum is produced in the south-east Anatolia region in the north-west part of the country. Confirmed reserve quantity in the whole country is 730 million tons, but the remaining minable quantity is only 37.2 million tons. Increase of the yield rate is planned under joint efforts with operators in other countries. 14 refs., 14 figs., 1 tab.

Nigeria, with its seven crude-oil export streams, dominated West African production and accounted for over 70% of the depressed 1.8 million b/d output from the region last year. However, during the 1970s a flurry of new producing fields, primarily off the African coast, diversified production among a number of countries and touched off a wave of oil activity. The Journal takes a close look at the quality of West African oil in this installment of assays on world export crudes. This issue covers, in alphabetical order, Bonny Light (Nigeria) to Espoir (Ivory Coast). A following issue will wrap up West Africa by presenting assays on crudes from Forcados Blend (Nigeria) to Zaire Crude (Zaire).

A short review about the economy of Iran is made. This country is the second oil producer in the Opec and the fourth crude oil supplier of France. Iranian economy is highly dependent on the global oil market. Iranian government has to face a drastic reduction of its current budget: a more realistic price of 12 dollars a barrel has had to be taken into account instead of 16 previously scheduled. This reduction will imply a sharp decrease in import, the sales of western products are expected to slow down this year. Some French companies have succeeded in establishing lasting economical links with Iran. American government wishes to normalize its relations. (A.C.) 8 refs.

At the start of the decade, the Canadian Petroleum Industry was poised for an expenditure and activity breakout to take Canada off the world oil market and make the country secure and self-sufficient in oil supplies by the time the 1990s roll around. Then, on October 28, 1980, the government of Canada unveiled its National Energy Program (NEP). Instead of clearing the tracks for growth, the NEP put the brakes on industry. Therefore, instead of setting drilling records, getting into high gear on the long-delayed oil sands Mega-Projects, and increasing exploration in the promising offshore areas, budgets are being cut by as much as 50%, major projects are being shelved, and an exodus of drilling rigs to the US is underway. Designed to deliver the election promises of the last federal compaign, the NEP is producing a crisis of confidence and shortages instead of progress toward self-sufficiency.

The problem of global warming illustrates the serious interrelationship between the production of energy and environmental concerns. As part of the survey on the effective use of carbon dioxide, taking the global environment into consideration, a study was carried out on the application of CO{sub 2} in EOR as a countermeasure to global warming. This paper studies the feasibility of a total system for the stabilization of CO{sub 2} using EOR. This system involves separation and recovery of CO{sub 2} from fixed sources in Japan, liquefaction and transportation to the oil-fields in oil producing countries, injection to the reservoir and eventual recovery and recycling. Utilization of CO{sub 2} for EOR therefore, not only increases oil production but also results in the stabilization of CO{sub 2}, thus preventing further global warming.

After Iraq's invasion of Kuwait of August 2, 1990, the U.S. became less dependent on Eastern Hemisphere oil and more dependent on Western Hemisphere oil. Although a terrible event caused the shift, the phenomenon gives energy policy deliberators pause. Is it not in favor of U.S. oil supply and price stability to do more business with Western Hemisphere neighbors The big swing producers exporting to the U.S. in the period Sept.-Dec. 1990 were Canada, Mexico and Venezuela with a combined increase in share of 21.8%. This issue also contains the following: (1) the ED Refining Netback Data Series for the U.S. Gulf and West Coasts, Rotterdam, and Singapore as of Feb. 8, 1991; and (2) the ED Fuel Price/Tax Series for countries of the Western Hemisphere, Feb. 1991 edition. 7 figs., 5 tabs.

We examine how oil prices and exchange rates co-move using two measures of dependence: correlations and copulas and document two main findings for crude oil prices and a range of currencies: oil price-exchange rate dependence is in general weak, although it rose substantially in the aftermath of the global financial crisis; and there is no extreme market dependence between oil prices and exchange rates. These findings have important implications for risk management, monetary policies to control oil inflationary pressures or exchange rates, the dollar-pegging policies of some oil-exporting countries and fiscal policy in oil-exporting countries in general.

This paper reports that Iraq raises questions for the world oil market beyond those frequently asked about when and under what circumstances it will resume exports. Two wars since 1981 have obscured encouraging results from a 20 year exploration program that were only beginning to come to light when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. Those results indicate the country might someday be able to produce much more than the 3.2 million b/d it was flowing before a United Nations embargo blocked exports. If exploratory potential is anywhere near what officials asserted in the late 1980s, and if Iraq eventually turns hospitable to international capital, the country could become a world class opportunity for oil companies as well as an exporter with productive capacity approaching that of Saudi Arabia. But political conditions can change quickly. Under a new, secular regime, Iraq might welcome non-Iraqi oil companies and capital as essential to economic recovery. It's a prospect that warrants a new industry look at what the country has revealed about its geology and exploration history.

The increasing industrialization and modernization of the world has to a steep rise for the demand of petroleum products. Economic development in developing countries has led to huge increase in the energy demand. In India, the energy demand is increasing at a rate of 6.5% per annum. The crude oil demand of the country is met by import of about 80%. Thus the energy security has become a key issue for the nation as a whole. Petroleum-based fuels are limited. The finite reserves are highly concentrated in certain regions of the world. Therefore, those countries not having these reserves are facing foreign exchange crises, mainly due to the import of crude oil. Hence it is necessary to look forward for alternative fuels, which can be produced from feedstocks available within the country. Biodiesel, an ecofriendly and renewable fuel substitute for diesel has been getting the attention of researchers/scientists of all over the world. The R and D has indicated that up to B20, there is no need of modification and little work is available related to suitability and sustainability of biodiesel production from Jatropha as non-edible oil sources. In addition, the use of vegetable oil as fuel is less polluting than petroleum fuels. The basic problem with biodiesel is that it is more prone to oxidation resulting in the increase in viscosity of biodiesel with respect to time which in turn leads to piston sticking, gum formation and fuel atomization problems. The report is an attempt to present the prevailing fossil fuel scenario with respect to petroleum diesel, fuel properties of biodiesel resources for biodiesel production, processes for its production, purification, etc. Lastly, an introduction of stability of biodiesel will also be presented. (author)

This paper analyses the role of palm oil and its sustainability from different perspectives. We consider the role of palm oil within the GHG context. We discuss the impact of palm oil on biodiversity and analyse how palm oil can contribute to economic growth and development in tropical countries. Fi...

The introduction of bio diesel in the Brazilian energy matrix has been mainly motivated by the governmental actions, which foresees social and economical development to the country in a program that allows the use of different oil seed crops as raw materials for biofuels production. Cost estimates considering the average price received by the farmer and the oil content of each vegetable shows that the minimum cost of bio fuel was about 1,1(castor bean); 1,8(peanut); 2,0(soy beans); 3,3(corn) higher than the average cost of fossil diesel from 1975 to 2004. Among the evaluated raw materials, only the palm oil had inferior cost compared to the petroleum diesel (0.6%). The oleaginous plants that have a higher oil content and smaller agricultural production cost to produce bio fuels are economically most feasible and they should be prioritized in the government program so that it may become economically sustainable along the years, as well as generate adequate profit to the farmers of each culture. The feasibility of National Program for Biofuels Use and Production and both economical and environmental aspects should also consider the destination of the main by-products of the biofuel productive chain such as the left over cakes after extraction of the oil and glycerine produced during the transesterification process. (author)

Concentrations of {sup 222}Rn in produced water, crude oil, natural gas (NG) and natural gas liquids (NGL) in on-shore Algeria were measured using scintillation cell techniques (Lucas cells) and electret ion chamber (EIC). The first method, active, is based on the use of a Lucas-type scintillation chamber in conjunction with a portable monitor (model Pylon AB-5); the second method, passive, using an EIC with a 4 l glass analysis bottle. The activities of {sup 222}Rn were in the range of 0.98-18.50 Bq/l for produced water, 0.02-0.3 Bq/g for crude oil, 40-1000 Bq/m{sup 3} for NG and 300-2500 Bq/m{sup 3} for NGL, respectively. These values are compared with concentrations reported for other countries.

This dissertation is to discuss and recommend an appropriate oil-conservation policy for Saudi Arabia in the light of past, present, and future economic development plans. The basic concept is the fact that oil is a depletable resource representing over 95% of Saudi national income. Two exogenous constraints face the government in its efforts to develop an efficient conservation policy. The first is the membership of Saudi Arabia in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The second is the world energy market. These two constraints hinder the ability of Saudi Arabia to use an appropriate social rate of discount to allocate oil revenues efficiently. Using social rate of discount implies that Saudi oil reserves would be allocated over time according to a rate that reflects the Saudi society's time preference. A high discount rate means that oil production would be pushed from the future to the present, whereas a low discount rate means that Saudi Arabia prefers producing oil in the future rather than in the present. A strategy based on social rates of return on domestic and foreign investment seems to be appropriate for Saudi Arabia. But the existence of the exogenous constraints and also events of 1983 and 1984 in the domestic economy and world energy market impose restrictions on using discount rate. It is appropriate for Saudi Arabia in the meantime to deal with the deteriorating situation in the world energy market.

Petroleum was first discovered in the inland area of North Yemen by an American Oil Company in 1984. Petroleum development is expected to work as a driving force for the economic and social development in this very poor country whose mainstay industry is extensive agriculture. And the development is being pushed forward in a high pitch. With the agreement and cooperation of North Yemen Government which had a strong expectation on petroleum explorations, Hunt Oil Company drilled the first exploratory well in an unexplored area and struck an oil field of commercial quantity. First, a domestic petroleum refinery was constructed to reduce foreign defrayments on imported petroleum products. Next, a very difficult laying work of pipe lines was completed at a record speed. Thus, the crude oil exporting facility was completed. Produced crude oil excluding cost oil and royalty is divided between the company and the government. Present production amount is 175 thousand barrels a day. The probable reserve is 850 million barrels. The government's contract sales amount for 1988 was 18.6 million barrels. 5 tabs.

This paper analyzes the impact that natural gas imports could have on fuel emissions in northern Mexico. The authors discuss the problem created in the 1980s when a shift from natural gas to residual oil in industrial processes increased emissions of air pollutants significantly. The benefits of substituting leaded for unleaded gasoline in the 1990s are discussed also. In July 1992 the Mexican government announced for the first time since oil nationalization that private companies in Mexico are allowed to directly import natural gas. The transportation of natural gas, however, remains reserved only for Pemex, the national oil company. This opens the possibility of reducing the burning of high-sulfur residual oil in both the industrial and the energy production sectors in Mexico, particularly in the northern region where only 6.7% of the of the country`s natural gas is produced. Natural gas imports have also opened the possibility of using compressed natural gas (CNG) in vehicles in northern Mexico. 15 refs., 13 figs., 3 tabs.

Conflicts between oil companies and village communities in the Niger Delta have lasted for several decades, but during the 1990s they escalated further and received international media coverage. Much of it focused on the anti-Shell protests by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) which led to Shell's withdrawal from the Ogoni area in 1993. Notwithstanding the political changes following General Abacha's death in June 1998, the conflicts are continuing. While the intensity of the Ogoni protests decreased from 1995 onwards, other ethnic and political groups across the Niger Delta began to disrupt oil activities. This article critically examines the response of the Nigerian state and the oil companies to the anti-oil protests in the Delta. The investigation focuses on three generic strategies: concessions by the state and oil companies to protesters, such as the creation of development projects; the use of public relations in dealing with the Niger Delta crisis; and the use of violence by the state and the oil companies against anti-oil protesters. The analysis suggests that the state and corporate response to the Niger Delta crisis has so far been inadequate in the sense that it fails to satisfy the demands of the local people. Judging from past experience, unless there are structural changes within Nigeria's institutional framework, which would allow for a more effective use of the country's oil wealth for the benefit of the oil-producing areas, conflicts in the Niger Delta are likely to continue. (author)

As the most active palm industry cluster in the world, Malaysia produces enormous amount of biomass from the industry. This work studies the possibility of creating a renewable and sustainable source of energy by fully utilizing an area of land to provide liquid biofuel for the country. Palm-based biofuel refinery (PBR) proposed in this study has the ultimate goal to displace petroleum fuels and fulfill domestic energy demand. It fully utilizes indigenous palm biomass to fulfill 35.5% of energy demand in the country by using land area of only 8% of current palm cultivation. The operation concept of PBR is similar to petroleum refinery in which a single source feedstock (crude petroleum) can be processed to multiple products. In PBR, products from an oil palm plantation will be converted to various biofuel end products. Renewable biofuel such as biodiesel and bioethanol can be produced from crude palm oil and lignocellulosic residues. Energy and emergy assessment were made in this work to evaluate the sustainability and efficiency of PBR. Biofuel produced from PBR has a high energy equivalent of 31.56 MJ/kg as 1 ha of land can produce 182,142 MJ annually. Although there are still obstacles to be overcome, it is important for Malaysia to develop its own energy supply from indigenous resources as an initiative not only for security but also lower carbon emission. (author)

The economy of Bolivia is based mainly on agriculture and resource extraction, making Bolivia one of the poorest countries in Latin America. Approximately 14 per cent of exports are hydrocarbons. Starting in 1996, the oil and gas sector was privatised, resulting in the domination of multinational corporations. It is estimated that the natural gas reserves of Bolivia stand in excess of 2.2 trillion cubic metres. Equipment, materials, and services used in all stages of the oil and gas production and distribution chain are all in demand in Bolivia. Over the medium term, it is expected that pipelines and equipment required for gas-fired power plants represent the most important opportunity in the country. Incentives for vehicle and industrial conversion were included in the new domestic energy plan, as well as the extension of the domestic gas distribution system to 250,000 homes. Canadian geomatics capability could fill the requirements concerning the Bolivian oil and gas assets still in the exploration, development, and documentation stages. Companies with exploration and development contracts, companies producing from commercial fields, refinery operators, producers in the liquid propane gas and compressed natural gas sub-sector, as well as pipeline operators are all considered key players, in addition to the Bolivian Chamber of Hydrocarbons. The customers are sophisticated buyers who purchase based on technical specifications and price negotiations. There are no significant non-tariff barriers, and Bolivia has adopted liberal trade policies. 9 refs., 3 tabs.

Purpose – To determine whether repository libraries in developed countries have a role to play in the preservation of the digital resources of developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – Literature-based conceptual analysis of: categories of digital resources produced in developing countries...

...Notice of Data Availability Concerning Renewable Fuels Produced from Palm Oil Under the...Notice of Data Availability Concerning Renewable Fuels Produced from Palm Oil under the...a feedstock to produce biodiesel and renewable diesel under the Renewable Fuel...

This paper reports that the economy and events in the Middle East continue to drive the oil market. Saudi Arabia's decision in March to reduce crude oil output boosted prices by about $3/bbl and may have signaled a significant change in the kingdom's price strategy. With Kuwaiti production capacity still less then its levels before the Iraqi invasion of 1990, with Iraqi exports still crimped by an international embargo, and with Saudi Arabia producing less than before, the market looks tight for the rest of the year. Last year's war to liberate Kuwait temporarily eliminated much of the surplus production capacity with which the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries had grappled for several years. This year, oil supply and demand have stayed in rough balance, even with Kuwaiti crude returning to the market. Two prospects have made traders nervous: resumption of Iraqi exports at significant levels and deliberate Saudi overproduction aimed at suppressing prices. The Saudi production cut put one of those fears to temporary rest. And negotiations between Baghdad and the United Nations over the Iraqi embargo seem unlikely to produce results for at least a while. Demand growth, meanwhile, will depend on economic performances of key oil consuming countries. In the US, modest economic recovery has increased industrial activity and stimulated demand for petroleum products. Crude oil and product prices began rising in April. Refiner additions to crude stocks have further added to the call on shrinking crude supplies, helping to lift prices. In turn, product prices have risen. With continued economic growth, prices will climb modestly throughout the year.

In the 6 countries covered by this paper, valid petroleum rights at the end of 1981 amounted to 2,024,414 km/sup 2/ or 7% more than at the end of 1980. As far as the rightholding situation is concerned, the main event was the abandonment by Esso of all its rights in Libya. Information on exploration activity remains scarce, but it is estimated that seismic activity increased by 35%. Large air-magnetometry surveys were carried out in Sudan and Egypt. Exploration drilling activity continued to increase, with 169 wells completed versus 115 in 1980. This effort led to 67 oil and gas discoveries, a success rate of about 40% compared with 35% in 1980. All these discoveries were made in established producing provinces. Highly successful results were obtained in the Gulf of Suez with 1 gas and 19 oil discoveries compared with 4 discoveries in 1980. Good success was also obtained by ONAREP, the new Moroccan state company, with 5 gas discoveries out of 11 wells spudded during the year. Chevron continued to find oil in the interior basins of Sudan, and expects commercial production in 1984 from the Unity field, which has reserves estimated at 400 million bbl of oil. Oil production markedly decreased by about 23%, with an average of 2,820,000 BOPD in 1981. Oil output decreased in all the North African countries except Egypt, where it increased 8%. Utilized natural gas production can be estimated at about 2300 MMCFGD. Sonatrach published official figures for gross gas production in 1981 which amounted to 4420 MMCFGD, of which about 2000 MMCFGD were collected and utilized.

Sugar cane presents tremendous potential as a renewable energy source for the non-oil-producing, developing countries of the Caribbean basin. The analysis presented here, finds the overall energy balance to be extremely favorable. The economics are also favorable, even though capital investment requirements are high. Potential for improvement, in both the energy balance and the economic aspects, is very great. Such improvement is attainable by the development of new technology, which could be available in the short term and at moderate cost. (Refs. 8).

Many nations are exploring new ways to meet their growing energy supply needs, with a particular focus upon methods that produce lower carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional oil, natural gas, and coal power plants. As a result, thorium-based nuclear power has experienced renewed attention as a potential energy source. Thus, it benefits the United States and other countries to identify and evaluate their indigenous thorium resources. This report describes the geology and resources of the principal thorium districts of the United States.

The global political economy of biofuels emerging since 2007 appears set to intensify inequalities among the countries and rural peoples of the global South. Looking through a global political economy lens, this paper analyses the consequences of proliferating biofuel alliances among multinational corporations, governments, and domestic producers. Since many major biofuel feedstocks - such as sugar, oil palm, and soy - are already entrenched in industrial agricultural and forestry production systems, the authors extrapolate from patterns of production for these crops to bolster their argument that state capacities, the timing of market entry, existing institutions, and historical state-society land tenure relations will particularly affect the potential consequences of ...

Many developing countries lack or have inadequate pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity. In the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, this led to delayed and inadequate vaccine coverage in the developing world. Thus, bolstering developing country influenza vaccine manufacturing capacity is urgently needed. The Cantacuzino Institute in Bucharest, Romania has been producing seasonal influenza vaccine since the 1970s, and has the capacity to produce ?5 million doses of monovalent vaccine in the event of an influenza pandemic. Inclusion of an adjuvant in the vaccine could enable antigen dose sparing, expanding vaccine coverage and potentially allowing universal vaccination of the Romanian population and possibly neighboring countries. However, adjuvant formulation and manufacturing know-how are difficult to access. This manuscript describes the successful transfer of oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant manufacturing and quality control technologies from the Infectious Disease Research Institute in Seattle, USA to the Cantacuzino Institute. By describing the challenges and accomplishments of the project, it is hoped that the knowledge and experience gained will benefit other institutes involved in similar technology transfer projects designed to facilitate increased vaccine manufacturing capacity in developing countries. PMID:23103197

This paper examines surface treatments aimed at decreasing galling in oil country tubular goods. These treatments are classified as chemical, mechanical or electrodeposited. The limitations of phosphate coatings are listed. The Kolysl zinc coating process is discussed and provides an excellent galling-resistant surface for oil country tubular goods. Its applications are presented. Sand and glass bead blasting are examined.

Palm oil production is one of the major industries in Malaysia and this country ranks one of the largest productions in the world. In Malaysia, the total production of crude palm oil in 2008 was 17,734,441 tonnes. However, the production of this amount of crude palm oil results in even larger amounts of palm oil mill effluent (POME). In the year 2008 alone, at least 44 million tonnes of POME was generated in Malaysia. Currently, the ponding system is the most common treatment method for POME but other processes such as aerobic and anaerobic digestion, physicochemical treatment and membrane filtration may also provide the palm oil industries with possible insights into the improvement of POME treatment processes. Generally, open ponding offers low capital and operating costs but this conventional method is becoming less attractive because the methane produced is wasted to the atmosphere and the system can not be certified for Carbon Emission Reduction trading. On the other hand, anaerobic digestion of POME provides the fastest payback of investment because the treatment enables biogas recovery for heat generation and treated effluent for land application. Lastly, it is proposed herewith that wastewater management based on the promotion of cleaner production and environmentally sound biotechnologies should be prioritized and included as a part of the POME management in Malaysia for attaining sustainable development. This paper thus discusses and compares state-of-the-art POME treatment methods as well as their individual performances. PMID:20231054

In Malaysia, more than 200-tone of cooking oil are used by domestic users everyday. After frying process, about a quarter of these cooking oil was remained and drained into sewage system. This will pollutes waterways and affects the ecosystem. The use of waste cooking oil (WCO) for producing bio-diesel was considered in economical factor which current production cost of bio-diesel production is higher in Malaysia due to higher price of palm oil. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the most suitable source of WCO to become a main source of bio-diesel for bio-diesel production in this country. To perform this research, three type of WCO were obtained from house's kitchen, cafeteria and mamak's restaurant. In this study, prospect of these bio-diesel source was evaluated based on its combustion performance and exhaust emissions operated in diesel engine in the form of waste cooking oil methyl ester (WCOME) and have been compared with pure diesel fuel. A 0.6 liter, single-cylinder, air-cooled direct injection diesel engine was used to perform this experiment. Experiment was done at variable engine loads and constant engine speed. As the result, among three stated WCOMEs, the one collected from house's kitchen gives the best performance in term of brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc) and brake power (BP) with lowest soot emission.

This study demonstrates that NIOMM has deficiencies and, as a result, has affected the progress of Nigeria's political and socio-economic development. One finding is that Nigeria is beset with ineffective planning, lack of marketing expertise, and inadequate marketing strategies. Other findings show that: (1) the Nigerian oil industry (HOI) is suffering from mismanagement stemming from corruption, tribalism, Federal Character Policy, and lack of dedication and patriotism by the Nigerian workers; (2) there is inefficiency in the Nigerian national petroleum corporation (NNPC) but, at the same time, the inefficiency is partly because of the government policies, conflicts, interference by high government officials and politicians, and the enormous size of the oil industry; (3) oil revenues are improperly utilized; (4) neither the multinational oil corporations (MNOCs) nor multinational corporations (MNCs) are assisting the oil producing nations (OPNs) or developing countries (DCs) in their economic development, and MNOCs and MNCs are interested in profit maximization; and (5) MNCs do not transfer the type of technology that meets the needs of DCs, and sometimes the technology creates problems for DCs which ultimately results into conflicts between MNCs and DCs. The inverse of these problems has been a sine qua non for success in the IOMMs of the four OPEC member, especially in Saudi Arabia.

A method of effective use of carbon dioxide causing the global warming involves injection of carbon dioxide into oil reservoirs for fixation of carbon dioxide, and the study is made on its application to EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery). EOR using CO{sub 2} is widely used as a tertiary recovery technique, particularly in the U.S. In the oil recovery, part of CO{sub 2} is generated as associated gas. The CO{sub 2} is separated from the associated gas and recovered for recycling. It is possible to make the carbon dioxide fixation a completely closed system. The CO{sub 2} volume required for EOR is estimated at 63 billion tons worldwide. The study introduces a total system for CO{sub 2} emission in Japan. The system covers CO{sub 2} recovery, liquefaction and maritime transportation of the liquid CO{sub 2} to oil producing countries. The price of CO{sub 2} under the total system is higher than that of CO{sub 2} emitted from the ordinary carbon dioxide gas field. However, when deduction for a cost of the CO{sub 2} fixation to prevent the global warming is taken into consideration, the EOR system using CO{sub 2}is economically viable, if the CO{sub 2} cost for EOR operation in southeast Asia does not include the cost of CO{sub 2} recovery and liquefaction in the total system. However, it is necessary to consider economy and viability individually, checing response to the EOR at each oil field. 23 refs., 54 figs., 37 tabs.

Oil palm trees are replanted at an interval of approximately 25 years because of decreased oil productivity of old trees. Consequently the felled trunks are the enormous amount of biomass resources in the palm oil producing countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. In this report, we found that the felled oil palm trunk contains large quantity of sap, which accounts for approximately 70% of the whole trunk weight, and that sugars existing in the sap increased remarkably during storage after logging. Total sugar in the sap increased from 83 mg ml{sup -1} to 153 mg ml{sup -1}, the concentration comparable to that of sugar cane juice, after 30 days of storage, followed by the gradual decrease. The sugars contained in the sap were glucose, sucrose, fructose and galactose, all of which are fermentable by ordinary industrial yeast strains. The results indicate that old oil palm trunk becomes a promising source of sugars by proper aging after logging and, thus, its sap can be a good feedstock for bioethanol. (author)

This document is a monthly publication which provides current data on international oil production,demand,imports and stocks. This report has four sections which contain time series data on world oil production and oil demand and stocks in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Also included is oil supply/demand balance information for the world, and data on oil imports and trade by OECD countries.

The first chapter provides a survey of the development of the petroleum industry in the OPEC countries to the end of the fifties and deals with the foundation of OPEC and its oil price policy till the October 1973 increase in the price for crude oil as well as the events preceding that development. The second chapter describes the economic situation of the OPEC countries in the early seventies with special regard to the importance of petroleum for the gross national product, employment, the national budget and foreign trade of OPEC countries. The third chapter looks into the conditions, institutions and strategies of industrialization in the OPEC countries, develops a typology of those countries, and investigates the course of oil-independent industrialization in the OPEC countries to the end of the seventies. Chapter four studies oil-dependent industrialization in the OPEC countries taking into consideration the world markets of the respective industrial products and the competiveness of those industries as compared to the industries of the developing and industrialized countries. Finally that chapter deals with problems of industrialization in the OPEC countries which arose from the fact that OPEC countries, to the end of the seventies, tried to push forward their industrialization at a pace unsuited to the conditions of industrialization given. The interdependences of industrialization and the policy of oil supply of OPEC countries are discussed in the fifth chapter.

The present reports starts by presenting Norway as an oil and gas producer and an exporting country and France as an importing country. It describes the relations between France and Norway during the Troll gas negotiations and then goes on to describe the compensation policy adopted by the French authorities during these negotiations. The main aim of the report is to discover whether France`s requests of 1986 have actually been realised. In order to do this, it first analyses the position occupied by French petroleum companies in Norwegian offshore sectors and secondly seeks to account for the evolution of trade exchanges between France and Norway. It will be seen that new investments in the production fields and in transportation systems have been realised most of the time by Norwegian firms as from 1986 and that France`s trade deficit towards Norway has not levelled off as from the time of the Troll deal. 18 figs., 40 tabs., 24 refs

Harmful effects on environment such as global warming and climate change may result from the gases emanating from fossil fuel combustion. Jordan and most Middle East countries use fossil fuels exclusively. Therefore, new technologies which could accommodate the demand for cleaner effluents, such as: combined cycles, fluidized bed combustion, magneto hydrodynamics, fuel cells, nuclear power, natural gas, renewable energy, and energy conservation have been considered. CO{sub 2} being the most produced gas, many technical methods of reducing and reusing CO{sub 2} have been suggested such as: Injection in oceans, storage in caverns, injection in depleted oil and gas fields, pumping during oil recovery, storage as CO{sub 2} ice, elimination by fixation using water algae, and increasing plantation especially forestation. These methods are being used at different degrees in the Middle East countries. Reduction of formation and harmful effects of other gaseous pollutants is also discussed, with some concentration on the transportation sector, energy efficiency and fuel cells, which have special importance for the developing countries. (orig.)

This study examines the growth, conservation, neutrality and feedback hypotheses for 49 countries during the period from 1970 to 2010 using panel causality analysis: this technique accounts for both dependence and heterogeneity across the countries. The results provide evidence as to the direction of causality between oil consumption and output and are consistent with the neutrality hypothesis for 24 countries, the growth hypothesis for 5 countries, the conservation hypothesis for 13 countries, and the feedback hypothesis for 7 countries. The findings provide important policy implications for the 49 countries under study.

As UN summit on global warming is being held in the Netherlands. the article reports that the forthcoming IPCC report concludes that man's actions have contributed substantially to the observed warming over the last 50 years. This reflects a flurry of recent research that has helped to answer the doubts raised by sceptics. Results of several recent studies are mentioned. The outstanding issues to be discussed at the Hague conference are the use of market mechanisms, the inclusion or exclusion of carbon sinks, and penalties of non-compliance. Once again, the Europeans argue for a harsher line than the Americans, insisting on economic sanctions for countries that fail to meet their targets by 2008-12. The Americans accept that compliance is crucial, but reject financial penalties. There are several other rancorous issues, most of them centred on developing countries. America insists on 'meaningful participation' by poor countries, who retort with some justice that it was the rich world that put nearly all the man-made pollutants in the air through industrialisation. Low-lying islands and other countries that are probable victims want compensation and technology transfers. Hypocritically, the big oil-producing countries are, in a flight of fancy, demanding compensation for the harm they will suffer from lost oil sales; they are trying to block the Kyoto process as a conspiracy to damage their economies. Whatever the outcome at The Hague, science has made at least one thing clear. The problem of global warming is real, and will not be going away any time soon. Nor will the question of how mankind should respond to it. 2 figs., 1 tab.

The purpose of this study was to assist the Maritime Administration in determining the economic soundness of vessel construction projects submitted pursuant to the Federal Ship Financing Guarantee program. In addition, there is a detailed discussion of worldwide offshore oil and gas reserves and undiscovered recoverable resources, recent production trends, and exploration/development policies of principal current and potential oil producing countries based on the location of offshore resources. The rig market includes the three major types of mobile drilling units: jackups, semisubmersibles and drillships. The support craft market is grouped into nine types of support vessels commonly employed by the industry. The mobile rig forecast is presented on a regional basis indicating the future demand for offshore drilling units in relation to the characteristics of the region and the anticipated development within the region.

Crude-oil purchasing and finished-product selling can be linked to a constant volley, with two potentially deadly pricing games going on simultaneously. Nothing new to refiners, who are often viewed by those upstream and downstream of them as a necessary evil mid-point between the wellhead and the retail pump. Recent comparative stability in the margins refiners achieve on a barrel of crude oil, however, confers good things to producers and product marketers. This issue editorializes against taking refiners for granted. This issue also presents the following: (a) ED refining netback data series for the US Gulf and West Coasts Rotterdam, and Singapore as of September 22, 1989; and (b) ED fuel price/tax series for countries of the Eastern Hemisphere, September 1989 edition. 6 fig., 5 tabs.

The USSR is the largest country in the world and the second largest producer and consumer of energy. Its land mass and adjacent continental shelves contain enormous energy resources. This Atlas portrays many aspects of Soviet energy. Maps, graphics, photographs, and text are used to provide an understanding and appreciation of major Soviet energy resources - oil, gas, coal, and primary electricity as well as minor fuels and alternative energy sources. Topics covered are as follows: Soviet Russia: energy overview; domestic and international issues: energy decisionmaking, energy balances, foreign markets, international energy projects; natural resources: oil and gas, coal, uranium and thorium, minor fuel resources; electric power: thermal power, hydroelectric power, nuclear power, power transmission, power for remote areas; and alternative energy sources and technologies: coal-based synfuels, solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, geothermal energy, magnetohydrodynamic power, thermonuclear fusion.

Commercial-scale geothermal development in the Philippines began i n 1972 with the completion of the discovery well in the southeastern portion of Luzon Island. A second geothermal anomaly was discovered i n 1975 on the southern flank of Mt . Makiling, forty miles south of Manila. Both fields are being developed and operated by Philippine Geothermal, Inc. (PGI) , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Union Oil Company of California. Currently the Philippines ranks second worldwide in installed geothermal-powered electrical generation capacity with 443 MW and PGI has developed 440 PW of the 443 MW country total. Additional generation capacity is planned or under construction in both fields. Over 1.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical power have been produced to date. This represents a savings of approximately three million barrels of imported fuel oil for power generation.

The growing concerns of global warming and depleting oil/gas reserves have made it inevitable to seek energy from renewable energy resources. Many nations are embarking on introduction of clean/renewable solar energy for displacement of oil-produced energy. Moreover, solar photovoltaic (PV)-diesel hybrid power generation system technology is an emerging energy option since it promises great deal of challenges and opportunities for developed and developing countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A) being enriched with higher level of solar radiation, is a prospective candidate for deployment of solar PV systems. Literature indicates that commercial/residential buildings in K.S.A. consume about 10-45% of the total electric energy generated. The aim of this study is to analyze long-term s...

Harmful effects on environment such as global warming and climate change may result from the gases emanating from fossil fuel combustion. Jordan and most Middle East countries use fossil fuels exclusively. Therefore, new technologies which could accommodate the demand for cleaner effluents, such as: combined cycles, fluidized bed combustion, magneto hydrodynamics, fuel cells, nuclear power, natural gas, renewable energy, and energy conservation have been considered. CO2 being the most produced gas, many technical methods of reducing and reusing CO2 have been suggested such as: Injection in oceans, storage in caverns, injection in depleted oil and gas fields, pumping during oil recovery, storage as CO2 ice, elimination by fixation using water algae, and increasing plantation especially fore...

High oil prices and peak oil, next to ecological aspects, increase the necessity of governmental support regarding the use of renewable energy resources. Biomass is a renewable energy source, which allows a sustainable utilization for several reasons. Its carbon dioxide neutrality and high availability in countries across Europe make economic usage of this source possible. Nowadays, biomass is used in rather conservative ways to produce heat and/or electric power. A more sophisticated way of using wood is transforming it into a secondary energy source by liquefaction and gasification. The product of the gasification processâ??considered in this paperâ??is a medium calorific product gas, which is nearly free of nitrogen and has a H2/CO ratio favourable for synthesis processes. Therefore, th...

Technology for producing aviation oil type MK-8 from Sangachalac petroleum is developed. It is that the oil, which is not inferior to commercial oil, can be produced by using processes of absorption refining and deep deparaffinization. An optimum amount of antioxidation additive (topanol for MA-8 oil) is found. It is shown that this oil with 0.5 topanol assures production of highly stable MK-8 type oil according to GOST6457-66.

Canada`s oil sands are one of the country`s most important national resources. The Canadian Oil Sands Network for Research and Development (CONRAD) was formed to encourage collaborative research between members involved in Canada`s oil sands industry. CONRAD helps members by reducing duplication and targetting their research dollars more effectively. CONRAD partners include industry, government, research organizations and academia. A more competitive industry and stronger science and technology focus results from this cooperation.

The most central aspects of the oil and gas business are exploration (is there oil or gas?), production (market?, infrastructure?, how fast can we produce, and how much can we recover?), licence and tax regulations (acceptable and stable?, incentive systems?), safety, health and environmental concerns, and the future oil price (will the oil business remain an attractive business-segment to invest in, will we obtain a satisfactory return on the capital employed?). Exploration is in many ways retrospective; a real understanding of how geological formations and fluids within basins were formed and modified is a prerequisite for success. Production and oil price forecasting are intensely quantitative and prospective (forward-looking). The main application of economic analysis in the oil business is to arrive at economic indicators for proposed future activities (given a set of assumptions and estimates) and to determine the effect a certain investment will have on the company`s financial position. As a future oil business venture is never deterministic (in terms of geological and/or financial outcomes) and since several courses of action are possible given the information at hand, project economics may be computed for a range of assumptions (input data) and for several alternative scenarios, where each scenario and/or assumption may additionally be assigned a probability. In this manner, the expected economic outcome may be computed along with downside and upside estimates. Also, project economics play a decisive role when a number of alternatives are competing for implementation; bases on technical-economic optimization studies, we select the optimum development concept, the optimum number of wells, the optimum fluid handling capacities, etc. with due consideration of subsurface and other relevant uncertainties. The economic optimum is chosen based on comparative analyses. This paper will demonstrate that the `economic interface` is essential for most oil business decisions: for deciding whether or not to explore or develop, for choosing between exploration prospects (`rocks`) in a licensing round, for choosing between basins or countries (`places`) in which one wants to explore and produce, and for choosing between development concepts, recovery mechanisms, plateau rates, ... (and a lot more), in field development planning. Due to the largely unpredictable nature of the subsurface and the future oil price, the concepts of `risk` (=possibility of a financial loss or an unachieved objective) and unfortunately, to a lesser extent `grisk` (possibility of a financial gain in excess of the objective) are quite central in the oil business. Illustrations of `risk` and `grisk` will be presented. 24 refs.

After the end of the PETROBRAS monopoly in Brazil, the country started a new exploratory stage. Until the beginning of the pre-salt researches, the discovery of new oil mature fields was almost impossible. To take back the incentive to new researches about on-shore basins, without affect the focus on the off-shore basins, the Agencia Nacional de Petroleo, Gas Natural e Biocombustiveis (ANP) has been making efforts to increase the segment of oil medium and small size producers, who are called independent producers. To guarantee the good results, ANP has created auctions of mature and original fields of oil. The objective is to attract small and medium companies, so they can contribute to new technology of land exploration. The auctions have brought strength to the independent producers. The aim of this article is to show the case of Quiambina field, which belongs to the Campo-Escola Project, created by ANP in partnership with Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) to revitalize the fields considered as matures, returned by PETROBRAS at the end of its monopoly era. To prove the economic viability of these mature shields, it will be used real values, get in the first four years of production. (author)

This paper reports on the country's limited oil reserves which are almost exhausted meaning difficult times in the future. New terms for an offer of 11 offshore blocks allow for a negotiable split of cost oil and profit oil linked to either daily production or the ratio between accumulated net revenues and accumulated revenue.

...the importation of crude oil from a foreign country...designed to transport crude oil from the Western Canadian...Nebraska and avoids the Sand Hills region of Nebraska...Quality has identified the Sand Hills region and is currently...construct and operate a crude oil pipeline and related...

Lebanon is the only country of the Middle-East without oil or natural gas production. Elements of the libanese policy are given in the fields of exploration, refining, transportation, petrochemistry, staff formation, environmental problems, safety, and oil importations weight on economy. The place of Lebanon in the the regional oil industry is shortly presented. (A.B.). 4 tabs.

The large oil reserves of Iraq make it an important player in the long-term political energy world. This article briefly reviews the oil industry`s development and current status in Iraq and discusses the planned oil and gas field development. Finally there is a political discussion regarding the future of Iraq in terms of religion, race and neighbouring countries. (UK)

Mexilhao, Urugua and Tambau Fields are located in the North part of the Santos Basin will produce together 18 106 m3/d of gas and 45 000 bbl/d of oil and condensate. Besides the contribution to attend the country gas demand the production of these fields starts the establishment of a minimum gas production, transportation and processing infra-structure, that are flexible enough to permit increasing in production from possible upsides. This new production pole has a strategic importance because it will increment gas production close to the main brazilian consumer center. Mexilhao, Urugua and Tambau Fields are located in the North part of the Santos Basin will produce together 18 106 m3/d of gas and 45 000 bbl/d of oil and condensate. Besides the contribution to attend the country gas demand the production of these fields starts the establishment of a minimum gas production, transportation and processing infra-structure, that are flexible enough to permit increasing in production from possible upsides. This new production pole has a strategic importance because it will increment gas production close to the main brazilian consumer center.(author)

The results from Annex XIII of the Cooperative Agreement between the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of the Republic of Venezuela (MEMV) have been documented and published with many researchers involved. Integrate comprehensive research programs in the area of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) ranged from feasibility laboratory studies to full-scale multi-well field pilots. The objective, to cooperate in a technical exchange of ideas and information was fully met throughout the life of the Annex. Information has been exchanged between the two countries through published reports and technical meetings between experts in both country's research communities. The meetings occurred every two years in locations coincident with the International MEOR conferences & workshops sponsored by DOE (June 1990, University of Oklahoma, September 1992, Brookhaven, September 1995, National Institute of Petroleum and Energy Research). Reports and publications produced during these years are listed in Appendix B. Several Annex managers have guided the exchange through the years. They included Luis Vierma, Jose Luis Zirritt, representing MEMV and E. B. Nuckols, Edith Allison, and Rhonda Lindsey, representing the U.S. DOE. Funding for this area of research remained steady for a few years but decreased in recent years. Because both countries have reduced research programs in this area, future exchanges on this topic will occur through ANNEX XV. Informal networks established between researchers through the years should continue to function between individuals in the two countries.

On one level the countries of East Asia are vital components of the global energy equation specifically in regard to oil production and are directly affected by the entire world. But equally they are independent nation states with their own particular energy characteristics, making each country worthy of specific consideration. There is not necessarily a regional dimension to every energy issue facing the countries and one must be careful to avoid facile generalizations about the region. For the purpose of this article, East Asia will be defined as Japan, the newly industrialized economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea; the industrializing economies of Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and the remainder, excluding the Indian subcontinent, but including China, Burma, and Viet Nam. Together these countries contain some one third of the world's population and produce around a fifth of the world gross domestic product (GDP). For the past 3 decades, they have made up the fastest growing economic region of the world. However, East Asia cannot be considered in isolation from the Middle East. No examination of any energy topic can ignore the importance of that area.

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in the Czech Republic for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

This publication provides a detailed look at the specific systems in the Republic of Korea for responding to an oil supply crisis. In 2007, the IEA published ''Oil Supply Security: Emergency Response of IEA Countries''. Rather than waiting for the completion of the current review cycle to renew this full publication, the IEA will provide updates to the country chapters as these become available following the specific country's review. The aim of series of publications is to provide an overview of the IEA oil emergency response system and a detailed look at the specific systems in each IEA country for responding to an oil supply crisis. The 2007 publication represented the findings of a five year review cycle of the emergency response mechanisms in IEA member countries. Since the 2007 publication, the IEA has started a new cycle of reviews which now includes reviewing gas emergency policies.

The goal of this program was to generate information on the utility of soybean germplasm that produces oil, high in oleic acid and low in saturated fatty acids, for its use as a biodiesel. Moreover, data was ascertained on the quality of the derived soybean meal (protein component), and the agronomic performance of this novel soybean germplasm. Gathering data on these later two areas is critical, with respect to the first, soybean meal (protein) component is a major driver for commodity soybean, which is utilized as feed supplements in cattle, swine, poultry and more recently aquaculture production. Hence, it is imperative that the resultant modulation in the fatty acid profile of the oil does not compromise the quality of the derived meal, for if it does, the net value of the novel soybean will be drastically reduced. Similarly, if the improved oil trait negative impacts the agronomics (i.e. yield) of the soybean, this in turn will reduce the value of the trait. Over the course of this program oil was extruded from approximately 350 bushels of soybean designated 335-13, which produces oil high in oleic acid (>85%) and low in saturated fatty acid (biodiesel derived from this novel oil mitigated NOx emissions. Seed quality of this soybean was not compromised with respect to total oil and protein, nor was the amino acid profile of the derived meal as compared to the respective control soybean cultivar with a conventional fatty acid profile. Importantly, the high oleic acid/low saturated fatty acids oil trait was not impacted by environment and yield was not compromised. Improving the genetic potential of soybean by exploiting the tools of biotechnology to improve upon the lipid quality of the seed for use in industrial applications such as biodiesel will aid in expanding the market for the crop. This in turn, may lead to job creation in rural areas of the country and help stimulate the agricultural economy. Moreover, production of soybean with enhanced oil quality for biodiesel may increase the attractiveness of this renewable, environmentally friendly fuel.

Co-produced water from the oil and gas industry accounts for a significant waste stream in the United States. It is by some estimates the largest single waste stream in the country, aside from nonhazardous industrial wastes. Characteristics of produced water include high total dissolved solids content, dissolved organic constituents such as benzene and toluene, an oil and grease component, and chemicals added during the oil-production process. While most of the produced water is disposed via reinjection, some must be treated to remove organic constituents before the water is discharged. Current treatment options are successful in reducing the organic content; however, they cannot always meet the levels of current or proposed regulations for discharged water. Therefore, an efficient, cost-effective treatment technology is needed. Surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) has been used successfully to treat contaminated ground water for organic and inorganic constituents. In addition, the low cost of natural zeolites makes their use attractive in water-treatment applications. This report summarizes the work and results of this four-year project. We tested the effectiveness of surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) for removal of BTEX with batch and column experiments using waters with BTEX concentrations that are comparable to those of produced waters. The data from our experimental investigations showed that BTEX sorption to SMZ can be described by a linear isotherm model, and competitive effects between compounds were not significant. The SMZ can be readily regenerated using air stripping. We field-tested a prototype SMZ-based water treatment system at produced water treatment facilities and found that the SMZ successfully removes BTEX from produced waters as predicted by laboratory studies. When compared to other existing treatment technologies, the cost of the SMZ system is very competitive. Furthermore, the SMZ system is relatively compact, does not require the storage of potentially hazardous chemicals, and could be readily adapted to an automated system.

The vacuum distillation of bergamot peels furnishes a high-quality essential oil that is totally bergapten-free. This oil was compared with that produced by distillation of cold-pressed oils and those commercially available. The oil obtained by vacuum distillation of the bergamot vegetable matrix shows a composition quite similar to that of the cold-pressed oil. It also displays qualitative characteristics that are superior with respect to those normally observed for essential oils isolated by distillation of cold-pressed oils. Oils isolated by the method presented here can constitute ideal candidates in producing foods, for example, Earl Grey tea, and cosmetic preparations. PMID:17696485

Talisman Energy Inc. is a large independent Canadian oil and gas producer with operations worldwide, including operations in Sudan, Malaysia, Trinidad and Colombia. This report includes a discussion on seismic exploration in the Acevedo block in Colombia, but most of the report focuses on operations in Sudan because that is the primary concern of many stakeholders, particularly the impact of the long-running civil war in that country and the way in which oil revenues will be used. The report describes Talisman Energy's compliance with the International Code of Ethics for Canadian Business which Talisman adopted in December 1999. The report evaluates Talisman's progress towards achieving objectives in the areas of human rights, community participation, employee rights, ethical business conduct, health, safety and the environment. Talisman will continue to advocate peace and the fair distribution of oil revenues. It was noted that the funding provided by the Sudan oil project consortium Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC) for community development was increased for 2002. Talisman and GNPOC funding helps in community development initiatives such as the provision of water wells, health clinics and schools in Sudan. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) was asked by Talisman to gather comments on the company's operations in Sudan from a range of stakeholder groups. This report presents audit statements by PwC regarding Talisman's social responsibility. The report also included an independent opinion regarding the challenge of facing ethical dilemmas in business. tabs., figs.

Will the 21. century be the on of world oil reserves exhaustion? This fear of an oil-less world is shared by all: politicians, oil company heads, scientific experts, economists and, above all, by consumers. The author, a geologist and renowned expert of the domain, answers this vital question and presents the real situation of oil reserves country by country. He also evaluates the potentialities offered by non-conventional oils (heavy crudes, tar sands and oil shales) as well as by this desertic and hostile area considered as the new energy eldorado: the Arctic. This specialist's book, accessible to everyone, approaches in a didactic way the different economical and political stakes linked with world oil reserves. This analysis raises the issue: how long could we count on oil at accessible cost to cover our energy needs? (J.S.)

Within the 2,044,851 km/sup 2/ area described in this paper, petroleum rights in force at the end of 1982 in the 6 countries (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia) remained at about the same level (up 1%) as at the end of 1981. A large award in Sudan made up for a decrease in leased areas in other countries. Both onshore and offshore seismic activity decreased during 1982 in all countries described, except in Sudan, where a significant effort is continuing. Exploration drilling activity also decreased with 166 wells and 330,500 m drilled, compared with 169 wells and 473,000 m drilled in 1981. The success rate was about 36%, compared with 40% in 1981. No new petroleum provinces were discovered. Offshore exploratory drilling was less successful in 1982 (15 discoveries) than in 1981 (24 discoveries). In Sudan, Chevron continued to find oil with 6 discoveries, the most significant being the Heglig field. In Morocco, the Societe Cherifienne des Petroles resumed exploration after a long period of inactivity. Development drilling activity remained the same in most countries, except in Tunisia, where 13 development wells were drilled in 1982 compared with 3 in 1981. Oil production in North Africa decreased 1.4% during 1982, with an average of 2,610,500 BOPD compared with 2,648,500 in 1981. A new offshore field (Shell's Tazerka) was put on stream in Tunisia. This field is the deepest producing field in the Mediterranean (250 m (820 ft) water depth). Utilized natural gas production is estimated to about 2,000 MMCFGD.

We have revised upwards our assumptions for oil prices in this Outlook, reflecting current market conditions. Globally, fossil fuels will remain the dominant source of energy to 2030 in both scenarios. Rising oil and gas demand and imports, if unchecked, would accentuate the consuming countries' vulnerability to a severe supply disruption and resulting price shock. The growing insensitivity of oil demand to price accentuates the potential impact on international oil prices of such a disruption.

The oil industry has operated in the Niger Delta in Nigeria for more than half a century - bringing almost no benefit to the people living there. Instead, widespread and unchecked human rights violations have pushed many people deeper into poverty and deprivation, fuelled conflict and led to a pervasive sense of powerlessness and frustration. This multidimensional crisis is driven by many factors - abuses committed by the security forces and militant groups, extensive pollution of land and water, corruption, serious corporate bad practice and government neglect. Nigeria: Petroleum, pollution and poverty in the Niger Delta focuses on one dimension of the crisis: the impact of pollution and environmental damage caused by the oil industry on the human rights of those living in the Niger Delta. Many people in the oil-producing areas of the delta rely on fisheries, subsistence agriculture and associated processing industries for their livelihood. Decades of pollution and environmental damage have resulted in violations of the right to an adequate standard of living - including food and water - violations of the right to gain a living through work, and violations of the right to health. The report examines who is responsible for this situation in a context where multinational oil companies have been operating for decades. It highlights how companies take advantage of the weak regulatory systems that characterize many poor countries, and how the poorest people are often the most vulnerable to exploitation. The people of the Niger Delta have seen their human rights undermined by oil companies that their government can not - or will not - hold to account. They have been systematically denied access to information about how oil exploration and production will affect them, and are repeatedly denied access to justice. The Niger Delta provides a stark case study of the lack of accountability of a government to the people, and of multinational companies' almost total lack of accountability for the impact of their operations on human rights (authors abstract)

The current situation of the oil and gas pipeline industry in China was discussed with respect to its progress, existing problems and its prospects. The annual output of crude oil in China has increased in the past 50 years from 121,000 tons to 161 million tons, ranking fifth in the world. More than 21,000 km of pipelines have been constructed since 1970. A crude oil pipeline network was constructed in East China and a natural gas distribution system was constructed in the Sichuan Province and Chongqing City area. Recent oil and gas discoveries in West China have prompted officials to build more than 3000 km of pipeline to connect the reservoirs with large cities. This posed a challenge since line pipes of X60 - X70 grade steel was needed, for which the technical requirements were much higher than previously used. Technical reforms were conducted in five spiral submerged arc welded (SSAW) pipe mills and qualified products were produced. The success of manufacturing technology of high strength and high toughness SSAW pipe for maximum operational pressure was a breakthrough for the Chinese manufacturing industry. China is planning on building several more gas pipelines within the next 10 years to use more gas instead of coal as a fuel of choice. The largest forecasted pipeline project is a cross-country link from the Tarim Basin via Lanzhou, Xi'an Zhengzhou and Nanking to Shanghai. The total length will be 4200 km with a flow rate of 12 billion m{sup 3}/a. It is expected to be completed by 2004. The following international pipeline projects are also under consideration: three Sino-Russia natural gas pipelines, one Sino-Turkmenistan gas pipeline, one Sino-Russia crude oil pipeline, and one Sino-Kazakhstan crude oil pipeline. 4 refs., 3 tabs., 1 fig.

According to the author, Fort McMurray is the seat of an economic boom driven by the oil sands industry. Investments of 86 billion dollars, most of it in the region have been made or are expected between 1997 and 2011, according to the Chief Executive of Syncrude Canada. Oilsands projects since 1997 have benefited from investments of 17 billion dollars, while projects underway are estimated at 7 billion dollars. An estimated 62 billion is planned for the remaining projects during this period. The only oil projects in Canada to rank first in the world are tar sands. Applications have been filed by Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) and TrueNorth Energy (TrueNorth), which would make them the fourth and fifth oil sands miners in the country. For the first time in 2001, the production of oil sands outpaced that of conventional oil. Syncrude Canada, Suncor Energy and Shell Canada Limited all have big plans to increase production. The various projects proposed and/or underway by these companies are described and the status of each updated. The applications filed by CNRL and TrueNorth are reviewed. Several projects being planned involve steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). The process consists of two parallel, horizontal wells in which steam is injected and bitumen loosened and produced. One company involved in SAGD projects is Deer Creek Energy at its Joslyn Creek lease in Alberta. Petro-Canada is on board with SAGD, expecting its MacKay River SAGD project to begin production later in the year, while another in situ development at Meadow Creek, located 45 kilometres south of Fort McMurray, is being planned. At the Surmont lease, 60 kilometres south of Fort McMurray, Conoco Canada Resources is planning the construction of an in situ oil sands project. 3 figs.

Corn fiber (CF) is a potential raw material for the production of various products because it is widely available in corn-producing countries. Corn fiber is a byproduct of the corn wet-milling industry and a very large amount of it (approximately 130t/day) is produced in Hungary. The major component of corn fiber is the pericarp that consists of 35% hemicellulose, 18% cellulose and 20% remaining starch (protein, fiber oil and lignin are also present in this material). Corn fiber is presently used as animal feed. However, with continuous growth in corn processing to ethanol, there might be problems with the utilization of the surplus fibrous byproducts. In this paper the conversion of corn fiber to ethanol or other products was examined. Destarched corn fiber was pretreated by using differe...

Crude oil occurs in many different forms throughout the world. An important characteristic of crude oil that affects the ease with which it can be produced is its density and viscosity. Lighter crude oil typically can be produced more easily and at lower cost than heavier crude oil. Historically, much of the nation's oil supply came from domestic or international light or medium crude oil sources. California's extensive heavy oil production for more than a century is a notable exception. Oil and gas companies are actively looking toward heavier crude oil sources to help meet demands and to take advantage of large heavy oil reserves located in North and South America. Heavy oil includes very viscous oil resources like those found in some fields in California and Venezuela, oil shale, and tar sands (called oil sands in Canada). These are described in more detail in the next chapter. Water is integrally associated with conventional oil production. Produced water is the largest byproduct associated with oil production. The cost of managing large volumes of produced water is an important component of the overall cost of producing oil. Most mature oil fields rely on injected water to maintain formation pressure during production. The processes involved with heavy oil production often require external water supplies for steam generation, washing, and other steps. While some heavy oil processes generate produced water, others generate different types of industrial wastewater. Management and disposition of the wastewater presents challenges and costs for the operators. This report describes water requirements relating to heavy oil production and potential sources for that water. The report also describes how water is used and the resulting water quality impacts associated with heavy oil production.

An examination is made of the role of the West Siberian resources of oil and gas in the development of the fuel and energy complex of the country. Results are presented of studying the problems of development in the oil and gas complex of oil recovery, gas, oil refining, petrochemical, and other sectors of industry of West Siberia. Ways are discussed for improving the system of planning in the oil industry, possibility of accelerating the scientific and technical progress in the gas sector, and improving the efficient use of oil and gas raw material. Questions are analyzed of formation and efficient use of labor resources of the complex.