How much energy does the oil sands produce?
How much energy does the oil sands produce?
Travis Davies, manager of media and issues at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, disputes Hughes’ calculations. He said oil sands create 6 to 10 energy units for each energy unit used, but he did not cite a source for those figures.
How much co2 do the oil sands produce?
70 million metric tons a year
The oilsands industry emits almost 70 million metric tons a year of carbon dioxide, about 10 per cent of Canada’s emissions, “so we are a big emitter for sure,” Little said.
How is oil sands used as an energy source?
Oil sand is a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay or other minerals, water and bitumen, which is a heavy and extremely viscous oil. It must be processed before it can be used by refineries to produce fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
Are oil sands conventional sources of energy?
Unconventional for a Reason Because developing fossil fuels from these resources is different and more intensive than traditional energy production, such as coal mining or oil and gas drilling, oil shale and tar sands are referred to as unconventional fuel sources.
How much energy does it take to make a barrel of oil?
5.8 million Btu
It seems there was distrust of the oil industry from the beginning. Although different grades of crude vary, the average energy of a 42-gallon barrel of oil is 5.8 million Btu, or British thermal units.
How efficient is oil extraction?
On average, the refining process for gasoline is around 85% efficient (Wang, 2008) meaning that 15% is lost in the conversion (or about 21,000 Btu. By comparison, No. 4 Fuel Oil (burned in power plants for energy) has a 93% refining efficiency, needing less energy to produce every gallon.
How do the oil sands contribute to global warming?
All told, producing and processing tar sands oil results in roughly 14 percent more greenhouse gas emissions than the average oil used in the U.S. And greenhouse gas emissions per barrel have stopped improving and started increasing slightly, thanks to increasing development of greenhouse gas–intensive melting-in-place …
What is GHG oil?
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are produced when hydrocarbons, such as natural gas and oil, are burned. GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide and ozone, all of which contribute to climate change.
How do tar sands produce energy?
Tar sands consist of heavy crude oil mixed with sand, clay and bitumen. Extraction entails burning natural gas to generate enough heat and steam to melt the oil out of the sand. As many as five barrels of water are needed to produce a single barrel of oil.
How do oil sands develop quizlet?
Oil sands are made up of sand, clay, and somewhere between 1 and 20% bitumen, a heavy form of petroleum. It comes from broken down and chemically altered crude oil deposits.
How is EROI calculated?
EROI is calculated by dividing the energy output by the energy input. Measuring total energy output is often easy, especially in the case for an electrical output where some appropriate electricity meter can be used.