Tens Of Billions Of Additional Barrels Of Oil Remain To Be Tapped Miles Below Gulf Of Mexico

Science Daily ^ | 3-31-2003 | Cornell University

[deport]

Some 20 yrs or so ago I heard a VP from Gulf Oil talking about the oil reserves in the Gulf of Mexico.... His question was that if I go drill it for you will your navy protect me when a Mexicali gun boat pulls up to the rig?

[lawnguy]

Actually petroleum does flow in streams and collect under regions of relatively more impermeable overburden. This would make a pond or pool of oil, albeit upsidedown. Water flows because of gravity. Petroleum flows because of pressure gradients. Water collects in places out of which it cannot flow and in which the porosity is overcome by the inflow. Petroleum collects under formations the porosity of which is insufficient to handle the flow. In places where such overburden doesn't exist, the oil and accompanying methane flows right out of the ground. In some places the porosity is such that the petroleum is blocked from reaching the surface but not the methane, resulting in people lawns or fields catching on fire.

Well of course, everyone knows that :) (Hermione Grainger alert)!!

[AM2000]

;-) funny.

[Dog Gone]

Recovery rate varies by the type of rock that is the oil reservoir. But if you can produce 50% of the original oil in place in the rock, you're doing about average.

Steam isn't the only way to coax out more oil. You can try to flush it with water, carbon dioxide, reinjected natural gas, and even fire.

I'm not sure there's any rule of thumb for deciding whether or not an enhanced recovery method will be economic. It depends so much on the particular circumstances.

[TaMoDee]

The recover rate depends on too many factors to list here and the explation of each. These factors range from geological to financical. The initial recovery cannot be determined until all the aspects of the reservoir are known.

[archy]

One reason cows should be armed.

And *here,* a good reason cows should be shot. At least the poetasters of the bunch.

-archy-/-

[slickeroo]

The hell with the oil! It's worth it just for the FISH!

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/4/12/132638.shtml