Oil rises jump almost $7, (Fear not Americans, ANWR is still off-limits)

[megimoo]

If that is the solution where they pump super heated CO2 into the ground to boil the oil out it very well could work but to my knowledge that has only been tested on a small scale. I don't think they have any guarentees that it will be able to produce the type of oil they are talking about. Even if it is able to we would be smart to develop the technology but keep using up everyone elses reserves first.

What's wrong with just pumping supeheated steam into the oil shale and pumping the oil from underground pools that form as a result ?

[Vepr]

What's wrong with just pumping supeheated steam into the oil shale and pumping the oil from underground pools that form as a result ?

There is probably more than one solution to the heating. I would think it would be cleaner to use a gas like carbon dioxide instead of introducing water vapor but I am no expert so who knows. Anyways we do need some large scale tests to see if the projections are correct.

[hampshirebrit]

What's wrong with just pumping supeheated steam into the oil shale and pumping the oil from underground pools that form as a result ?

Superheating steam requires very large inputs of natural gas and water. Water resources tend to be scarce in much of the shale oil deposit areas. Natural gas ... that's obvious. You want to use as little energy as possible to extract energy resources ... Energy return on energy invested...EROEI.

If you have to invest near to or more than a barrel in terms of inputs to get a barrel out, then there is no point in starting operations in the first place.

Below 100pc EROEI, the only thing that can affect this is the $/bbl price, and an expectation that that price will hold or increase, and not be tampered with by government regulation or taxation.

[LogansPapa]

Energy return on energy invested...EROEI.

Invasion and war is much more economical, and fun. Makes many high-paying jobs here in the States. We need to go take out that little stump in South America and over-throw the government, such as it is, in Mexico.