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Peak Oil

In reply to the discussion: Enough oil no longer the problem [View all]

Socialistlemur

(770 posts)
22. I guess you can say we hit peak oil and decline
Mon Sep 2, 2013, 08:24 AM
Sep 2013

Since oil is found in limited amounts it makes sense to think eventually we will hit a peak in oil production. Evidently to produce x quantity of oil at the surface there must be x multiplied by a functio of y volume of oil left underground. We must describe x as a function of y which likely depends on the actual environment in which the oil is found. Since there are many different environments this would be sigma x = sigma of many different functions of many different y's. sigma y would be the amount left in the ground at any given time.

The above seems to me to be rock solid math. Therefore we can conclude the decay function is likely exponential but may turn hyperbolic over time. This implies we will never run out of oil but reaching peak oil is an absolute certainty.

Since the y volumes of oil are found in different environments and the oils are of different qualities then we can also pose a law which states some kinds of environments and some kinds of oil will reach peak production before others do. This seems banal but it seems to point that the most desirable oils coming from the environments which are easier to exploit will peak first.

Therefore we can also conclude the oil price influences the peaks for these different oils. And this implies with a near absolute certainty that oil prices will rise as the peak is approached.

Enough oil no longer the problem [View all] Nasty Jack Mar 2013 OP
Fracking does not produce cheap natural gas Champion Jack Mar 2013 #1
Think you're wrong Nasty Jack Mar 2013 #2
Wikipedia? Are you fucking serious? Champion Jack Mar 2013 #7
Yes I am serious Nasty Jack Mar 2013 #8
How is cheap natural gas a plus for the environment? Spider Jerusalem Mar 2013 #3
At least it's a little better Nasty Jack Mar 2013 #5
Everybody hates Thomas Gold, but maybe he was right BlueStreak Mar 2013 #4
Nah, Gold's abiotic petroleum theories are still zany and unsupported by evidence Spider Jerusalem Mar 2013 #6
That's not entirely true. You are repeating the conventional wisdm of geologists BlueStreak Mar 2013 #9
I'm sorry but this can't be taken seriously, at all. Spider Jerusalem Mar 2013 #10
You are illustrating my point very well -- jumping to unsupported conclusions BlueStreak Mar 2013 #11
You're illustrating your profound ignorance very well. Spider Jerusalem Mar 2013 #12
I only made it through the first sentence of the first references before BlueStreak Mar 2013 #13
Not true, and you are obviously a crank Spider Jerusalem Mar 2013 #14
I think you are confused Socialistlemur Sep 2013 #25
He pumped 80- barrels of oil from a depth of 7 km BlueStreak Sep 2013 #27
Gold didn't pump anything Socialistlemur Oct 2013 #29
Actually both of you are wrong Socialistlemur Sep 2013 #26
Fossil fuels found along plate boundaries? Socialistlemur Oct 2013 #31
Not along plate boundaries, no Spider Jerusalem Oct 2013 #32
I guess it must be easy to formulate a theory, fail to prove it then die? Socialistlemur Sep 2013 #24
Shale oil boom is only expected to last to 2017, then decline rapidly till about 2022 to 2012 levels happyslug Mar 2013 #15
Message auto-removed TooManyPeople Mar 2013 #16
Why is burning natural gas any better than burning gasoline? golfguru Apr 2013 #17
Why dont we all buy solar panels markboxer Apr 2013 #18
Very true but........... golfguru Apr 2013 #19
If you buy the Dow solar shingles Bay Boy May 2013 #20
Natural gas has more hydrogen Socialistlemur Sep 2013 #23
How wrong can you be? 4dsc Aug 2013 #21
I guess you can say we hit peak oil and decline Socialistlemur Sep 2013 #22
An intelligent race PATRICK Oct 2013 #28
Which catastrophe are we discussing? Socialistlemur Oct 2013 #30
See: Elasticity of Demand EconGreen Jan 2014 #33
Message auto-removed Name removed Mar 2014 #34
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