Crude Volatility

Crude Volatility
Author: Robert McNally
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2017-01-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0231543689

As OPEC has loosened its grip over the past ten years, the oil market has been rocked by wild price swings, the likes of which haven't been seen for eight decades. Crafting an engrossing journey from the gushing Pennsylvania oil fields of the 1860s to today's fraught and fractious Middle East, Crude Volatility explains how past periods of stability and volatility in oil prices help us understand the new boom-bust era. Oil's notorious volatility has always been considered a scourge afflicting not only the oil industry but also the broader economy and geopolitical landscape; Robert McNally makes sense of how oil became so central to our world and why it is subject to such extreme price fluctuations. Tracing a history marked by conflict, intrigue, and extreme uncertainty, McNally shows how—even from the oil industry's first years—wild and harmful price volatility prompted industry leaders and officials to undertake extraordinary efforts to stabilize oil prices by controlling production. Herculean market interventions—first, by Rockefeller's Standard Oil, then, by U.S. state regulators in partnership with major international oil companies, and, finally, by OPEC—succeeded to varying degrees in taming the beast. McNally, a veteran oil market and policy expert, explains the consequences of the ebbing of OPEC's power, debunking myths and offering recommendations—including mistakes to avoid—as we confront the unwelcome return of boom and bust oil prices.

Life Without Oil

Life Without Oil
Author: Steve Hallett
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 460
Release: 2011-03-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1616144025

By the end of the 21st century, our oil and natural gas supplies will be virtually nonexistent, and limited coal supplies will be restricted to only a handful of countries. The authors - an environmental scientist and veteran journalist - make abundantly clear that we must plan for a future without reliance on oil. They make a compelling case that the key determinant of our global economy is not so much the invisible hand of the marketplace but the inexorable laws of ecology. Although the coming decades will be a time of much disruption and change of lifestyle, in the end we may learn a wiser, more sustainable stewardship of our natural resources. This timely, sobering, yet constructive discussion of energy and ecology offers a realistic vision of the near future and many important lessons about the limits of our resources.

The Refinery of the Future

The Refinery of the Future
Author: James G. Speight
Publisher: William Andrew
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2010-12-21
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1437778526

As feedstocks to refineries change, there must be an accompanying change in refinery technology. This means a movement from conventional means of refining heavy feedstocks using (typically) coking technologies to more innovative processes that will coax the last drips of liquid fuels from the feedstock. This book presents the evolution of refinery processes during the last century and as well as the means by which refinery processes will evolve during the next three-to-five decades. Chapters contain material relevant to (1) comparisons of current feedstocks with heavy oil and bio-feedstocks; (2) evolution of refineries since the 1950s, (3) properties and refinability of heavy oil and bio-feedstocks, (4) thermal processes vs. hydroprocesses, and (5) evolution of products to match the environmental market. Process innovations that have influenced refinery processing over the past three decades are presented, as well as the relevant patents that have the potential for incorporation into future refineries.• Comparison of current feedstocks with heavy oil and bio-feedstocks. • Evolution of refineries over the past three decades. • Properties and refinability of heavy oil and bio-feedstocks. • Thermal processes vs. Hydroprocesses. • Evolution of products to match the environmental market. - Investigates the engineering and plant design challenges presented by heavy oil and bio-feedstocks - Explores the legislatory and regulatory climate, including increasingly stringent environmental requirements - Examines the trade-offs of thermal processes vs. hydroprocesses

The Future of Oil and Fiscal Sustainability in the GCC Region

The Future of Oil and Fiscal Sustainability in the GCC Region
Author: Mr.Tokhir N Mirzoev
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 55
Release: 2020-02-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1513525905

The oil market is undergoing fundamental change. New technologies are increasing the supply of oil from old and new sources, while rising concerns over the environment are seeing the world gradually moving away from oil. This spells a significant challenge for oil-exporting countries, including those of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) who account for a fifth of the world’s oil production. The GCC countries have recognized the need to reduce their reliance on oil and are all implementing reforms to diversify their economies as well as fiscal and external revenues. Nevertheless, as global oil demand is expected to peak in the next two decades, the associated fiscal imperative could be both larger and more urgent than implied by the GCC countries’ existing plans.

Oil Prices and the Global Economy

Oil Prices and the Global Economy
Author: Mr.Rabah Arezki
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 30
Release: 2017-01-27
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1475572360

This paper presents a simple macroeconomic model of the oil market. The model incorporates features of oil supply such as depletion, endogenous oil exploration and extraction, as well as features of oil demand such as the secular increase in demand from emerging-market economies, usage efficiency, and endogenous demand responses. The model provides, inter alia, a useful analytical framework to explore the effects of: a change in world GDP growth; a change in the efficiency of oil usage; and a change in the supply of oil. Notwithstanding that shale oil production today is more responsive to prices than conventional oil, our analysis suggests that an era of prolonged low oil prices is likely to be followed by a period where oil prices overshoot their long-term upward trend.

The Future of Energy

The Future of Energy
Author: Brian F. Towler
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 389
Release: 2014-05-31
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0128010657

Using the principle that extracting energy from the environment always involves some type of impact on the environment, The Future of Energy discusses the sources, technologies, and tradeoffs involved in meeting the world's energy needs. A historical, scientific, and technical background set the stage for discussions on a wide range of energy sources, including conventional fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, as well as emerging renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and biofuels. Readers will learn that there are no truly "green" energy sources—all energy usage involves some tradeoffs—and will understand these tradeoffs and other issues involved in using each energy source. - Each potential energy source includes discussions of tradeoffs in economics, environmental, and policy implications - Examples and cases of implementing each technology are included throughout the book - Technical discussions are supported with equations, graphs, and tables - Includes discussions of carbon capture and sequestration as emerging technologies to manage carbon dioxide emissions

Crude Oil

Crude Oil
Author: Jim Wells
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 82
Release: 2007-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781422315767

The U.S. economy depends heavily on oil, particularly in the transportation sector. World oil production has been running at near capacity to meet demand, pushing prices upward. Concerns about meeting increasing demand with finite resources have renewed interest in an old question: How long can the oil supply expand before reaching a maximum level of production -- a peak -- from which it can only decline? The author: (1) examined when oil production could peak; (2) assessed the potential for transportation technologies to mitigate the consequences of a peak in oil production; & (3) examined fed. agency efforts that could reduce uncertainty about the timing of a peak or mitigate the consequences. Includes recommendations. Charts & tables.

Global Implications of Lower Oil Prices

Global Implications of Lower Oil Prices
Author: Mr.Aasim M. Husain
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 41
Release: 2015-07-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 151357227X

The sharp drop in oil prices is one of the most important global economic developments over the past year. The SDN finds that (i) supply factors have played a somewhat larger role than demand factors in driving the oil price drop, (ii) a substantial part of the price decline is expected to persist into the medium term, although there is large uncertainty, (iii) lower oil prices will support global growth, (iv) the sharp oil price drop could still trigger financial strains, and (v) policy responses should depend on the terms-of-trade impact, fiscal and external vulnerabilities, and domestic cyclical position.