Ever wonder how much oil we use per second?

[GreenPlease]

I did a presentation on this when I was in college (breaking our energy consumption down into visuals that people could relate to). Link to the treehugger article:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010...cond-video.php

We use (globally) about 40,000 gallons per second which is, coincidentally, about the average flow of Jog Falls in India (video below)
40,000/42=953 barrels per second
953x60=57,180 barrels per minute
57,180x60=3,430,800 barrels per hour
3,430,800x24=82,339,200 barrels per day

I should note that the video is taken during the rainy season during which the flow is above average so it's a little misleading.

I recall doing a calculation that showed that the City of Chicago Proper used about 2.5 Soldier Fields a day of coal (actual coal consumption, I adjusted for the regional generation mix of coal, nuclear, and natural gas).

Interesting stuff. Really puts things in perspective.

[GreenPlease]

Whoa! 54 views and not a single comment?

[Blake]

i bathe in crude oil and let it drain into all the rivers, streams, and estuaries around here

[radix]

Originally Posted by Blake

i bathe in crude oil and let it drain into all the rivers, streams, and estuaries around here

that's not very refined.

[Blake]

Originally Posted by radix

that's not very refined.

i love me some sweet crude

[335e92tx]

Actually, I would be more interested in the rate it is increasing.
It is something I am conscious of and in fact, my current car uses less than my previous.

[MrRoboto]

Wait 10 years when China's demand for oil outpaces USA. We will be in big trouble then.

[ghosthi32]

i love oil.

[jopa489]

Cool stats.

What's even funnier is the fact that we're trying to find alternate means of fuel such as biofuel which is reducing the already limited food supply in this world. Great, end the dependence on fossil fuels by sacrificing food and increasing hunger

[MrRoboto]

More perspective on this...BP makes a monthly PROFIT of 2 billion dollars.

[GreenPlease]

Wait 10 years when China's demand for oil outpaces USA. We will be in big trouble then.

don't know we'll have to wait 10 years though, that might be the case in 5-6 years...

What's even funnier is the fact that we're trying to find alternate means of fuel such as biofuel which is reducing the already limited food supply in this world. Great, end the dependence on fossil fuels by sacrificing food and increasing hunger

and chances are we're actually wasting more fuel in the process. The EROEI (energy return on energy invested) of corn ethanol hovers right around 1. If you think about it, you have to expend diesel fuel to plant the corn, natural gas to produce the fertilizer, more diesel fuel to spread the fertilizer, diesel fuel to run the irrigation pumps (most pumps are not connected to the grid), diesel fuel to harvest the corn, diesel fuel to transport the corn to get distilled into ethanol, natural gas to heat the vats to distill the ethanol, and then expend more diesel fuel still to get the ethanol to an oil refinery where it can be blended. In many cases, all of the energy that goes into making the corn ethanol is greater than the energy embodied in the ethanol itself. And politicians think its a good idea. What a clusterfuck. Don't even get me started on so called "second generation" biofuels. They've been the next big thing since the 20s. Literally.

More perspective on this...BP makes a monthly PROFIT of 2 billion dollars.

That's small fries man. The western oil majors (Exxon, Chevron, BP, Shell, Conoco, Total) combined control less than 10% of the world's conventional oil reserves. They barely get table scraps when they go to other countries btw. Iraq's state owned oil co is giving them something like $5/incremental barrel of production. Saudi Aramco (the big dog in the oil business) offers a measly $1-2/incremental barrel of production.

Saudi Aramco produces ~10mbpd, with a production cost of <$10/barrel, so right now they are bringing in ~$730 million PER DAY in profits. Not bad, eh?

Iraq will be in a similar spot five to six years from now. Their carbonate reservoirs have huge potential.

[335e92tx]

Originally Posted by GreenPlease

and chances are we're actually wasting more fuel in the process. The EROEI (energy return on energy invested) of corn ethanol hovers right around 1. If you think about it, you have to expend diesel fuel to plant the corn, natural gas to produce the fertilizer, more diesel fuel to spread the fertilizer, diesel fuel to run the irrigation pumps (most pumps are not connected to the grid), diesel fuel to harvest the corn, diesel fuel to transport the corn to get distilled into ethanol, natural gas to heat the vats to distill the ethanol, and then expend more diesel fuel still to get the ethanol to an oil refinery where it can be blended. In many cases, all of the energy that goes into making the corn ethanol is greater than the energy embodied in the ethanol itself. And politicians think its a good idea. What a clusterfuck. Don't even get me started on so called "second generation" biofuels. They've been the next big thing since the 20s. Literally.

Yes, but there will certainly be NO way to improve efficiency if we just keep business as usual.

[Maestro]

bio-fuels are not what they claim and it was pointed out it take more energy to make it than you get out of it. I agree more research has to be done, but as it stand right now, oil and coal produce more energy than what it take to produce it and use it.

Never trust an environmentalist to come up with a a good idea on how to solve problems. They were the ones who told everyone to stop using wood products for packaging and stuff because it destroyed forests, they said we should use Styrofoam, yeah that was a great idea. The environmentalist were the ones who put an end to Nuclear energy, which it the most efficient energy source we have. They said burn more coal, now they want windmills all over the place. Boy our landscape is going to look good with all those windmills all over the place.

[335e92tx]

Originally Posted by Maestro

The environmentalist were the ones who put an end to Nuclear energy, which it the most efficient energy source we have.

As long as we don't factor in what is needed for disposal.

[E90SLAM]

Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil is my sugar daddy now....

[GreenPlease]

The environmentalist were the ones who put an end to Nuclear energy, which it the most efficient energy source we have.

Eh, that really depends on who does the assessment. The WNA pegs nuclear's EROEI between 10:1 and 59:1. Link: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf11.html
Others have found the EROEI to be as low as 5:1 when disposal costs are included. EROEI chart from the WNA below

[DBFIU]

Ooooooooooiiiiiiiiillllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kiemyster]

Its just a reality of life at this moment in time. it will change soon enough, but it will take a long ass time.

Have faith, we as human beings will reach there. (assuming we dont self destruct first)

[ideliver]

It used to seem that my E46 M3 (S54) used more oil than gasoline...that bitch ate oil like a fat kid eats cake

[Verbiage]

I cook with oil.

[Dan in PA]

Originally Posted by Bavarian III

I cook with oil.

Pssh. Real men cook with gas.