Oil and gas are important to every aspect of our economy, yet the oil and gas industry is distinguished by its combination of increasing demands and decreasing discovery volumes--and it is an industry shrouded in an environment of extremely volatile pricing. Although the profits enjoyed by the oil and gas industry are enormous, the industry remains one of the most capital-intensive in a world where rising expenses continue to threaten to squeeze profit margins. Geopolitics may continue to be the most important variable in maintaining existing assets and in successfully achieving new discoveries and carrying out their subsequent development. But finding new oil and gas reserves is becoming more challenging and the places where hydrocarbons are being found are more remote. Thus technology advances are also a key variable to enable exploration, drilling and development to become economically feasible in some of these more difficult operating environments. For the last century oil and gas additions have exceeded demand but has this industry now reached a "peak oil" situation? Some experts argue we are on the cusp of maximum oil production while others suggest we are still about a decade away. Natural gas demand however, is rising at a slightly faster rate than oil. Natural gas may be the immediate replacement fuel for oil as a source of clean and efficient electric power generation. Three out of the top ten Fortune 500 companies were oil/gas companies in 2011. This short introduction to the oil and gas industry will focus on history, operations, major companies, outside market forces, regulation and the current challenges the industry faces. Such factors as finite natural resources, the environment, economics, geopolitics, and technology will all come into play in the narrative. The book will demonstrate how the leaders of this industry, former champions of progress, are now coming under scrutiny and being depicted as the biggest culprits of environmental degradation. Yet the industry is likely to continue to grow until some form of alternate fuels is developed. The oil and gas industry will continue to have an enormous impact on life on the planet.

We know that the people of Mesopotamia were using crude oil as a tar for building ships and houses as early as 3000 BC, so it is not by any means a new industry-but it is a volatile one. Oil and gas are important to every aspect of our economy yet this industry is distinguished by its combination of increasing demands and decreasing discovery volumes-and it is an industry shrouded in an environment of extremely volatile pricing. This book is a vital introduction to the oil and gas industry that focuses on history, operations, major companies, outside market forces, regulation, and the current challenges the industry faces. Such factors as finite natural resources, the environment, economics, geopolitics, and technology are also analyzed in detail. The focus on oil and gas is likely to continue to grow until efficient, environmentally safe alternate fuels become available. And because it's woven with complex relationships that are ever changing, this book is the best tool to have for a better understanding of this industry.

Trends in Oil and Gas Corrosion Research and Technologies: Production and Transmission delivers the most up-to-date and highly multidisciplinary reference available to identify emerging developments, fundamental mechanisms and the technologies necessary in one unified source. Starting with a brief explanation on corrosion management that also addresses today's most challenging issues for oil and gas production and transmission operations, the book dives into the latest advances in microbiology-influenced corrosion and other corrosion threats, such as stress corrosion cracking and hydrogen damage just to name a few. In addition, it covers testing and monitoring techniques, such as molecular microbiology and online monitoring for surface and subsurface facilities, mitigation tools, including coatings, nano-packaged biocides, modeling and prediction, cathodic protection and new steels and non-metallics. Rounding out with an extensive glossary and list of abbreviations, the book equips upstream and midstream corrosion professionals in the oil and gas industry with the most advanced collection of topics and solutions to responsibly help solve today's oil and gas corrosion challenges. - Covers the latest in corrosion mitigation techniques, such as corrosion inhibitors, biocides, non-metallics, coatings, and modeling and prediction - Solves knowledge gaps with the most current technology and discoveries on specific corrosion mechanisms, highlighting where future research and industry efforts should be concentrated - Achieves practical and balanced understanding with a full spectrum of subjects presented from multiple academic and world-renowned contributors in the industry

The history of the European oil and gas industry reflects local as well as global political events, economic constraints and the personal endeavours of individual petroleum geoscientists as much as it does the development of technologies and the underlying geology of the region. The first commercial oil wells in Europe were drilled in Poland in 1853, Romania in 1857, Germany in 1859 and Italy in 1860. The 23 papers in this volume focus on the history and heritage of the oil and gas industry in the key European oil-producing countries from the earliest onshore drilling to its development into the modern industry that we know today. The contributors chronicle the main events and some of the major players that shaped the industry in Europe. The volume also marks several important anniversaries, including 150 years of oil exploration in Poland and Romania, the centenary of the drilling of the first oil well in the UK and 50 years of oil production from onshore Spain.

Applied Operational Excellence for the Oil, Gas, and Process Industries offers a straightforward practical guide for oil and gas companies to understand the comparisons and contrasts between various types of safety management processes, including the standardized structure and ongoing extended benefits that operational excellence can bring to an oil and gas company. The goal of achieving operational excellence is to reduce costs, improve productivity, and enhance efficiency—in other words, operational excellence contributes to the bottom line. Following along with pre-built success in the process industries, many companies in the oil and gas industry appear to use a subset form of operational excellence, yet many are unsure or unaware of all the safety system components that will truly benefit the company holistically, and current literature is only applicable to the process and manufacturing industries. Packed with clear objectives and tools, structure guidelines specific to oil and gas, and guidance for how to imbed your existing safety program under the operational excellence umbrella known as "One-Step Merger," this book will help you establish an overall safety culture vision and challenge your organization to achieve higher levels of safety management and overall company value. - Explores how to solidify a foundational operational excellence program applicable for your oil and gas company - Clarifies the differences and benefits among various programs under operational excellence (OE), such as SHE (safety, health, and environment), PSM (process safety management), and SMS (safety management system) - Explains how to audit and consistently assess how oil and gas OE systems are planned, implemented, and managed, with explanations on cost and time impacts as well as administrative protocols - Includes a glossary, acronym appendix, and additional references for further reading

Taking the case of the Norwegian petroleum industry as its vantage point, the book discusses the question of industrial transformations in resource-based industries. The book presents new, empirically-based analyses of the development of the petroleum industry, with an emphasis on three ongoing transformation processes: Technological upgrading and innovation in upstream petroleum. Globalisation of the petroleum industry and suppliers’ experiences of entering foreign markets. Diversification into and out of petroleum – and the potential for new growth paths after oil. Drawing together a range of key thinkers in this field, this volume addresses the ways in which the petroleum industry and its supply industry has changed since the turn of the millennium. It provides recommendations for the development of resource economies in general and petroleum economies in particular. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy policy and economics, natural resource management, innovation studies and the politics of the oil and gas sector.