Earthsky

Craig Cooper on energy/water tradeoffs in oil extraction

February 25, 2009 - Energy

A rocky substance called oil shale is abundant in western North America. Experts say they can extract usable oil from this shale, but geologist Craig Cooper speaks of trade-offs in the extraction process.

Craig Cooper: It’d take a lot of water – about 5% percent of the total water in the upper Colorado basin – to replace just 10% of our total oil imports with oil harvested from these oil shales using old technologies.

Cooper works for Idaho National Labs, which conducts energy research. He worries about the water needed by wildlife and humans in the Colorado basin.

Craig Cooper: There’s a large question as to whether or not in this basin there’s enough water to meet existing claims, much less new claims that may come on line from oil shale.

Cooper spoke of making the oil extraction process less water-intensive by using recycled water.

Craig Cooper: In the west, we have a lot of natural gas wells that produce waste water that has to be treated and disposed of. Why not use this unconventional water for the unconventional oil in oil shale?

Scientists hope to change existing water laws that make it difficult to use this recycled water.

Join EarthSky in celebrating The International Year of Planet Earth. Thanks to the National Science Foundation and US Geological Survey.

>Our thanks to Craig Cooper.
Craig Cooper is a scientist at Idaho National Laboratory. He has over 10 years experience investigating how energy systems impact environmental processes and says his work focuses on how to improve human stewardship of energy and environmental systems.

Written by earthsky

  • Hank

    drsteemer,



    Oil Shale contains bituminous solids called kerogens that are released as petroleum-like liquids when the rock is heated to sufficient temperatures (somewhere around 600 to 700 F). Large volumes of water are required to heat the shale in a process called retorting.



    One of the more promising processes for extracting oil is the EGL In Situ Retorting process. It involves pumping super heated steam into a closed loop of vertical and horizontal well pipes strategically placed in the oil shale formation. Because it is a closed loop, no fluids are pumped into the formation. After a period of one to four years, the oil shale formation is heated to a sufficient temperature to liquefy and release the oil, where it pools in collection wells to be pumped to the surface. Shale gas, which is similar to natural gas, is also produced in the process.

  • I just don t understand why they need water to extract oil. Can someone explain to me how to proceed?

  • Lynn Avedisian

    I cannot tell you how irate I was when I heard the podcast this morning about using “tainted” water to extract oil from shale… WHAT EXACTLY WILL IT TAKE FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO THEIR SENSES???!!!

    It is so easy to miss the point when greed is the only vision that this industry has. GIVE IT UP.

    Why on earth would we use tainted water which will be absorbed into the earth in order to prop up an industry that is on its way out??? GET WITH THE PROGRAM. I have serious suspicions with this organization (EARTH <span class="caps">SKY.org) who is funded by Monsanto ANYWAY, and now I am convinced that my suspicions are well founded.

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