Maley's Energy Blog

Energy question could make Star Trek warp drive possible

“NASA scientists are working on a way to power a spacecraft to distant solar systems with the use of warp drive, a fictional faster-than-light propulsion system that became popular due to the Star Trek series.

“So far the biggest hang up has been powering the high-tech propulsion system. Physicists previously dismissed the idea of speed-of-light travel, because the power source would be impractical or too expensive.

“Scientists say they might have found loop holes that prove warp drive is possible without breaking the principles of physics.

“Under the theory, a propulsion system could use so-called warp bubbles to compress the space ahead and expand the space behind it, according to Discovery News. If it worked, the spacecraft could be moved without actually moving.”

http://www.pennenergy.com/index/petroleum/display/6693241510/articles/pennenergy/petroleum/exploration/2012/september/bakken-tops_600_000.html?cmpid=EnlDailyPetroSeptember182012

“The Bakken has been the single most important unconventional oil play in the U.S. in recent years, as output from the shale deposit has sent North Dakota skyrocketing into second-place among the oil-producing states in the country.

“In July, production from the shale play alone topped 600,000 barrels per day, reaching an all-time peak of 609,580 barrels per day. …

‘”It’s amazing how quickly production has grown, and it’s still in its early stages,” said Christian O’Neill, a Bloomberg Industries senior analyst for oil and gas. “Completion techniques are improving, and the time to drill wells is getting shorter and shorter. This is the beginning of an oil renaissance in North America.'”

http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/09/17/s-dakota-mining-schools-new-grads-beat-harvards-for-pay/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

“Harvard University’s graduates are earning less than those from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology after a decade-long commodity bull market created shortages of workers as well as minerals.

“Those leaving the college of 2,300 students this year got paid a median salary of $56,700, according to PayScale Inc., which tracks employee compensation data from surveys. At Harvard, where tuition fees are almost four times higher, they got $54,100. Those scheduled to leave the campus in Rapid City, S.D., in May are already getting offers, at a time when about one in 10 recent U.S. college graduates is out of work.

“ ‘It doesn’t seem to be too hard to get a job in mining,” said Jaymie Trask, a 22-year-old chemical engineering major who was offered a post paying more than $60,000 a year at Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. “If you work hard in school for four or five years, you’re pretty much set.'”

Fighter jets shown at DNC were Turkish, not American | The Daily Caller

“The Democratic National Committee has already apologized for using a photo of four Soviet-era Russian warships in a giant stage backdrop intended to illustrate the party’s support for military personnel and veterans.

“That huge image, visible in the Time Warner Cable Arena during speeches by Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and retired Admiral John B. Nathman, also depicted a synchronized formation of jet aircraft that convention-goers assumed were American fighter planes.

“But the F-5 fighter planes in the photo are part of the air force of Turkey, a nation whose government is now jailing journalists and establishing Islam as a state religion.”

H/T @iowahawkblog

White House could have ‘defensible pretext’ to tap SPR soon: analysts

“A drawdown of the US emergency oil stockpile is looking increasingly likely as economic and political pressures converge to enable the Obama administration to justify a release, analysts said Friday.

“But if the White House does decide to proceed with a sale from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, volumes are unlikely to be anywhere near the 180 million barrels suggested in some media reports, they added.

" ‘The Obama administration can cite a number of reasons to go forward with an SPR release, which is why we conclude that action on this front is likely,’Washington-based PFC Energy said.

“Gasoline prices of close to $4/gal in some US cities within three months of the November presidential election provides motivation for a release, although this might be difficult to justify to a cynical public, PFC said.

" ‘As a fig leaf, the president could cite the near 1.5 million b/d of disruptions to global crude oil production this year,’ PFC said. ‘He could also point to the geographical mismatch between America’s rising crude producing regions and those where refined products are needed, citing the need for the government to temporarily bridge the gap.’ “

Brazil Supreme Court upholds injunction against Chevron, Transocean

“RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower-court injunction barring oil major Chevron and drilling rig operator Transocean from operating in the country, denying a request by local regulators to lift the ban.

“Brazil’s National Petroleum Agency, or ANP, appealed the ban because it believes enforcing the injunction and immediately halting the two companies’ operations could cause serious safety problems and great economic harm, according to the ruling.

“The decision returns Chevron and Transocean’s broader appeal of the ban to a regional court in Rio de Janeiro, where the case is ongoing. A Brazilian court banned the two companies from operating in the country in late July because of their roles in an offshore oil spill last year. …

“The ANP had sanctioned Chevron and said it would fine the company for any wrongdoing relating to the spill, but has cleared Transocean. Despite the incident, ANP officials have said they would meet with Chevron to discuss restarting output at the Frade field, which the company voluntarily shuttered in March.

“Mr. Newman said Wednesday the court hasn’t yet served the company with the injunction and that all of Transocean’s rigs in Brazil are still under contract and generating revenue–the company has 10 rigs in Brazil. …

“But that [temporary suspension of work] scenario still "doesn’t look pretty" for Transocean, which earns about 11% of its revenue in Brazil and would continue to incur costs keeping its rigs ready to work at a moment’s notice, Mr. Newman said. Transocean had $2.575 billion in revenue in the second quarter.”

This punishment of Chevron and Transocean stems from a post-Macondo spill incident involving a spill of some 3,000 barrels of oil from a well operated by Chevron. Transocean is the owner of the rig that was servicing the well at the time.