Oil: It’s Benefits and Downfalls :: Oil Movie Film Essays

Oil Its Benefits and Downfalls Our country utilizes an average of 700 million gallons of fossil oil per day (NOAA, 2002). We are a country heavily dependent on oil. The film, which is about the important resource of oil, begins at Midway Sunset, the largest oil producing field in California. It is also the largest oil-producing field in the continental United States. In November of 1909, Midway Sunset had great success with the Midway Gusher. This gusher poured out 2000 barrels of oil a day, which was an astounding amount in 1909 (San Joaquin Geological Society, 2000). The film begins with Midway Sunset and its use of seismology, the science of earthquakes, and the drilling of oil wells. Also, the film talked about steam injection, a form of secondary recovery for oil. This method is used to pump oil that is difficult to extract. Steam injection works by the injection of steam into a reservoir to decrease oil viscosity, or thickness. This method, workin g at a high heat, allows the oil to be pumped more easily. The transportation of oil is a tricky process. The oil must be transported without any leakage into the contact area. The oil may be transported to global markets (by ship) or local markets, but each way, it is a difficult process. The oil is carried in large cargoes, which is good economically, but not environmentally. Undesirable results such as volatile emissions may leak into the atmosphere, causing pollution. (Lecture 2/22/02) However, one way, that the film stated, to decrease pollution is to convert to natural gases. Other problems with transportation are oil spills. Oil spills occur when tankers, barges, pipelines, refineries, and terminal facilities leak oil into the environment. Spills can be as large as 11 million gallons, the number spilled in the Exxon-Valdez spill (NOAA, 2002). Oil spills damage the surrounding human, animal, and plant life, which is why it is a pressing probl em. Different kinds of tankers can attribute to pollution.