"Bruce in Bangkok" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 27 May 2009 19:19:56 -0700, "T.Alan Kraus"
wrote:

Oil is constantly being produced. Do you really think that all the oil
that has been used since 1900 was the result of decaying dinosaurs and
prehistoric forests? Even if you add prehistoric sea life the biomass
does not add up. Also how does one explain oil pockets under oil fields
that have been used up replenishing after laying fallow for a period of
years?


I think if you talk to a Reservoir Engineer he will tell you that what
happened is that a high rate of production exhausted the oil that was
local to the well. When the well/field was closed in it allowed time
for oil outside the production area to migrate to the well location.

Many fields use secondary production techniques to overcome this
problem. Water injection to raise formation pressure, steam injection
to reduce viscosity, etc.

Although some geologists favor the "abiogenic petroleum origin
hypothesis which argues that hydrocarbons of purely inorganic origin
exist. The theory seems to be accepted by some Russian geologists but
I'm doubtful if it is popular in the West.



Cheers,

Bruce in Bangkok
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)

There is also another process called Fire Flood as a final recovery system.
Air is pumped down a central well and the oil is ignited underground. This
increases formation pressure and the increased temperature lowers the
viscosity of the oil ahead of the "flame front" which allows a much greater
recovery from the formation. The thick char which cannot be liquified
remains behind and is burned as fuel. I know of one location in Canada where
this process is still continuing after 30 years.