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Analyses of Materials and Energy Flows

Careful analyses regarding budgets and cycles is required in every industry from agriculture to energy, without these reports that show how cycles work society would guess on future momentum and economies would collapse with every catastrophe that strikes. Gas and oil are an industry that has been key in our evolution from a manual and animal labor society to one that relies on mass production through automation. This industrialization has been the cornerstone of modern society and the foundation of that industry has been careful understanding of materials resources, uses in production and what is left after in the form of reservoirs.

Budgets and Cycles Affect Material Flow Analysis

A materials analyses within an industry is completed through estimating the flows and reservoirs while determining the use of the material, this role is crucial in understanding current sources and future availability. For an industry like oil and gas this becomes incredibly complex due to the various sources being sought, with gasoline a basic source is crude oil so a material analyses of this industry is all inclusive when beginning with crude oil as a resource flow. The reservoirs of refined gasoline are separate from other materials produced from crude oil like motor oil or petrochemical feedstocks, this helps the industry understand current use and proper delegation to each different refinery. Crude oil looked at through a basic role of budgets and cycles helps us break down the complexity of an industry that spans the globe and affects almost every aspect of our modern life. Knowing that the macro picture shows what we have to work with as a base for flows and what we have to work with after production that is saved helps us create a sustainable plan for use. With crude oil understanding the cycle that we are on is particularly crucial because we have already passed the peak of material flows, we are looking at a future of reservoir depletion and this has created a need to shift away from this natural resource. (Biscardi, 2018)

Budgets and cycles help us understand why change is needed and where it can be accomplished, with an expansive industry based on a dwindling supply of crude oil change is necessary and these material analyses provide the reality we need to face for global environmental health and economic stability.

Relationship Between Energy and Industrial Ecology

According to Lifset et al., 2019, industrial ecology involves study of industrial processes with an aim of coming up with creative mechanisms to reduce the negative environmental impact which is caused by use of certain energy sources especially fossil fuels. Industries require energy to be able to run their processes like heating of raw materials and therefore it is important to determine the overall environmental impact of the fuels used (Kennedy et al 2015). One major aim of industrial ecology is to ensure that the amount of resources used in industries as fuel reduce as well as find a way of using wastes that arise from the use of such fuels or from various industrial processes.

The solutions that industrial ecology offers to industries are aimed at ensuring that the process design takes care of avenues for ensuring that there is an efficient process. According to Kennedy et al 2015, efficient industrial processes apply economical use of resources including energy resources. Fuel types originating from fossil fuels like coal and petroleum usually have a huge impact on the environment due to emission of greenhouse gases (Kennedy et al 2015). The need for energy in factories and the need for a better and clean environment constitute the greatest decision that industrial ecologists have to make. Industrial ecology experts also need assess the possibility of coming up with more innovative ways of reducing energy consumption from primary sources as well as come up with innovative ways of converting various waste materials into useful materials (Lifset et al., 2019). Energy Is the driving force of any industry and establishing alternatives to normal fuel sources could go a long way in making sure that the environment remains clean and safe even for posterity.

Water’s Effect on Oil and Gas

As we all know our society is heavily reliant on oil and gas to fill our many needs as a non-renewable energy source. Oil and gas industries consumes and produces water, as it is used for drilling and hydraulic fracturing more commonly known as “fracking”. Water can also be used in the refining and processing of oil and gas. Some large quantities of water can be found in massive rocks that contain oil and gas deposits. The amount and value of water consumed, exposed or recycled differs immensely contingent on local geology, economic restraints and guidelines with major consequences for the environmental effects of oil and gas production.

Local oil and gas companies source water from groundwater wells, rivers or lakes that are either natural or man-made. This also depends highly on drought conditions, as the preferred option of water source is to re-use your water or from alternative water sources. Water can then be transported with trucks to be used from the drilling process and any other needs the industry would need for the oil and gas process.

Oil and Gas Effect on Urban Ecology

Our world currently heavily relies on what Oil and Gas produce, Energy. However, this does not come without a cost, from the original fracking to produce oil and gas to the transportation and use of the finished product “fossil fuels” most urban areas are affected by this industry whether they know it or not. “Waste water from oil drilling contains cadmium, arsenic, lead, mercury, zinc and copper which accumulate over time in living things. The metal pipelines can burst when corrosion weakens them, which contaminates any land and surrounding water” ("Reference.com", 2019). Effects of an oil spill on the environment depend on the type of oil. Oil that is used in the form of fuel like gas often evaporate quickly but can remain toxic, some other types of oils are thicker and heavier which can be seen as black and sticky usually remain in the environment for many months and years after they are used. These affects do more than just contribute to the greenhouse effect we all know about, they begin to consume entire ecosystems and the ecology of many areas including even urban areas. With the oil and gas industry booming many urban areas are suffering from an affected water cycle, due to air particulates being picked up along the water cycle way and turning waterways and even rain into a toxic occurrence. When the water cycle is affected the ecology of acres at a time inhibit challenges from increased animal mortality to plants and crops being wiped out which in turn affect the urban populations who rely on these things to live.

Specific Applications of Models for Oil and Gas

Modeling when used in industrial ecology has the purpose of a representation or description to show the structure or operation of an object or system. With gas and oil we see modeling in different forms depending on how we are using the model and even then will miss somethings. Looking from the start to the finish of a product like gas and oil we can show how overall they effect the environment as a whole from the time it is being removed from the ground and that would be the top as the biggest issue because in each different way it is used effects the environment in some way. Each level shows what we want to know, or the question asked for example ours would most likely be how oil and gas effect the world from environment to human health. There is so much we can focus on with a model but looking at the whole environment as a first step would show how the process changes the environment when they pull it from the ground to when it is released back into the environment with different chemical make ups that effect not only our environment but us as well. We could include how it is used in energy sources like cars, trucks and other energy uses and how they fall down the line. Looking at any model of how oil and gas operate in our would show us the basic issues and usages with each. It would also tell us that not everything would be included in these models. They are not all covering and always right. They can show us generally what happens but not everything will be included.

Conclusion

So what do we gain from understanding the macro picture of variables regarding the oil and gas industry? It is clear the environmental cost regarding energy supply far outweighs the benefits when we now have alternative means available for energy supply. By analyzing energy materials flow and resevoirs we can anticipate any gluts and crunches regarding this vast industry and continue to stabilize global energy supplies. We now face times where gas and oil can be obtained through even more damaging processes like fracking or we can choose to embrace alternative means. Through careful materials analyses reality shows we need to move away from carbon fuels like oil and gas and maintain pursuit of alternative energy sources like wind solar tidal and geothermal. (Biscardi, 2018)

References Biscardi, G. M. (2018). Oil and Gas Trends 2018-2019. https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/trend/2018-oil-gas: Strategy&.

Lifset, R., Bruel, A., Kronenberg, J., Troussier, N., Guillaume, B., Kjaer, L. L., ... & Lüdeke-Freund, F. (2019). Industrial Ecology. The Official Journal of the International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE), 23(1).

Kennedy, C. A., Stewart, I., Facchini, A., Cersosimo, I., Mele, R., Chen, B., ... & Dubeux, C. (2015). Energy and material flows of megacities. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(19), 5985-5990.

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