On US Energy information administration (eia) website, it provides the date of US petroleum supply from 1956 to early 2014. From this data, the US ending stocks of crude oil and petroleum products has a trend of increasing during these decades. During 1950’s to 1980’s, the ending stocks increase rapidly. From 1990’s to 2003, it has a few down times and up times. From 2003 to now, it has two large increasing time periods. However, during the most recent a few months, the ending stocks decreased compare to that in early 2013. If looking at US product supply of crude oil and petroleum products, the product supply increase steady from 1981 to 2008. Then it is a down curve from 2008 to 2013. It may due to the recession in 2008, but the products supply increase in early 2014. The average US product supply of crude oil and petroleum product is 18,541 thousand barrels per month. Overall, the products supply of US crude oil and products is recovering from the recession. The trend of ending stocks and product supply is keeping increasing.
Refer to lesson 1 slides, US expects to switch from an importer to an exporter during these decades. If looking at the US imports of crude oil and petroleum products, the amounts of imports is in an increasing trend from 1981 to 2006. In 2006, it reached a peak of amounts of imports. US imported 5,003,082 thousand barrels in 2006. On the other hand, the US exports of crude oil and petroleum products are always in an increasing trend from 1981 to 2014. In 1981, US exported 217,024 thousand barrels. In 2013, US exported about 1,311,830 thousand barrels. The amount of exports of crude oil and petroleum products is about six times as many as that in 1981. The imports of crude oil and petroleum products are decreasing while the exports of crude oil and petroleum products are increasing. Also with an increasing US ending stocks and product supplied of crude oil and petroleum products, US actually is switching from an importer to an exporter right now. In the future, as the technology of refining and producing of petroleum, US will be an exporter of crude oil and petroleum products sooner than later.
As the supply and demand of petroleum increase in the future, environment issues occur during refining process. Like the lesson one slide stated, there are three types of pollution produced during the refining process. As air pollution, CO, PM, NO, SO and H2S are produced during refining process. The more effective gas collect process is necessary for refining process. As water pollution, it affects both ground water and surface water. The polluted water comes from various process of refining such as cracking, desalting, and cooling. This kind of water should go through some process to be cleaned before release. As solid pollution, it is probably less harmful compare to air pollution. The solid waste could be recycled by several processes and could be cleaned up by bacteria which eat these by-products. In order to help environment issue from refining process, help from government and understanding from community are needed. There are many acts and policies help to regular the pollution from refining process. As refining technologies improving in the future, there will be less pollution during process but more efficient petroleum products.
References
1. Summary of Environment and Social Impacts for Activates Associated with Petroleum Refining and the Storage of Petroleum Products
Click to access Impact_Summary_Petroleum_Refineries_and_Storage.pdf
2. Supply and disposition of crude oil and petroleum products, US Energy information administration
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_sum_snd_d_nus_mbbl_m_cur.htm
3. Speight, J. G. (2005). Environmental analysis and technology for the refining industry. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-Interscience.