Reviews (7)

A Good Introduction to the Topic of Petroleum Refining
My boss at work gave me this book in an effort to get me up to speed on the industries we monitor.Having absolutely no background in oil and natural gas (beyond some general remarks dropped here and there in my undergraduate engineering curriculum), I found the text to be very informative, albeit in a non-technical way.Potential readers of this text should note that the information is highly focused- the author only covers refining of petroleum, and not other topics of interest, such as oil field exploration and development or petrochemicals manufacturing.
Overrated
Recommended this to students but they found too much bad information. Maybe nontechnical means not worried about details being correct.

Great book for a novice
I needed a quick read and overview of the basics of refining.This book was both easy to read and comphrehensive for the non-energy professional.If you want to learn about refining, this is a great place to start. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Petroleum    3. Petroleum Refining    4. Refining    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Petroleum technology   

Reviews (149)

Everything Wrong with the Radical Right
This is an excellent book that deeply explores the history and politics of America's oil addiction, and how it is enslaving the U.S. to foreign countries. If you care about American democracy and America's independence, you will read this book.
Pretty good, but....
I agreed with much of this book.thought by the Title it would primarily be about the dangers of religion in politics. However, it seems the author thinks "radical secularism" is almost as bad as fundamentalism. It does paint a bleak picture of the future of America. Another problem was it was a bit boring at some points. Finally, a critique I have of quite a few books I have read recently. Authors, PLEASE stop using endnotes! They are very difficult to look up! Either (perferably) use footnotes (at the bottom of the page) or put notes at the end of each chapter.

A Missed Opportunity
Kevin Phillips picked a worthy set of topics but unfortunately, his diagnosis misses the boat.He tries to suggest that oil dependence, (Christian) religious fundamentalism and what he calls the "financialization" of the American economy hold great peril for the United States.He is right that the nation faces peril, but his preference to engage in feel good populism rather than truly identify policies and attitudes that put the nation at risk weakens his message.
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Subjects:  1. Christianity and politics    2. Conservatism    3. Government - National    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. International Relations - General    6. Petroleum    7. Petroleum industry and trade    8. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    9. Political Science    10. Political aspects    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Religion And Politics    14. United States    15. Political Science / Government / National   

Reviews (9)

Nontechnical Guide to Petroleum Geology, Exploration, Drilling and Production (2nd Edition)
I am a new Environmental Planner to the oil and gas industry, this book has been an integral part of my learning process. Easy to read and quite thorough- I am very satisfied and haven't found the need for another book.

Easy as pie.
The nontechnical guide arrived in the mail in the speedy fashion typical of Amazon.I ripped into the packaging, withdrawing my hardbound book on Petroleum knowledge.I quicklyflew threw the pages of the book, noting how the information was presented.Well organized according to subject, ie Geology, exploration, Drilling and Production,each one of these areas of the oil industry was explained in simple, easy to understand language, and would allow this book to be used as a class room text.There were many pictures, diagrams and drawn out explanations about the subject being explained.The material presented information in a specific area and in a manner that was easy to absorb, find again and use.
Very informative book - a must have for the Petroleum industry
We purchased this book to supplement some internal training for our company. It is the most comprehensive book on the subject that I have found, and we did a lot of research. We will be using it for a pre-requisite to a geology course for all of our new employees.
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Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Engineering - General    3. Geology    4. Petroleum    5. Petroleum engineering    6. Prospecting    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Petroleum geology   

Reviews (9)

Death before being dishonored.
An important and imperative work. Investigative journalisim at its best under trying circumstances. American at its core, in that it gets a tough and dirty job done. Not with the help of government, but despite it.In this Reagan era of privitizaton/trust the market place, we have a choice: trust Bush or the dollar.How could you lose?Thebook opens and closes with Col. Ted Westhusing, the definition of his alma mater, WEST POINT: DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY. Third in his class, plus a doctor of philosophy, and an exemplary record of war/peace service. Yet he met his nemesis: Iraq. For in Iraq he found a war of privitization that had nothing what so ever to do with DUTY, HONOR, or COUNTRY.It was simply about the money, or at best, cronyism.Whether it was murder or suicide, his last communication was in writing and I paraphrase, " I cannot support a mission that leads to corruption, human rights abuse and liars. No more. I cannot support corrupt, money hungry contractors, nor work for commanders only intersested in themselves. I came to serve honorably and I feel dishonored.Why serve when you cannot accomplish the mission, when you no longer believe in the cause, when your every effort and breath is met with lies, lack of support and selfishness.Life needs trust". So what comes around goes around.When a government is "elected" that produces Iraqs and Katrinas then you get the government you deserve.Col. Ted Westhusing desevered better. We, the citizenry could count on him.But in the end, he could not count on us. This book needs to be read and passed on by word of mouth.I wouln't count on the privitized mainstream press.I think there are about a total of four papers left that still have a investigative journalism department.After all, it is all about the bottom line. The Money. Highly recommended!!!!!

Bush and Friends Strike Again!
A free and democratic Iraq was supposed to become an oasis.The U.S. has committed over $30 billion to rebuild Iraq - more than the $2.4 billion (inflation-adjusted) spent on Germany after WWII, and far more than the $2 billion originally planned to rebuild Iraq.In addition, over 500 contractor employees have died trying to make Iraq a better place.Goals were rarely set, and even less often met.Yet, after three years of rebuilding, Iraqis have less power in their homes than under Saddam, oil production is about 20% below pre-Saddam days, outbreaks of easily preventable diseases like hepatitis occur for lack of clean drinking water, and thousands of Iraqis have died in sectarian conflict.
Reader make up their own mind
Blood Money is a dramatic, persuasive and meticulous work. It would be better without the biased innuendos found throughout, such as VP Chaney somehow benefiting through the government contracts with his old company, Haliburton Oil. No proof of this is offered.
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Subjects:  1. Economic Conditions    2. Economic aspects    3. Equipment and supplies    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. International Relations (Specific Aspects)    6. International Relations - General    7. Iraq War, 2003-    8. Military Expenditures    9. Moral and ethical aspects    10. Petroleum    11. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    12. Political Science    13. Politics / Current Events    14. Politics/International Relations    15. United States    16. 21st century    17. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    18. Current Events / General    19. Iraq    20. USA    21. War & defence operations   

Editorial Review

Daniel Yergin's first prize-winning book, Shattered Peace, was a history of the Cold War. Afterwards the young academic star joined the energy project of the Harvard Business School and wrote the best-seller Energy Future. Following on from there, Read more

Reviews (109)

Should be assigned as a text
This is a thoroughly engrossing, still-relevant treatment of the history of oil and its effect on history.Many of the events recounted are familiar from high school and college history courses, but in the typical linear-timeline of such studies, the interconnectedness of oil toward other major historical events is often lost.This book puts all that in perspective, neatly tieing other technological and political events across 150 years to the rise of oil and its use in the internal combustion engine.I strongly agree with an earlier comment on this book, "if you don't know the history of oil, you don't know history."
Very Comprehensive
This book will help understand the current geopolitical landscape and the "great" democracies intervention in the middle east.

Here we go again!
(Hey, this review is supposed to be 5 stars! What's up with the editing?)
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Causes    3. Government - International    4. History    5. History: American    6. Industries - Energy Industries    7. Industries - General    8. International Relations - General    9. Military aspects    10. Modern - 20th Century    11. Petroleum    12. Petroleum Industries (Economic Aspects)    13. Petroleum industry and trade    14. Political Science    15. Political aspects    16. Politics / Current Events    17. Politics/International Relations    18. World War, 1914-1918    19. History / General    20. International economics    21. Petroleum & oil industries    22. Social history    23. USA   

Reviews (1)

do you want to major in this field?
This subject enables much of modern civilisation. From producing fuel for transport, of course. But the entire plastics industry also depends on these refineries. So Gary explains to a reader who hopefully has had some exposure to chemistry, how this comes about.
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Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Engineering - General    3. Petroleum    4. Petroleum Refining    5. Refining    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Petroleum technology    10. Science / Geology   

Reviews (147)

"The End of the World" story has been a best seller for thousands of years...
Another left-wing, hippie idiot who dropped out of any sort of real career in 1975 has to sustain himself by writing this anti-technology dystopic rubbish.I'm sure that he has plenty of ideological fellow travelers in Hollywood with whom he should team up to make another version of "12 Monkeys" or "The Fight Club."This is just left-wing, nihilist, anti-human rubbish motivated by a hatred of humanity and mans' productive capacity.
end to the fossil fuel feast
About a month ago i finished this book, The Long Emergency, but James Howard Kunstler. I had read him before in Home from Nowhere: he is a very articulate voice about sprawl with great recognition of not just its environmental impacts but also its spiritual and community impacts.
hateful agenda posing as economic analysis
With so many serious perspectives available on "peak oil", there is no reason to waste time on this screed, which only uses peak oil as a platform to cast aspersions on everything the author hates.
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Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Meteorology & Climatology    2. Environmental Policy    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Industries - Energy Industries    5. Petroleum    6. Petrology (General)    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Public Policy - Environmental Policy    11. Political Science / Public Policy / Environmental Policy   

Reviews (4)

THEEnergy Book Of Our Times
A while back an old sage once answered an economical question I had with this, "An economy based on WASTE". But he said it with a disgust I never quite understood. UNTIL NOW.And it is in book form, written by a very skilled writer, Edwin Black (eight Pulitzers and two National Book Award Nominations). Researched to an nth'degree, 19 pages of acknowledgements!. Many, many fascinating tidbits such as the word car that started out as horseless carraige to carraige to car for short. Or the red flag laws where a man had to run ahead of the car waving a red flag & blowing a horn to warn all in the cars path. It loaded with interesting stories and facts you've never heard of. The story about GM destroying the mass electric transit/cars in the U.S.- is alone worth the price. Very well written and informative, as in: "A century of lies about internal combustion arising from a millennium of monopolistic misconduct in energy has wounded the world's collective health, fractured a fragile enviroment, and ignighted a deadly petropolitical war that has become nothing less than a cataclysmic clash of civilizations." Or,"Internal combustion kills.Few of us realize that as we drive to non-smoking restaurants, everyone around us is inhaling gases as deadly as that in any cigarette". Or, "The implication was that in the thirties and forties, at a time when GM was undermining American transport and urban mass transit, the bus and auto giant was doing all in its power to enhance Reich transport".Or, "The single most fuel-inefficient undertaking on earth is arguably the heavily armed military convoy escorting oil tanker trucks in Iraq.More petroleum is undoubtedly consumed to protect the delivery than is carried in the tanker itself".Or that 'it takes 1.29 gallons of petroleum or petroleum equivalents to produce one gallon of ethanol'.(The Brazilians use sugar cane in a different process that is self sustaining and is explained in detail.) The author follows mankind from thousands of years ago to now as he continually misuses energy.He goes into the alternative energy sources: ocean thermal, geothermal, wind and solar, nanosolar.He devotes a whole chapter to hydrogen.His depiction of Honda's FCX hydrogen car is very very cool. In conclusion, the author stresses, there needs to be a public policy that excercises "sane" stewardship over energy and those who control it. A very informative and instructive read of the energy crisis that we as mankind face today. Highly recommended!!!!

Edwin Blacks Book could change the world-for the better
This book is an amazing expose of how power corruption and money took our country from using energy renewable resources to being an oil guzzing, air polluting and terror funding entity. This book shows how we got off the track of uning battery and electric energy sources, in order to support the economics of the middle east and the oil barons who profited from our use of fossil fuel.
Black is back with another gem!
This new Black gem is typical Edwin -a boldly written page-turner brightly illuminating past misdeeds and miscreants as an important lesson for the future. As with his past books, IC features Black's trademark meticulous, well-referenced original research that draws upon previously unseen records and collections, such as the judge's hand-written notes from the GM conspiracy trial.
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Subjects:  1. Automobiles    2. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    3. History    4. History: World    5. Industries - Energy Industries    6. Internal combustion engines    7. Modern - General    8. Petroleum    9. Petroleum as fuel    10. Politics / Current Events    11. History / Modern / General    12. Petroleum & oil industries   

Subjects:  1. Geology    2. Natural Resources    3. Petroleum    4. Petrology    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Technology / Petroleum   

Reviews (21)

One sided and out dated
Much of this book is very one sided.In particular the sections on the environment are distorted and now known to be incorrect.The book would be much better if they had not shown their bias.

it nails the big picture
This is an absorbing survey of the petoleum industry by two highly knowledgeable oil guys.The prose has a dry academic flavor to it, but the strength of the book's ideas and the way they are propounded bereft of politically correct sentiment almost makes one forget this shortcoming.
Absorbing
I am a Geologist's daughter and one of the authors (Michael)is a friend and associate of my father's (Dr.S.N.Visvanath). The book was with my father and out of idle curiosity I started reading it. The book gripped me from page 1. Facts and information were presented in an absorbing and creative manner. Dividing each chapter into colors and making socio-economic connections was a brilliant idea. For those outside the industry this book is an eyeopener. The language flows mellifluosly and I have learnt more about how petroleum dictates international politics. Congratulations to both the authors!
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Corporate & Business History - General    5. Economic Conditions    6. History    7. Industries - General    8. International - Economics    9. Petroleum    10. Petroleum industry and trade    11. United States    12. 20th century    13. History of specific subjects    14. Petroleum & oil industries   

Reviews (1)

'A Must For All in Marine Construction Management'
This is an excellent publication from an individual of exemplarary knowledge of the industry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Design and construction    2. Engineering - Civil    3. Engineering - Hydraulic    4. Hydraulic Structures Design    5. Marine Structural Engineering    6. Offshore structures    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Offshore engineering    11. Technology / Engineering / Civil   

Reviews (27)

Best book on the oil problem I have read
There are lots of books on the oil problem.One would have to be a monk in a cloister not to know that oil demand is running pretty close to the maximum possible production from existing fields.Certainly that suggests we will be having a problem soon.Even President Bush, never a leader in this kind of thing, scolds us for becoming "addicted to oil."(If we are addicted, he, Vice President Cheney, and their crowd certainly are the dealers who fed the addiction.)
After there's no more cheap oil, then what?
This is a follow-up book to Deffeyes' Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage which he published in 2001. The first book basicly thoroughly covered the background of oil - what it is, how it's created, where it's found, etc - and the reasons why M. King Hubbert predicted, quite accurately, in 1956 that the US would reach its peak oil production in the early 70's, and later predicted that the world in general would reach its peak oil production in the first decade of the 21st century, i.e. where we are right now. It's a short but rather dense read, but it is worth it if you want to understand the background of the situation where we now find ourselves.
The book centers on the technical, but be patient.
Yes, there is a technical focus in this book.But it is quite plainly written, and more importantly it lays very solid groundwork to discuss oil alternatives.
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Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Energy    3. Energy Policy (Economic Aspects)    4. Energy Technology (General)    5. Fossil fuels    6. General    7. Petroleum reserves    8. Power Resources    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology    12. Science / Geology   

Reviews (2)

An old fashion approach to reservoir engineering
This is one of the traditional textbooks of reservoir engineering that has survived the pass of time because of its undoubtful quality. The book has a considerable number of solved and proposed exercises and the subjects are presented in a manner very easy to understand. It was originally written at the time in which material balance calculations were the basic algoritm used by reservoir engineers to characterize hidrocarbon reservoirs. As such, this book is organized in terms of the material balance equation: it goes from material balance applied to dry gas, the next chapter is about material balance applied to gas-condensate, then undersaturated and so on, until all diferent fluids are covered. A variety of procedures to do the material balance calculations are presented, many of them of little or no usefulness today and definitely not even mentioned in modern reservoir engineering courses. Important topics such as PVT are dispersed in all the chapters. Other such as pressure testing and inmiscible displacement are covered without adequate depth. Numerical simulation is not even an entry in the subject index. In summary, if your interest is to read about material balance methods in reservoir engineering, this is the book to pick. If you are seeking a general view of the subject then there are better options.

The best one for my Company
My Friend told me about this book, Its awonderful book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Mining    3. Oil Reservoir Engineering    4. Petroleum    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Petroleum technology    9. Technology / Petroleum   

Reviews (1)

Biodiesel: Basics and Beyond
Biodiesel: Basics and Beyond is a must read for the microscale or home biodiesel brewer.Kemp explains that making biodiesel is not just mixing a couple of chemicals together, but it is a complex, meticulous process that takes a lot of thought and planing.This book degrades home brewers who don't do there part in keeping the enviorment clean and productive.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Material Science    3. Petroleum    4. Power Resources    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Technology / General   

Reviews (3)

Excelente learning tool for Petroleum Production Systems
It is an excellent book to understand in detail the petroleum production systems for a person who has some background in the area. It is also helpful as a reference book.

Waste of money
The book is unpractical for the working engineer and the mathematics is simplified calculus which is not understandable to the average practicing engineer, but seems to be in favor of academic types. This is not a book for someone who wants to learn why production equipment works. The chapter on multiphase flow is its only saving grace, but any cheap paper on the subject will say as much. I would recomened the OGCI books on Production Technology. Way cheaper...way better...

Usefull Reference Book for Petroleum Engineers
This is a comprehensive and relatively advanced book in petroleum production engineering. It helps to understand important parameters that control the performance of the production system. This book explainscomplex concepts of engineering very easy. Last, it has been written byexperienced professionals world wide well recognized in the oil industry. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Mining    3. Oil fields    4. Petroleum    5. Petroleum Engineering (General)    6. Production methods    7. Reference    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Technology    10. Technology & Industrial Arts    11. Mining technology & engineering    12. Petroleum technology    13. Production engineering    14. Technology / Petroleum   

Reviews (1)

Excellent Catalog of Current Technology (2002)
The book is well organized with a brief, but necessary, introduction to thermodynamics and kinetics. After that, the authors procede into feedstock details, what to expect from using different types of coal, petcoke, biomass and waste. I especially liked the cost estimate information. I guess I realized without realizing it that the authors were right about their description of the problems with biomass (including ethanol): the bulk transporation costs are a killer. (I worked at ADM for a while, and always suspected it. I already knew about our problem with disposing of waste, which amounted to perhaps a large amount of our biomass produced. ADM sold it to farmers.)They also introduced some novel thoughts on feedstock being considered such as building plants on the coastline and burning algae while using solar power (and perhaps tidal power) as well as an abundant supply of water to provide feedstock ---- an interesting idea. After feedstock, the author describes briefly, in a catalog fashion, the wide variety of gasification approaches that exists, breaking them up into three basic categories: moving bed, fluid bed, and entrained flow. Cross comparisons are made of each. Next, a chapter on practical issues covers specific details that would have bogged down the previous chapter. The remainder of the book covers applications, auxiliary technology, economics and safety, and finally, environmental. The summary at the end should be read first to give you a clue where the technology is going, especially with the IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle). The IGCC seems to be the direction the power companies are exploring. I especially liked all the details on the efficiencies of the state-of-the-art desulfurization and mercury removal, and CO shifter catalysts. The book abounds with block diagrams: I wish more books used this approach. The terminology is a little challenging but there is a good index in the back. Failings: (1) the index is poor -- needs work in the second edition; (2)work on mercury is proceeding --- perhaps after the copywrite date; (3) the book binding is not too great --- I wore my out after a month of thorough reading; (4) a few diagrams mimicing what is shown on the IGCC Wabash site might be useful --- step by step processing of one gasification reactor; (5) perhaps a little more work describing acid gas treatment and desulfurization --- maybe an update is required. All-in-all, an excellent, inexpensive text by authors who know their material and can present it wisely.
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Subjects:  1. Coal gasification    2. General    3. Petroleum    4. Power Resources    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Chemistry    9. Gas technology    10. Industrial Chemistry & Manufacturing Technologies    11. Petroleum technology    12. Technology / Petroleum   

Reviews (1)

Excellent Recopilation of material
After seeing this book, I see a lot of emphasis in structural geology. We could also add some input on Sedimentology and Geostatistics, which care more about reservoir heterogeneity. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - Geology    2. Engineering - Chemical & Biochemical    3. Geological mapping    4. Geology    5. Mining    6. Petroleum    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Biochemical Engineering    11. Geology & the lithosphere    12. Technology / Petroleum   

Reviews (17)

Couldn't put it down
This is a great book for those interested in the subject.It was light enough to be able to read through in just a few hours, but detailed enough to be able to build practical biodeisel powered systems and processing equipment.It's a great resource.I gave it 4 stars because I believe the author glanced over details regarding deisel particulate emmisions and the clear bias toward Gaia.

Well Worth the Stink!
This is a very valuable book with very easy to follow directions to help you get free fuel at your local chinese restaurant or wing-stop.I've been able to provide two of my boys with free vegetable oil based fuel for their Nissan 4*4 turbo diesel pick ups. We filter the oil ourselves and despite the stink, it is a very rewarding venture.We have recouped our expenses and have put away over three thousand dollars between the two of them with the money that we saved.Life is fun!This book will help you with all you need to know.I only gave it four stars because I also greatly disagree with the authors Gaia earth worship global warming propganda, but if you can get past that, the meat of the matter is great.

Book "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel"
This book is just what the subtitle says it is: a complete guide to using vegetable oil as an alternative fuel.It is complete and easy to use, much like a cookbook with each step of the process fully explained. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative fuels    2. Automobiles    3. Automotive - General    4. Diesel motor    5. Fuel injection systems    6. Motors (Diesel)    7. Petroleum    8. Power Resources    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Technology    11. Transportation    12. Vegetable oils as fuel    13. Other Technologies   

Reviews (2)

"The Age of Oil" by Leonardo Maugeri: The Glass is Half Full
Highly Recommended; In Part I of his book, Maugeri, a senior executive at ENI, the Italian oil "major", take