Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons^™

Pcor Partnership – Demonstrating Co2 Storage In The Northern Great Plains, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about the third phase of the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Program project to promote the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Outlines various CCS projects that were part of the project, and discusses adjacent PCOR Partnership activities. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Comparative Feedstock Analysis In Setaria Viridis L. As A Model For C4 Bioenergy Grasses And Panicoid Crop Species, Carloalberto Petti, Andrew Shearer, Mizuki Tateno, Mathew J. Ruwaya, Sue E. Nokes, Tom Brutnell, Seth Debolt

Horticulture Faculty Publications

Second generation feedstocks for bioethanol will likely include a sizable proportion of perennial C4 grasses, principally in the Panicoideae clade. The Panicoideae contain agronomically important annual grasses including Zea mays L. (maize), Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench (sorghum), and Saccharum officinarum L. (sugar cane) as well as promising second generation perennial feedstocks including Miscanthus × giganteus and Panicum virgatum L. (switchgrass). The underlying complexity of these polyploid grass genomes is a major limitation for their direct manipulation and thus driving a need for rapidly cycling comparative model. Setaria viridis (green millet) is a rapid cycling C4 panicoid grass with a relatively …

Role Of Natural Gas In America's Energy Future: Focus On Transportation, Dharik Mallapragada, Rakesh Agrawal

Purdue Policy Research Institute (PPRI) Policy Briefs

The energy landscape of the United States for the past century has been dominated by the use of fossil fuels namely coal, petroleum, and natural gas (NG). While coal usage was dominant during the early 1900’s, petroleum has been dominant ever since the second half of the 20^th century owing to increasing use of liquid fuels, gasoline and diesel, for transportation. In contrast, NG consumption in the U.S., currently at ~25% of total primary energy use, has only been steadily increasing since the early 1990’s (BP, 2012). However, the last decade has seen rapid growth in U.S. NG consumption …

Influence Of Media Composition On The Growth Rate Of Chlorella Vulgaris And Scenedesmus Acutus Utilized For Co2 Mitigation, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Xinyi E, Aubrey Shea, Michael D. Montross, Mark Crocker, Rodney Andrews

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased since the industrial revolution due to increasing combustion of fossil fuels. One possible CO₂ mitigation strategy is the use of microalgae for mitigation of CO₂. This paper focuses on the influence of media composition on the growth rate of two microalgae strains, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus actus. A KNO₃ based medium was found to work better for Chlorella, while a urea based equivalent worked better for Scenedesmus. The urea based media investigated here resulted in growth similar to that found with previously reported KNO₃ based media. …

Agenda: Water, Oil And Gas: Recycling And Reuse Of Water, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment. Intermountain Oil And Gas Bmp Project, Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, Sturm College Of Law, University Of Denver, Colorado Bar Association, Natural Resources & Energy Section

Water, Oil and Gas: Recycling and Reuse of Water (June 11)

Program co-chairs: Sarah Klahn, Matthew Sura; planning committee: Susan Daggett, Kathryn Mutz.

Co-sponsored by: Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment, University of Colorado Law School, Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver, Natural Resources & Energy Section of the Colorado Bar Association.

This program is the second in a 3-part series focusing on critical water, oil and gas issues in Colorado. This second program focuses on the technology behind the recycling of produced water and hydraulic back fracturing flowback fluid and the issue of mandatory recycling. It also addresses the legal implications …

Development Without Energy? Assessing Future Scenarios Of Energy Consumption In Developing Countries, Jan Christof Steckel, Robert J. Brecha, Michael Jakob, Jessica Strefler, Gunnar Luderer

Physics Faculty Publications

We analyze the relationship between economic development and energy consumption in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation. The main contribution of this work is to compare estimates of energy thresholds in the form of minimum energy requirements to reach high levels of development with output projections of per capita final energy supply from a group of integrated assessment models (IAMs). Scenarios project that reductions of carbon emissions in developing countries will be achieved not only by means of decreasing the carbon intensity, but also by making a significant break with the historically observed relationship between energy use and economic growth. …

Regional Drilling Activity In The Bakken Petroleum System, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Maps and Infographics

Map of oil wells in western North Dakota. Includes wells with a spud date prior to June 2013. Map sponsors are illustrated by company logos.

Extending Technology Roadmap Through Fuzzy Cognitive Map-Based Scenarios: The Case Of The Wind Energy Sector Of Pakistan, Muhammad Amer

Dissertations and Theses

In this modern era, energy is a key element required for sustainable development and prosperity of a society. Pakistan is an energy deficient country facing problems due to the shortage of over 4000 MW of electricity. The national energy sector is heavily dependent on imported fossil-fuel resources. The energy crisis is negatively affecting all economic and business activities, and it is widely recognized as a severe obstacle to growth and poverty reduction in the country. Establishment of wind farms can help to overcome the energy crisis.

In this research, a national level wind energy roadmap is developed through scenario planning. …

Energy Independence In The Usa, Janice Ringler

Student Papers in Public Policy

During President Barack Obama’s first term and throughout the recent presidential campaign, there was much discussion about becoming energy-independent as a nation. Indeed, one of the most pressing issues facing the country today is our energy future. This is especially a concern in areas where mainstream energy sources (coal, gas, oil) do not exist, and thus must be imported. Many believe that this is a problem that communities and states are better suited to tackle than the federal government due to the flexibility and knowledge of state policy initiatives. In this brief I will propose a variety of measures that …

A System Dynamics Analysis Of The Growth In Virginia's Residential Electricity Consumption Trends, 1980-2010., Raguram Sellakkannu

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Residential electricity consumption in the Commonwealth of Virginia has more than doubled in three decades, between 1980 and 2010. Per capita and per household consumption rates have grown faster than many other states including New York and California. The following dissertation applies systems dynamics methodology to explore the causes of growth in Virginia’s per capita and per household residential electricity consumption rates in relative contrast to New York and California over the past several decades. Major databases used in the study were accessed from the United States Energy Information Administration and the Census Bureau. Qualitative modelling applying system dynamics principles …

Oil, Oil, Everywhere: Environmental And Human Impacts Of Oil Extraction In The Niger Delta, Julia Pitkin

Pomona Senior Theses

Oil extraction in Nigeria has caused extensive environmental degradation and health problems in many Nigerian communities, particularly in the ecologically sensitive Niger Delta where nearly all of the oil extraction takes place. The reasons for this are complex and have roots in Nigeria’s colonial past. The Nigerian economy is largely reliant on its petroleum resources which, in conjunction with governmental corruption and high international demand for Nigerian oil, has created a system where environmental externalities are largely ignored. Multinational oil companies with little stake in the development and environment of Nigeria are responsible for most of the extraction projects and …

Development And Validation Of Heat Transfer Model To Predict Indoor Air Temperatures In Roofpond Buildings, Afzal Hossain

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Roofponds mimic the ways in which nature tempers and controls the global climate; they utilize higher heat capacity of water to passively control the temperature of the interior space. From a thermal standpoint, roofponds are strong performers, providing high solar savings fractions, interior temperature stability, enhanced thermal comfort and very low operational power requirements. Moreover, due to convective heat transfer within the water bags, heat gains or losses are quickly distributed throughout the roofpond to create a very homogeneous distribution of heat throughout the floor area covered by the system.

Research by Harold Hay and John Yellott (Hay & Yellott, …

A Policymaker's Guide To Feed-In Tariffs: Encouraging A Responsible Transition To Renewable Electricity In California, Roland P. Thayer

Pomona Senior Theses

The feed-in tariff is a flexible, yet effective mechanism in promoting the proliferation of renewable electricity in California. The tariff creates a stable investment environment that protects both the utilities and the renewable electricity generators. Not only does the system foster capacity growth, but also technological advancement to the point where renewable electricity can compete in the market without assistance. From an environmental standpoint, the feed-in tariff contributes significantly towards achieving the emissions reduction goals set forth by AB32 without causing harmful increases to electricity prices.

The feed-in tariff model has been used in countries all over the world and …

Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics In Agriculture: Model Development And Application From Daily To Decadal Timescales, Matthew P. Pelton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soil carbon (C) is the largest terrestrial C pool globally, containing more C than the atmosphere and biosphere. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is a source and sink of CO₂ emissions to and from the atmosphere, thus influencing future climate change. Understanding SOC dynamics is also important for maintaining C stocks to sustain and improve crop yields. An existing model to estimate changes in SOC due to respiration was modified to operate in three computational platforms: MS Excel, MS Excel with Visual Basic for Applications, and supercomputing. This model was validated against CO₂ flux data from a 9-year field …

Floatovoltaics: Quantifying The Benefits Of A Hydro-Solar Power Fusion, Abe Mckay

Pomona Senior Theses

To slow climate change, humans should take immediate and widespread action. One way to slow climate change is by switching to switch to renewable power plants such as solar fields. Recently, pioneering companies have built solar fields on water bodies. This study found that such a pairing of water and solar could increase production efficiency by 8-10% through panel cooling, save millions of liters of water from evaporation, and produce energy with under-utilized space.

Predicting The Performance Of A Solar Domestic Water Heating System With Evacuated Tube Collectors And Hydronic Radiant Flooring, Kimberly Nicole Hammer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Residential solar thermal system installations have been significantly increasing in the last decade and there exists limited resources for reasonably predicting the performance of those systems. A simulated model is developed in MATLAB® and used to predict the performance of a solar domestic water heating system. In the simulated system, hot water is generated using evacuated tube solar collectors and stored in a domestic hot water storage tank, which utilizes immersed coil heat exchangers. The system is designed to provide hydronic radiant floor heating to its occupants based on the heat loss of a building energy model for an energy-efficient …

Separation Of Tc From U And Development Of Metallic Tc Waste Forms, Edward Mausolf

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The isotope Technetium-99 (⁹⁹Tc) is a major fission product of the nuclear industry. In the last decade, approximately 20 tons of 99Tc have been produced by the US nuclear industry. Due to its long half-life (t_1/2 = 214,000 yr), beta radiotoxicity, and high mobility as pertechnetate [TcO₄]^-, Tc represents long-term concern to the biosphere. Various options have been considered to manage ⁹⁹Tc. One of them is its separation from spent fuel, conversion to the metal and incorporation into a metallic waste form for long-term disposal. After dissolution of spent fuel in nitric …

Investigating The Feasibility Of Growing Algae For Fuel In Southern Nevada, Faegheh Moazeni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Microalgae capable of growing in waste are adequate to be mass-cultivated for biodiesel, avoiding fertilizers and clean water, two obstacles to sustainability of the feedstock production. This study replaces fertilizers and clean water with waste products. The investigated wastes include (1) the liquid fraction of sewage after solids and particles are removed, known as centrate, and (2) algal biomass residue, i.e. the algae remaining at the end of the lipids extraction process at biofuel plants. These wastes contain sufficient amount of nitrogen and phosphorus required for algal growth. This study proposes a system in which centrate would be used as …

Congressional Preferences And The Advancement Of American Nuclear Waste Policy, Rhoel Gonzales Ternate

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The problem of nuclear waste disposal has existed since the time of the Manhattan Project in World War II. Although there exist a number of technological hurdles, the main cause that has consistently plagued a solution to nuclear waste has been the politics behind it. This thesis attempts to add to the political literature behind nuclear waste disposal by examining the nuclear waste disposal preferences of members of the United States House and Senate. It then compares and contrasts those preferences with a report by President Obama's Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future. The hope was to determine if …

Experimenting With Polymer Blend Solar Cells And Active Layer Thickness, Ryan Blumenthal

Physics

Bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics utilize the electrical characteristics of semi-conductive polymers. These solution processable materials are beneficial because of their low material cost, light weight, and simple fabrication requirements. Our devices employ multiple photoactive polymers, P3HT and PCPDTBT, to absorb photons over a wide spectral range. We optimized various device characteristics including thickness and thermal anneal usage to reach a power conversion efficiency of 3.0% in AM1.5 sunlight. Device performance degrades over time due to atmospheric water and oxygen, prompting us to investigate device packaging to extend cell lifetime for additional testing.