Oil hits the Nelson

Oil prices are rising so fast, soon there will be no country (except the oil producers themselves) that will not cry ''uncle''. Running past $111 per barrel, sky only is the limit now. But it is not the producers'' fault. The US currency (in which the oil price is quoted) seems to be in a free fall. When it hits the ground, is any body''s guess.
The US has already lost its > P 4 Col1 spot in the world economy, giving way to the EU. Recession is USA is a reality, and yet, President Bush is reported to have blamed excessive demand and short supply of oil for the phenomenon, adding that US economy was quite robust and there was no fear of recession. Bush may be excused as it is his "lame duck" year, and his obsession with wars of conquest of oil producing lands, under the camouflage of ''war against terror'' does not permit him to face facts of life.
But others in USA itself, and nearly every one outside who matters, is scared of the run away inflation and the threat of recession that is dragging the world towards an unprecedented crisis. It is a triple whammy - (i) rising prices of food and agro commodities around the globe, (ii) fuel prices paralysing industry as well as an average citizen''s life and (iii) rapidly falling value of the US currency. All this could lead to WWIII and God forbid a nuclear holocaust that could wipe out the planet.
Scientists are already trying to build a ''Noah''s Ark'' on the lunar surface to store vital knowledge and wherewithal to re-populate the world with knowledgeable persons, once the humanity is extinct. They are also planning to get these vital stored secrets to descend to the earth, unaided, to help the re-start of civilisation on its path of progress from point "Zero".
This doomsday scenario, if it turns out to be a reality, can only be attributed to just one group''s folly - the present US Administration whose ''Neo-cons'' do not seem to be able to see beyond their noses.
It is not an indictment, but a harsh statement of facts, and one hopes a restraining hand will appear somewhere some day soon to halt this headlong plunge to oblivion.

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               Density             Gross Calorific

                                       Value

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Gases       Kg/m3     lb/ft3     MJ/m3     Btu/ft3

Methane     0.680     0.0424     37.76       1,013

Ethane      1.282     0.0801     66.58       1,787

Propane     1.900     0.1186     95.68       2,568

Butane      2.539     0.1585     125.61      3,370

Air         1.226     0.0766        -            -

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TABLE-B
LIQUID FUELS:

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                    Density     Specific         Gross Calorific

     Fuels          at 15 C     volume at 15 C             value

                    kg/litre    litre/tonne     MJ/kg     Btu/lb

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Liquid methane        0.424     * 2,360         54.6      23,500

Liquid ethane         0.358       2,791         51.6      22,200

Liquid propane        0.508       1,982         50.0      21,500

Liquid Butanes        0.574       1,727         49.1      21,100

Liquid distillates     0.68       1,468         47.8      20,600

Petrol                 0.73       1,351         47.2      20,300

Kerosene               0.78       1,271         46.5      20,000

Diesel oil             0.86       1,190         45.0      19,300

Light fuel oil         0.93       1,074         43.5      18,700

Heavy fuel oil         0.97       1,038         42.6      18,300

Methanol              0.796       1,258         22.7       9,760

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-- at (-)162 C
APPROXIMATE THERMAL EQUIVALENTS
ONE TONNE OF HEAVY FUEL OIL:
= 40,400 MJ net
= 38.3 million Btu net
= 11,200 KWh. Net
= 1.36 tonnes of coal
= 0.80 tonnes of LNG
= 2.02 tonnes of methanol
= 1160 m3 of natural gas
ONE MILLION CUBIC FEET (28,300M3) OF NATURAL GAS:
=987,000 MJ net
= 936 million Btu net
= 274, KWh net
= 33.4 tonnes of coal
= 19.6 tonnes of LNG
= 49.5 tonnes of methanol
= 24.4 tonnes of heavy fuel oil
TABLE E
CONVERSION FACTORS:

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US gallon     = 3.78541 litres

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Barrel           = 0.158987 m3

Ton            = 1.01605 tonne

Btu            = 0.00105506 MJ

Oil products     weight/volume

==============================

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                   Gravity       Barrels per

                                Metric Tonne

--------------------------------------------

Petrol              0.730               8.62

Kerosene            0.790               7.97

Diesel oil          0.850               7.41

Lubricating Oil     0.900               7.01

Bitumen             1.042               6.05

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