Radon gas. Environmental concentration measures and remediation actions in exposed buildings

The main contribution to the radiological impact from natural radiation received by general population is due to the emission of radon (222Rn). The objective of this project is the study of radon gas as a radioactive element in our buildings (existing and future constructions) to avoid its influence in interior rooms. The proposed methodology reflects different aspects of natural radioactivity in buildings, their sources, their control criteria and regulatory framework; aspects related to the presence of radon in our constructions, entryways, measurement methodology for indoor environmental concentration are studied; other protection solutions and remediation measures in both existing buildings and new construction projects are analyzed. In conclusion, the paper presents previous evaluation tools, the analysis of existing concentration and the choice of the most appropriate mitigation / remediation measures depending on each case, through the establishment of different architectural proposals to plan actions against radon where necessary.

The resource wealth burden - oil and gas sectors in the former USSR. OSW Study 12/2003

The former USSR area plays a great role in the international oil and gas market. Russia is a real gas giant, with the richest deposits of this material in the world. Russia is also the main exporter of natural gas to many European countries. Keeping a strong position in this market remains a priority for the Russian Federation's economic policy. Europe is a very attractive region because its demand for gas is expected to grow steadily, while its own gas production keeps decreasing. In the long term, the Far East will be an important market for Russian exports, too. According to estimates, demand there will grow even faster than in Europe. Caspian gas producers, for the time being, can not really compete with Russia in this field, and this status quo will most probably be preserved in the nearest future.

First steps towards into the unknown. The possibilities prospects of unconventional gas extraction in Ukraine. OSW Commentary No. 106, 2013-04-24

Ukraine’s deposits of unconventional gas (shale gas, tight gas trapped in non-porous sandstone formations, and coal bed methane) may form a significant part of Europe’s gas reserves. Initial exploration and test drilling will be carried out in two major deposits: Yuzivska (Kharkiv and Donetsk Oblasts) and Oleska (Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts), to confirm the volume of the reserves. Shell and Chevron, respectively, won the tenders for the development of these fields in mid 2012. Gas extraction on an industrial scale is expected to commence in late 2018/ early 2019 at the earliest. According to estimates presented in the draft Energy Strategy of Ukraine 2030, annual gas production levels may range between 30 billion m3 and 47 billion m3 towards the end of the next decade. According to optimistic forecasts from IHS CERA, total gas production (from both conventional and unconventional reserves) could reach as much as 73 billion m3. However, this will require multi-billion dollar investments, a significant improvement in the investment climate, and political stability. It is clear at the present initial stage of the unconventional gas extraction project that the private interests of the Ukrainian government elite have played a positive role in initiating unconventional gas extraction projects. Ukraine has had to wait nearly four decades for this opportunity to regain its status of a major gas producer. Gas from unconventional sources may lead not only to Ukraine becoming self-sufficient in terms of energy supplies, but may also result in it beginning to export gas. Furthermore, shale gas deposits in Poland and Ukraine, including on the Black Sea shelf (both traditional natural gas and gas hydrates) form a specific ‘European methane belt’, which could bring about a cardinal change in the geopolitics and geo-economics of Eastern and Central Europe over the next thirty years.

Europe's LNG Strategy in the Wider EU Gas Market. CEPS Policy Brief No. 333, October 2015

In its Communication on an Energy Union published in February 2015, the European Commission committed itself to “explore the full potential of liquefied natural gas (LNG), including as a back-up in crisis situations when insufficient gas is coming into Europe through the existing pipeline system” and to address the potential of gas storage in Europe by developing a comprehensive LNG and storage strategy by the end of 2015 or early in 2016. This is a comprehensible move in the current context. Geopolitical tensions between the EU and Russia explain the EU’s willingness to further diversify its supply sources of natural gas to reinforce its long-term energy security on the one hand, and to strengthen its ability to solve future crises on the other hand. Moreover, the current market dynamics could support diversification towards LNG. Increasing the flexibility of LNG trade, decreasing LNG prices and LNG charter rates and an apparent price convergence between the European and the Asia-Pacific LNG imports would all reinforce the economic viability of such a strategy. This Policy Brief makes three main points: • For the LNG and gas storage strategy to work, it needs to be embedded in the realities of the natural gas market. • The key to a successful LNG strategy is to develop sufficient infrastructure. • The LNG strategy needs an innovation component.

Oil and gas development and possibilities in east-central Illinois. (Clark, Coles, Douglas, Edgar and parts of adjoining counties)

At head of title: State of Illinois. Department of registration and education. Division of the state geological survey.

Oil and gas development in Illinois during 1950 /

"Reprinted from Statistics of oil and gas development and production covering 1950, A.I.M.E."

Oil and gas development and possibilities in parts of Eastern Illinois.

Bibliographical footnotes.

Investigations in the gas and oil fields of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba,

Mode of access: Internet.

Oil and gas developments in Illinois, 1987 /

Mode of access: Internet.

Report of the ICC staff : investigation with recommendations, accident in the River West area, January 17, 1992, Chicago, Illinois : the Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company.

"June 1993."

Trends in oil and gas exploration. Hearings, pursuant to S. Res. 45, a national fuels and energy policy study, Ninety-second Congress, second session ...

"Serial no. 92-33."

Oil and gas fields in West Virginia.

Mode of access: Internet.

Colorado's Piceance Basin: Variation in the local public finance effects of oil and gas development

A large increase in natural gas production occurred in western Colorado’s Piceance basin in the mid- to late-2000s, generating a surge in population, economic activity, and heavy truck traffic in this rural region. We describe the fiscal effects related to this development for two county governments: Garfield and Rio Blanco, and two city governments: Grand Junction and Rifle. Counties maintain rural road networks in Colorado, and Garfield County’s ability to fashion agreements with operators to repair roads damaged during operations helped prevent the types of large new costs seen in Rio Blanco County, a neighboring county with less government capacity and where such agreements were not made. Rifle and Grand Junction experienced substantial oil- and gas-driven population growth, with greater challenges in the smaller, more isolated, and less economically diverse city of Rifle. Lessons from this case study include the value of crafting road maintenance agreements, fiscal risks for small and geographically isolated communities experiencing rapid population growth, challenges associated with limited infrastructure, and the desirability of flexibility in the allocation of oil- and gas-related revenue.

Three Essays on Economic Development in the Natural Resources Sector

This thesis examines two ongoing development projects that received financial support from international development organizations, and an alternative mining tax proposed by the academia. Chapter 2 explores the impact of commoditization of coffee on its export price in Ethiopia. The first part of the chapter traces how the Ethiopian’s current coffee trade system and commoditization come to be. Using regression analysis, the second part tests and confirms the hypothesis that commoditization has led to a reduction in coffee export price. Chapter 3 conducts a cost-benefit analysis on a controversial, liquefied natural gas export project in Peru that sought to export one-third of the country’s proven natural gas reserves. While the country can receive royalty and corporate income tax in the short and medium term, these benefits are dwarfed by the future costs of paying for alternative energy after gas depletion. The conclusion is robust for a variety of future energy-price and energy-demand scenarios. Chapter 4 quantifies through simulation the economic distortions of two common mining taxes, the royalty and ad-valorem tax, vis-à-vis the resource rent tax. The latter is put forward as a better mining tax instrument on account of its non-distortionary nature. The rent tax, however, necessitates additional administrative burdens and induces tax-avoidance behavior, both leading to a net loss of tax revenue. By quantifying the distortions of royalty and the ad-valorem tax, one can establish the maximum loss that can be incurred by the rent tax. Simulation results indicate that the distortion of the ad-valorem tax is quite modest. If implemented, the rent tax is likely to result in a greater loss. While the subject matters may appear diverse, they are united by one theme. These initiatives were endorsed and supported by authorities and development agencies in the aim of furthering economic development and efficiency, but they are unlikely to fulfill the goal. Lessons for international development can be learnt from successful stories as well as from unsuccessful ones.

Application of gas hydrate equilibria prediction in process engineering

Desde hace cerca de dos siglos, los hidratos de gas han ganado un rol importante en la ingeniería de procesos, debido a su impacto económico y ambiental en la industria -- Cada día, más compañías e ingenieros ganan interés en este tema, a medida que nuevos desafíos muestran a los hidratos de gas como un factor crucial, haciendo su estudio una solución para un futuro próximo -- Los gases de hidrato son estructuras similares al hielo, compuestos de moléculas huéspedes de agua conteniendo compuestos gaseosos -- Existen naturalmente en condiciones de presiones altas y bajas temperaturas, condiciones típicas de algunos procesos químicos y petroquímicos [1] -- Basado en el trabajo doctoral de Windmeier [2] y el trabajo doctoral the Rock [3], la descripción termodinámica de las fases de los hidratos de gas es implementada siguiendo el estado del arte de la ciencia y la tecnología -- Con ayuda del Dortmund Data Bank (DDB) y el paquete de software correspondiente (DDBSP) [26], el desempeño del método fue mejorado y comparado con una gran cantidad de datos publicados alrededor del mundo -- También, la aplicabilidad de la predicción de los hidratos de gas fue estudiada enfocada en la ingeniería de procesos, con un caso de estudio relacionado con la extracción, producción y transporte del gas natural -- Fue determinado que la predicción de los hidratos de gas es crucial en el diseño del proceso del gas natural -- Donde, en las etapas de tratamiento del gas y procesamiento de líquido no se presenta ninguna formación, en la etapa de deshidratación una temperatura mínima de 290.15 K es crítica y para la extracción y transporte el uso de inhibidores es esencial -- Una composición másica de 40% de etilenglicol fue encontrada apropiada para prevenir la formación de hidrato de gas en la extracción y una composición másica de 20% de metanol en el transporte