Location of Nuclear Fuels

Location of Nuclear Fuels

Uranium and Thorium are the two most important mineral which are used to generate nuclear energy. Uranium is very common mineral produced to generate nuclear energy. Uranium is generally found in the crust of the earth. Uranium is a silver white metal in the actinide series in the periodic table. (Wiki says Actinide series encompasses 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic number from 89 to 103. Not important for our discussion)

When it comes to reserves Australia has the highest amount of reserves of Uranium with 31% followed by Kazakhstan 12%, Russia 9%, Canada 9%, Nigeria 8% and South Africa 5%. But when it comes to production of Uranium, Kazakhstan tops with 34% followed by Canada 19%, Australia 11%, Namibia 9%, Nigeria 8% and Russia 7%. 

Apart from reserves Uranium is also obtained by recycling of Plutonium and used Uranium. It is very easy to obtained Uranium from recycling of Plutonium rather than using used Uranium. Uranium can also be obtained by re-enriching depleted Uranium. Russia is very efficient in re-enriching depleted Uranium.

Thorium is a potential substitute of Uranium. Although it is currently not used as a nuclear fuel, but it has greater potential to become a nuclear fuel in near future. Thorium can not be used directly as a nuclear fuel. Thorium is first converted to a fissile Uranium (U233) by capturing a neutrons in a CANDU reactor (Canada Deuterium Uranium Reactor) . CANDU reactor is specially designed to use Thorium as in generating nuclear energy. 

Thorium is more commonly distributed in the crust of the earth than the Uranium. Although exact knowledge of its distribution is not available but it is believed that the highest amount of reserves are present in Australia, USA, Turkey, India,Venezuela and Brazil.

Indian Scenario :

India has very little amount of Uranium available with it. According to Department of Atomic Energy, current reserve of Uranium is India is around 2 lac tonnes. Highest amount of Uranium reserves are present in Andhra Pradesh followed by Jharkhand and Meghalaya. Production of Uranium is banned in Meghalaya due to social and cultural sentiments of Garo, Khasi and Jayantiya tribes. Some of the prominent reserves are:

Jharkhand:

• Jaduguda
• Bhatin
• Turamdih
• Bagjata
• Narwapahar

Andhra:

• Tumalpalle
• Koppunuru
• Sikar
• Yadgir
• Gogi
• Wahkut

One interesting thing is that India has substantial amount of Thorium reserves. Thorium is found in form of Thorium Oxide in Monazite ore. Monazite ore is found in beach and rivers sands. Highest amount of Monazite in  the world is found Pallakad and Kollam districts of Kerala, Vishakhapattanam and Mahanadi Deltas in Odisha. Odisha has the richest reserves of Thorium followed by Andhrapradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Unlike the Coal and Petroleum, Nuclear is a clean and green source of energy. As concerns for global warming are high Nuclear provides an alternative to the conventional sources of energy.

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Sources DOPT, WIKI, nrc.gov, eia.gov, npcil.nic.in

Locations of Petroleum

Locations of Petroleum

Petroleum is one of the most important mineral in the world. It is called the BLACK GOLD or LIQUID GOLD. Petroleum is used in the internal combustion of the engines of automobiles, aircrafts and railways. Petroleum is obtained in the form of crude oil from the sedimentary rocks which is generally from the tertiary period. Crude oil is a fossil fuel which is formed when large amount of dead organisms are buried in the sedimentary rock and are subjected to the intense heat and pressure. These sedimentary rocks are found at the mantle of the earth.

Most of the petroleum is found in the middle east which is more than 60% of the world followed by Latin America 14%, Canada 13%, Africa 11% and Russia 8%.  In Latin America Venezuela and Mexico are major producers and in Africa Libya and Algeria are the major producers. Some of the major oil fields are:

• Saudi Arab: Ghawar Field
• Kuwait: Burgan Field
• Iran: Ferdows Field
• UAE: Zakum Field
• Venezuela: Bolvar Coastal Field
• Brazil : Sugar Loaf Field
• Mexico: Ku Maloob Zaap Field

There are some major off shore fields too. These are the fields where oil is obtained from the sea away from land. Some of the major off shore fields are:

• Saudi Arab: Safaniya Fields and Manifa Oilfields in Persian Gulf
• UAE : Upper Zakum oilfields in Persian Gulf
• Kazakhstan: Kashgan oilfields in Caspian Sea
• Brazil: Lula Oilfields

More than 80% oil is found in the OPEC Countries. OPEC, which is Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is an organization major oil producing economies with the intension to coordinate and unify petroleum policy of its members to ensure stabilization in oil market. OPEC has twelve members Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arab, UAE and Venezuela. 

There are two types of Crude Oils Sweet Crude and Sour Crude

Sweet Crude: This crude contains less than 0.5% of sulfur. This crude requires less amount of energy in extraction and yields high amount of gasoline. Iran is the leading producer of this crude oil. Some of the major locations are North America, Western Texas, North Dakota, North Sea, North Africa, Australia and Indonesia.

Sour Crude: Sour Crude contains more than 0.5% of sulfur. It is not pure crude oil. Impurity of sulfur has to be removed before further processing. Venezuela is the leading producer of Sour Crude Oil. Some of the major locations of Sour Crude are: Canada, Gulf of Mexico, Canada and Mexico.

Petroleum Scenario in India:

India is one of the biggest importers of the crude oil, because we do not have that much amount of crude oil which can fulfill our requirements. But still we have some amount of crude oil present in India. Some of the major oil producing locations are:

• Gujrat: Ankaleshwar, Kalol, Mehsana, Nawagam, Kosamba, Lunej
• Assam: Digboi, Naharkatia and Moran
• Bombay High
• Rajasthan
• Tamil Nadu 

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Sources: OPEC, Wikipedia, Britanica, UFA, Indian Institute of Petroleum.

Something About Coal

Something About Coal

Coal is a conventional energy resource. It is the most mined mineral of the world. Coal is used in thermal power generation, which is the most used way of generating energy in India and China. Estimated reserve of Coal on the  is 860938 million tonnes. Largest reserves of Coal are found in U.S.A.(28%), Russia(18%), China(13%), Australia(9%) and India(7%). Coal is mostly found in the form of Lignite and Anthracite. Top Coal exporter countries are Australia and Indonesia. Japan is the largest importer of Coal.

Here are the continental distributions of Coal.

Asia:

• India: Singreni, Jharia, Bokaro, Damodar valley and Raniganj
• Pakistan: Kalabagh, Quetta and Thar Coal Fields
• China: Shanxi, Fushun, Inner Mongolia, Kansu
• Japan: Ishikari and Chikugo

Europe:

• Ruhr valley and Silsia of Germany
• Ural Mountains, Kuznetsk and Moscow-Tula Coal Field  of Russia
•  Donetz Coal Field of Ukrain 

North America:

• USA: Pennsylvania Anthracite Field, Appalachian Bituminous Field, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Lowa, Missourie, Oklahama, Texas, Alabama, Arkansan,Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, new Mexico
• Canada: British Colombia , Nova Scotia

Africa:

• Zimbabwe: Wankie
• Mozambique: Miniamba
• Zaire: Luena
• Nigeria: Enugu
• Zambia: Nkandabwe, Mamba
• Transval and Natal

South America:

• Brazil: Santa Caterina, Rio Grande de Sul
• Mexico: Pedras Nigras, Sabinaz and Lampazos
• Chile: Concepcian
• Columbia: Cauca Valley

Something About Indian Coal:

In India coal is the most important and highly used energy source. Estimated coal reserve in India is 293000 million tonne. Most of the coal in India is Lignite coal which is found in Rajasthan, Gujrat, Tamil Nadu, Jammu Kashmir, Kerala and Puducherry.

Gondwana Coal which belongs to Carboniferous period is found in Mahanadi, Damodar, Narmada and Godavari Valley. Gondwana Coal found in the states of A.P., Chattisgard, Jharkhand, M.P. Maharastra and Odisha. Major Coal fields are Singreni, Singrauli, Bokaro, Jharia, Raniganj, Chandrapur, Tatapani, Talcher, Korba, Sargujha and Wardha.

Very little tertiary coal found in Arunachal Pradesh, Gujrat, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland. 

GLOBAL CRUDE OIL TACTICS

GLOBAL CRUDE OIL TACTICS

All over the world oil crude oil prices are falling and keep falling. It seems that acchhe din have been started all over the world. People are very happy specially in India(ACCHHE DIN). But it is a serious matter for global oil producers. Despite of their will they are not able to curb the falling oil prices. We will now see what are the cause of the sharp decline in oil prices

• First and very simple reason is the demand for crude oil is low because of poor and weak global economic activities
• There is an increase in efficiency in economic activities all over the world which results in less wastage. Believe it or not but it is one of the reasons of fall in oil prices
• A movement all over the world to switch over to non conventional sources of energy like solar, biogas and wind energy.
• United states of America which was the biggest importer of the world, now has become the biggest producer of Oil, which resulted in decline in demand of oil
• Shale gas production in United states of America has made it less dependent on Oil.
• Due to decline in the demand, OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), Countries considered the option of lowering the production, but it will result in the further loss of revenue. It will also benefit the countries like Russia, Iran and Venezuela which will not subsequently lower the production in lure of selling at lower prices. Specially Saudi Arab is against the lowering of production.

Oil market was funded by Federal Reserves cheap money in Quantitative Easing program, with zero rate of interest. which may have resulted in an upward trend of oil prices. But after winding up the Quantitative Easing Program, interest rates started increasing which may have resulted in falling in oil prices.

Experts have predicted that the oil prices will be at lower side for one year or more and it may decline further. +OPEC Multimedia