Oil is one of the most valuable resources we have ever discovered. This energy is so dense that, at $55 barrel, it’s nearly free energy, providing the equivalence of 11.5 years of work or 25,000 hours of human labour. The liquids that come out of oil as it is processed and refined create the building blocks for all of our petrochemicals, chemicals, materials, plastics, and fuel. The most valuable part of oil distillates are the ultra dense portable energies of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. A gallon of gasoline (roughly 4.5 liters) weighs approximately 6 lbs, occupies a mere 230 cubic inches but contains the equivalent of 36 kWhs of electrical energy. Few transportation fuels surpass the energy densities of gasoline and diesel. However, there are two major concerns with current oil era: it is non-renewable and we will use up whats left within the next 30 to 40 years. Currently, there are no known substitutes with the energy density of these portable transportation fuels in the quantity humankind has become dependent on. Thus, it is going to be a very different world thirty years from now, and the world is going to go through something that has never been experienced before. Engineers need to take us to this new world of lower energy consumption, high cost energy, and, quite possibly, a lower standard of living. To that end, there are a number of interesting alternatives, and this is the main topic for the current essay. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what type of engineering innovations will be required over the next 30 years to transition our world from an abundance of high-density, low-cost energy to a world of low energy and expensive renewable sources for transportation energy. In your introduction, you will explain why oil is important to engineers focusing on its use for gasoline (automobiles), diesel (transport trucks/buses/trains), and jet fuel (airplanes), each of which have different requirements for fuel. You will then outline the need to replace gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel with renewable resources and introduce the options you feel warrant consideration. The options you list will be discussed in your paper. You may consider any number of options, including but not limited to bio-fuels (biomass, algae-based fuels, and biodiesel) alcohol fuels (alcohol fuel, butanol fuel, ethanol fuel, and methanol fuel) nuclear power, solar power, wind power, hydropower, and hydrogen. Suggested search engine: Google Scholar You will analyze at least four options. Though they do not all have to be options from this list, at least three items from the list must be included. You will outline both the strengths and limitations of each option (e.g. cost, efficiency, and energy density), and explain why they are or are not respectively suited to replace gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel in the quantities currently used by humankind. (Select: BP Home – Key documents – BP Statistical Review of World Energy) Your conclusion will summarize your main concerns, clearly state the options you think are most ideal, and propose what future research must consider to develop the most ideal solution to the oil crisis. Note: For the purposes of this paper, dilithium crystals are not appropriate replacement for oil.
