The document discusses world oil resources, including conventional and unconventional sources. It notes that while conventional oil reserves have remained largely unchanged since the 1960s, unconventional sources like oil sands and shale oil are far more abundant, with earth estimated to hold 45,000 billion barrels of unconventional oil. The largest unconventional reserves are in Canada's Athabasca oil sands and Venezuela's Orinoco basin, together accounting for over two-thirds of world heavy and extra-heavy oil production. While unconventional oil recovery is more difficult, up to 1,000 billion barrels may eventually be producible. OPEC members, led by Saudi Arabia, hold around 75% of world crude oil reserves according to current estimates

1. WORLD OIL RESOURCE
MOHAMMAD IMRAN KHAN
Int.[B.Sc.(H) Geology]-M.Sc.Geology – 6th
Sem
Department of Geology (University of Delhi)
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The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (1300 km)

2. INTRODUCTION
 Crude Oil- a mixture of hydrocarbons that existed in the liquid phase in
natural underground reservoirs and remains liquid at atmospheric pressure
after passing through surface separating facilitis.
 Conventional Oil Resources- which are being traditionally used for many
decades and were in common use around the oil crisis of 1973
Unconventional Oil Resources- which are not traditionally used and are
considered for large scale use after the oil crisis of 1973
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3. Conventional Oil Resources
 Recent studies suggest that the
earth’s crust may hypothetically
hold 6000 bbo as its reserves,
which also include 3000 billion
barrels un-recovered oil resource.
 With 95% probability the world
may touch ultimate recovery of
2,248 Billion Barrels.
 The present oil reserve estimates
have remained mainly unaltered.
There have been no giant oil field
discoveries after late 1960s. This is
due to the fact that major oil fields
tend to get explored easily.
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4. Conventional Oil Resources
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 The OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) members
hold around 75% of world’s crude oil reserves.
 OPEC = Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait,
libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Venezuela.
 The countries with the largest oil reserves are in order- Saudi Arabia,
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Venezuela, Russia, Libya, kazakhastan and
Nigeria.

5. Conventional Oil Resources
 10 countries in the Middle East
account for only 3.4% of the
area but contain 48% of
world’s known oil reserves.
(Kuwait, Baharain, Qatar,
UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yamen,
Oman, Iran, Iraq and Syria)
 About one fourth of the world’s
giants and supergiants are
located in the Middle East.
 However, for most of countries
around the world have shown
decline in the production of
conventional oil.
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6. Conventional Oil Resources
 The present oil reserve estimates have remained mainly unaltered.
There have been no giant oil field discoveries after late 1960s.
 This is due to the fact that major oil fields tend to get explored easily.
The estimated recoverable oil remained almost constant from around
1960s.
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7. Conventional Oil Resources
 The consumer demand for crude oil has been increasing with annual rate in excess of
2%. This demand is even higher in the advanced Asian countries like China, India
and South Korea owing to increase in transportation, using cars and trucks powered
by internal combustion engines.
 Extensive analysis of demandsupply by petroconsultants, geologists has predicted
that the oil production will peak with in a span of 20 years in the near future.
 Based on the King Hubbert (1973) and Gillette (1974) approach, USGS analyzed long
term world supply data and predicted the nature of oil production scenario in the
future.
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8. Conventional Oil Resources
 Most of the oil producing countries, except perhaps Middle East and
Russia, has already consumed more than half of their estimated oil
reserves.
 It is estimated that maximum oil reserves are still preserved in the
Middle East.
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9. Unconventional Oil Resources
 require greater than industry-standard levels of technology or
investment to harvest
 The total amount of unconventional oil resources in the world
considerably exceeds the amount of conventional oil reserves.
 It is estimated that earth may hold about 45,000 BB of unconventional
oil and about 1,000 BB can be recovered and put to production.
 They can be categorized in heavy and extra-heavy, bitumen and shale
oil, depending on their specific gravity or American Petroleum
Institute (API) gravity values.
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Most of the unconventional oils
have lower API when compared to
conventional oil.
Oils are considered to be heavy,
extra heavy or bitumen, when their
API values range from 25 to 7
covers mobile and less mobile
(bitumen) oils.

10. Unconventional Oil Resources
 Most of unconventional oil deposits are confined to shallow portion of the
crust
 Considered as degraded products of conventional oil.
 Oil sands, also known as tar sands, or extra heavy oil, are a type of
bitumen deposit. Because of very high viscosity of the bitumen containing
oil, normal treatment processes cannot be applied for production of oil.
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 Found in extremely large quantities in
Athabasca Oil Sands in Alberta, Canada
and the Orinoco extra heavy oil deposit in
Venezuela.
 These two countries produce around
two-third heavy and extra heavy oil of the
world.
 IEA estimates that earth may hold
about six trillion barrels of heavy oil and
from which about two trillion barrels is
recoverable.

11. Unconventional Oil Resources
 The shale oil constitutes mainly of bitumen and primarily considered as
source rock
 Also known as the alum shale, stellarite, albertite and kukersite.
 Shale oil is primarily a fine grained sedimentary rock containing lots of
organic material (kerogen).
 Shale oil is likely to be present in many parts of world; the highest
concentration is being in the USA.
 The estimated quantum of shale oil of the world is around 2.8–3.3 trillion
barrels and small percentage of that can be recovered.
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12. Conclusion
 Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, with small amounts of S,
O, N impurities.
 Oil has a high calorific value than coal and is more easily extracted and
transported.
 The first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859.
 OPEC members have 75% of the world reserves. 51% of the oil imports
come from OPEC countries.
 Other important producers of crude oil are Alaska, Siberia, and Maxico.
 The conventional form of oil contributes only a small percentage of the
existing oil basket under the subsurface earth. The existence of other
types of large petroleum deposits over vast areal extent have been
identified.
 It is estimated that earth may hold about 45,000 BB of unconventional oil
and about 1,000 BB can be recovered and put to production.
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13. MOHAMMAD IMRAN KHAN
Int.[B.Sc.(H) Geology]-M.Sc.Geology – 6th
Sem
Department of Geology (University of
Delhi)
Presentation By :
“Life Blood of modern economy”
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