With a steadily increasing efficiency, wind power (both onshore and offshore) is proving itself to be a cost-efficient source of electricity generation for a country’s energy mix. This has mostly resulted from better technologies, economies of scale, and the development of new lubricants especially for the wind industry, such as those from Mobil.

This situation has not come about overnight, however, so which countries have driven the development of the wind power industry? Here are the seven biggest players, listed according to GWEC’s 2017 Global Wind Report:

7 – France

With a total capacity of 13,759 megawatts (MW), France has enough wind power to supply up to 11 million homes. The country added a record-breaking 1,694 MW of onshore wind power capacity last year alone.

6 – The United Kingdom

Being surrounded mostly by the sea, it’s no surprise that the UK is a big player in offshore wind power. Indeed, the relatively shallow waters of the North Sea make it ideal for fixed-bottom offshore wind turbines. A report from Wind Europe described the country as having:

“…the largest amount of installed offshore wind capacity in Europe, representing 43% of all installations.”

The country also has considerable onshore generating capacity, taking its total to 18,872 MW.

5 – Spain

While Spain only modestly increased its wind power capacity in 2017, it remains Europe’s second biggest user of wind power in Europe (after Germany). Its total installed capacity was 23,170 MW in 2017.

4 – India

As a populous developing country, it clearly makes sense for India to explore using wind power to help meet its energy needs. In 2017, it had 32,848 MW of capacity, having added five gigawatts (GW) of new capacity over the year.

3 – Germany

Germany leads Europe in terms of its total installed wind power capacity, which stood at 56,132 MW in 2017. This was a 15% increase over the previous year, having added 6.5 GW of capacity over 2017.

2 – The United States

Despite the recent shale oil revolution, which has brought with it an abundance of natural gas, the United States has also embraced wind power with a total installed capacity of 89,077 MW in 2017. Interestingly enough, it’s the oil-rich state of Texas that had the greatest installed wind power capacity in 2017. In addition, many tech firms look to offset the carbon footprint of their power-hungry data centres by investing in wind power.

1 – China

The GWEC labels China as being the primary force for growth in wind power over the past 10 years. With 188,232 MW of installed capacity in 2017, its wind power sector is more than twice as large as its nearest competitor. Last year alone, it added 19.7 GW of capacity. To put this into context, this increase is greater than the United Kingdom’s entire wind power capacity at the end of 2017.

This rapid growth in wind power will likely continue, with China predicted to reach 250 GW of wind capacity by 2020 to help meet the government’s pledge to generate 15% of all electricity from renewable resources.

The post Top seven countries by wind power capacity appeared first on Oil Store.

While an oil field never goes entirely dry, it eventually becomes unproductive because the cost of extracting the remaining oil exceeds its market value. While operators have been, and continue to be, remarkably adept at finding new practices and technologies to extend the lives of mature oil fields, new fields need to be discovered to meet the world’s future demand for oil.

So, where were the biggest oil and gas discoveries last year? Here are five of them.

1. Africa’s MSGBC basin

With a resource magnitude in excess of 1,000 MMboe (million barrels of oil equivalents) in gas, Kosmos and BP’s offshore Yakaar 1 well looks likely to be the biggest discovery of 2017. Despite some other disappointing results from exploratory drilling, the MSGBG basin remains largely unexplored. With higher oil prices and greater optimism in the industry, it is likely that further discoveries will be announced in the near future.

2. The Guyana-Surinam basin

Guyana is one of many Latin American countries to experience oil discoveries in 2017. ExxonMobil may make high quality lubricants for Mobil distributors, but it’s also one of the world’s biggest upstream oil producers. Its Stabroek Block off the coast of Guyana yielded an impressive three of the world’s most promising exploration wells in 2017. What’s more, all are estimated to have a resource magnitude of 100-500 MMboe in oil. The company recently raised its estimate for the block’s recoverable resources from 3.2 billion boe to more than 4 billion boe.

3. Mexico

Mexico also saw two big discoveries of between 1-2 billion boe last year. For example, the Zuma 1 offshore well was drilled and yielded results for Talos, while the biggest onshore discovery in 15 years was reported in the Veracruz Basin Pemex.

4. United States

While much has been said about US shale oil, the country also made a big discovery in Alaska’s Colville Basin with Armstrong Energy’s Horseshoe wells. In the Nanshuck play, where the wells are located, the operators believe there may be around 1.2 billion barrels.

5. Iraq

Iraq is already a major oil producer, but years of sanctions and wars have meant that much of its reserves, both unproven and proven, are still ripe for exploration. This was evidenced with 2017’s biggest discovery in the Middle East. After drilling its exploratory Eridu-1 well in the Mesopotamian Basin, operator Lukoil and its partner INPEX Corp announced the discovery of sweet oil. A further two appraisal wells led to an estimate of a billion barrels of recoverable reserves.

Of course, not all discoveries are so big. For example, while North Sea oil is thought to be in decline, operators are still making sub-100 MMboe discoveries in the British, Dutch, and Norwegian areas of the North Sea. Indeed, there seems to be no indication the world will run out of oil. In 2015, oil giant BP estimated that oil reserves would double by 2050, even in the face of booming consumption. What’s more, the company also predicted there would be enough accessible energy to meet global demand 20 times over once other forms of energy (e.g. nuclear and renewables) were also considered.

The post Five of last year’s biggest oil and gas discoveries appeared first on Oil Store.

Bloomberg reports that ExxonMobil is seeking to buy renewable energy for delivery in Texas.

According to a document obtained by Bloomberg, the US oil major is soliciting proposals from solar and wind energy producers, with a deadline of June 8, 2019.

Successful contracts will have a duration of 12, 15 or 20 years, but what is perhaps most surprising is the amount of electricity being sought. ExxonMobil is seeking at least 100 megawatts, but it will also consider pitches in excess of 250 megawatts, which would be an unprecedented power-purchase agreement (PPA) for an oil and gas company. To give a comparison, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (NEF) states that the combined PPAs of all the other oil and gas companies only amount to 85 megawatts.

ExxonMobil is based in Texas, which is the number-one US state for wind power generation. It is unclear what the company plans to do with the energy, but it is feasible that it could be used to power some of the company’s downstream activities, such as making the lubricants for Mobil distributors.

In the past, ExxonMobil has lagged behind other big oil companies in embracing renewable energy, although its algae-based biofuel may one day be viable on an industrial scale, giving cause for hope of a greener future.

An analyst at Bloomberg NEF, Kyle Harrison, said that the development shows renewable energy to be a cost-competitive option and indicates that major companies are showing their commitment to sustainable sources.

The post ExxonMobil looks to buy renewable energy appeared first on Oil Store.

While oil reserves can be a source of income for many nations, it’s the task of companies, sometimes state-owned, to find and develop oil resources. Here are the world’s top five oil companies by revenue:

5. ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil was founded in 1999 when Exxon and Mobil, both derivative companies of J.D. Rockefeller’s original Standard Oil Company, merged to create the world’s fifth biggest oil company by revenue. Although it is an American company with its headquarters in Texas, it has a global presence, and it employs thousands of people around the world. While it has a considerable upstream presence, it also makes petrochemical products, such as the leading lubricants sold through Mobil stockists.

4. Petro China

The world’s fourth-biggest oil company by revenue, Petro China, is based in China with headquarters in Beijing. It was founded in 1999 as the listed arm of China National Petroleum Corporation, which is owned by the Chinese Government.

3. China National Petroleum Corporation

Above Petro China in terms of revenue is its parent company China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), which also has its headquarters in Beijing. Since being established in 1988, it has become the third-biggest oil company in the world and the employer of more than a million people. Among its operations, it produces and refines petrochemicals and natural gas. It is also involved in the exploration of oil fields. Its influence stretches beyond China through a global network of branches and strategic investments in other countries. It even holds shares in some of the world’s other oil companies.

2. Sinopec

Continuing the theme, the world’s second-biggest oil company also comes from China. Like CNPC, Sinopec is also owned by the Chinese state. While it reported an impressive $455.499bn (£352.93bn) in 2015, some emphasise that along with CNPC, the huge revenues may partly be due to the almost complete duopoly the two companies share in China for the wholesale and retail business of oil products. Nevertheless, the company has expanded its asset based through exploratory drilling in Africa and buying shares in other oil companies. It works in the production of petrochemicals and gas and oil explorations, as well as the sale and distribution of petrochemical products.

1. Saudi Aramco

Formerly known as the Saudi Arabian Oil Company but popularly referred to as simply Aramco, Saudi Aramco is the largest oil company in the world. It’s history dates back to the oil shortages of World War 1, but it was officially founded as the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company in 1933. Despite being originally a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of California, the Saudi Arabian Government gradually increased its “participation interest” in the company, which was then called Arabian American Oil Co. or Aramco for short. By 1976, it owned 100% of the company, which was later reestablished as the Saudi Arabian Oil Company following a royal decree in 1988.

Saudi Aramco is thought to hold the largest oil reserves of any oil company, and it is also the world’s biggest producer of oil. Despite being established to develop the vast oil reserves of Saudi Arabia, it also has a global exploration and distribution presence.

The post The world’s five biggest oil companies appeared first on Oil Store.

The Mobil DTE range of lubricants is for machinery that requires a high-performance, is long lasting and has advanced properties.

What is Mobil DTE oil?

Mobil DTE oil is formulated with a highly refined base oil with additives, which improves its performance. Stable and water resistant, the oil has a high viscosity index, which means that the film thickness remains steady at all temperatures and results in minimum power loss when machinery is warming up.

Mobil DTE oil is available as Mobil DTE Light, Medium, Heavy Medium and Heavy grades. Mobil has a full datasheet on the properties of the oil, which can be found on its website.

Who uses Mobile DTE oil?

Mobile DTE oil is suitable for a wide range of uses. The range is widely used in steam turbines and hydro turbines, but it is also suitable for use in machines that operate in or near the sea, as the oil is not affected by saltwater and can also help protect against its corrosive effect.

Any machinery that involves pumps or valves can benefit from using DTE oil. The DTE range is recommended for natural gas compression and rotary air compressor machines.

The long-lasting properties of Mobil DTE oil make it ideal for plain and roller bearings that operate continuously.

Many businesses have used Mobil DTE Oil for decades and are so satisfied with the oil’s performances that they would not use any other oil. DTE is the oil of choice for equipment used by many businesses all over the world.

What are the benefits?

Companies choose Mobil DTE oils because of their proven benefits. ExxonMobil spends a great deal on research and development to make sure that its oils perform excellently.

The DTE oil range is very thermal and chemically stable. This means that there is a long period between oil changes and machines have less equipment downtime.

The anti-wear properties of the oil mean that equipment lasts longer and there should be less downtime for repairs.

Mobil DTE oils protect against rust and corrosion, which also contributes to equipment lasting longer. They also boast a high resistance to foaming, and this avoids noisy, erratic operation and pump cavitation.

This range of oils has multiple applications too, which means that businesses need to buy fewer different types of oil. This rationalises inventory organisation and costs.

Health and safety and safe disposal

Businesses have a duty to protect the wellness of their employees. When Mobil DTE oils are used correctly, they will not be a health hazard. Mobil provides a Material Safety Data Sheet which, when followed, will make sure that all applications of the oil are safe.

Like all oil products, used Mobile DTE oil should be safely disposed of in ways that conform to local environmental regulations.

For a versatile high-performance oil, choose Mobil DTE Light to Heavy grades. Choose the grade recommended by the manufacturer of your equipment.

The Oil Store is a proud distributor of Mobile DTE Light Oil.

The post The benefits of using Mobil DTE oil in your machinery appeared first on Oil Store.

Mobil has been producing industrial oils for over 150 years, with customers based in many countries worldwide and operating in a variety of industries.

Working with equipment manufacturers

ExxonMobil works with equipment manufacturers to make sure that they meet the lubrication requirements that manufacturers demand. As new technology is developed, Mobil is meeting the challenge of providing new oil specifications that help make new mechanised equipment more reliable.

There are many reasons why manufacturers and users trust Mobil as their oil supplier.

Advancing productivity

The goal or purpose of Mobil is to develop high performance products that advance the productivity of companies. Oils are designed to lubricate and protect machinery from corrosion. Mobil develops long-lasting oils that need changing less regularly. This increases productivity because machine downtime is reduced; for example, Mobil DTE Light is ideal for machinery that is in constant use. Additives in the oil protect machinery against rust and corrosion, and the oil is suitable in ocean locations as it protects machinery from the corrosive effects of saltwater.

Safety

The safety of workers is of paramount concern. Long-life lubricants improve the reliability of machinery, resulting in fewer leaks, spills and downtime. This makes the working environment safer.

The environment

Powered machinery impacts the environment. Diesel-burning machinery emits gasses and oil has to be disposed of safely after an oil change. Mobil oils help reduce the environmental impact of oil.

Advanced lubricants help machinery to be energy efficient and this lowers energy costs and means that fewer greenhouse gasses are emitted. Long-lasting lubricants need changing infrequently, and this reduces lubricant disposal.

Mobil is actively researching ways to reduce greenhouse gases and energy use. The company has a policy to ensure that their business has a positive influence on local communities in every area that they operate.

Customer service

Most users of Mobil oil buy from distributors like ourselves at Oil Store. Mobil may not sell directly to a business, but their Mobil Serv program means that a business can communicate directly to experts at company about particular lubricant requirements. For example, if a business is not sure whether they need Mobil DTE Light Oil or a heavier grade and their distributor is not sure either, they can communicate directly with the Mobil team.

If a business has complex issues concerning their use of oil, a Mobil engineer can visit to discuss ways in which Mobil products can be a solution to a lubricant challenge.

The key to reliable maintenance and avoiding downtime for machinery is oil analysis that tests the efficiency of all oil being used in machinery. Mobil Serv Lubricant Analysis is a system that makes oil analysis quicker and more efficient.

An excellent choice

Mobil spends a lot on research and development, and Mobil DTE Light is an example of an advanced product that is made from refined oil with additives developed to increase efficiency.

To keep your machinery going longer by making it more reliable, Mobil is the favoured oil brand for many British companies, and we are an official distributor here at Oil Store.

The post Why do so many businesses rely on Mobil oil? appeared first on Oil Store.

The world would be a very different place without hydraulics and the oils that make them possible, like Mobil DTE Light. Aeroplanes rely on hydraulic systems due to the extreme pressure on their control surfaces while in flight, while powerful hydraulic presses enable metal to be shaped into objects like coins.

Here are some things you might not know about this technical marvel:

1 – Pressure is vital to hydraulics. Hydraulic systems only work when the system’s oil is compressed to an extreme level.

2 – Three main types of energy exist in a hydraulic system. There is potential energy that derives from the pressure. Secondly, any resistance to the flow—which is inevitable to some degree, even when using high-quality oils like Mobil DTE Light—results in heat energy. Most importantly, though, there is kinetic energy from the moving liquid, and this is what does the work.

3 – When energy is put into a hydraulic system, usually through some kind of motor, aside from getting the oil to the necessary pressure, two things can happen to it. It is either used to achieve work (i.e. do whatever the machine is intended to do) or it can be lost as heat.

4 – A hydraulic system does not draw oil into itself—it is pushed in using air pressure.

5 – A hydraulic system does not create energy, but rather converts it from one form to another.

6 – Hydraulics enable hydraulic presses to use immense force to compress and shape metals. This is how coins are made.

7 – There are four basic but essential components for a hydraulic system: A reservoir to hold a suitable hydraulic oil like Mobil DTE Light, a pump to push it into the system, a valve to regulate the oils flow and pressure, and finally a cylinder, which takes the oil’s movement and converts it into work.

8 – The oil’s flow must always be unrestricted in a hydraulic system. Should it come across any kind of block or opening, the pressure will inevitably drop and the machine will stop working.

9 – Two main groups of hydraulic systems exist. In a closed-centre system, the pressure is kept constant while the flow is varied. The opposite is true for an open-centre system, where the flow is kept constant and the pressure is varied.

10 – There are actually two basic types of hydraulics: hydrodynamics and hydrostatics. In hydrodynamics, fluids are used at a lower pressure but with a higher speed. An example of this would be a boat’s propeller, which uses its interaction with the water to propel the vessel forward. Most industrial hydraulic systems, however, are based on hydrostatics, where the fluid flows at much slower speeds but is kept under immense pressure.

11 – It is possible for hydraulic systems to feature different flows, yet have the same output energy. For example, one system could have a high flow, and another could have a low flow, but both have the same energy.

12 – NASA’s retired space shuttled faced extreme operational requirements, and this is evidenced by its hydraulic pumps, which ran at 3,600 rpm and produced about 3,050 PSI (pounds per square inch) each.

The post 12 interesting facts about hydraulics appeared first on Oil Store.

Hydraulic oil is different to regular lubricating oils. Yes, it does lubricate, and many hydraulic oils like Mobil DTE Light can be applied in both hydraulic and non-hydraulic systems, but what makes it special is that it also acts as the power transfer medium, so it plays two roles in a hydraulic system.

Like any other lubricant, it needs a range of properties to be effective and protect equipment, such as anti-wear additives, hydrolytic stability, demulsibility, and protection against corrosion and rust, to name but a few.

Ensuring efficiency

In addition, to be efficient as power transfer medium, a hydraulic oil needs to a high bulk modus, which means it doesn’t easily compress under pressure. It also needs a high viscosity index, so its viscosity won’t change much at high temperatures. Any changes in either of these properties can reduce or improve the efficiency of a hydraulic system, meaning more or less energy is outputted as work to get things done.

Of course, it stands to reason that a completely uncompressible fluid would be the most efficient for hydraulic systems, preferably with an unvarying viscosity of 25 centistokes. Unfortunately this doesn’t exist, so the challenge for lubricant manufacturers is to get as close to this as possible with oils like Mobil DTE Light and the Mobil DTE 10 Excel range.

The bulk modus conundrum

Improving the bulk modus represents a problem, because it is not something that can be improved with additives. It’s basically an inherent property of the base oil, so all lubricant manufacturers can do is choose the most suitable base oils. Improving the viscosity index (VI), however, is a different matter. Using synthetic basestocks can lead to a higher VI, for example. There are also polymer additives known as VI improvers that can be added to an oil to raise its VI. While these have been around for more than half a century, they were typically not shear stable in hydraulic applications.

Fortunately, technology has moved on, and VI improvers can now achieve VI values in excess of 150. This is evident in the Mobil DTE numbered range. Taking, as an example Mobil DTE 26, which has an ISO viscosity of 68, Mobil lists its VI as 98. This is by no means bad, but then look at its more advanced equivalent, Mobil DTE Excel 68, which also has an ISO viscosity of 68. You will see Mobil has improved its VI to 156.

So, what does this mean in practice?

Mobil has performed tests under laboratory conditions for standard hydraulic applications, both with oils from the Mobil DTE 20 series and the Mobil DTE 10 Excel series. It found the Excel series could achieve up to a 6% improvement in hydraulic output. Depending on the application, this could mean greater output (better productivity) or reduced energy consumption (reduced operational costs). They also found the newer oils to have a much longer life than their older counterparts, sometimes as much as three times longer. This can bring the benefits of reduced oil requirements and lower maintenance costs, as well as less scheduled downtime for servicing.

The post What makes hydraulic oil special? appeared first on Oil Store.

More than 80 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil are produced every day around the world. Much of this comes from the big three oil producers – the USA, Russia, and Saudi Arabia – but more than half still comes from smaller producers around the world.

Of course, much of this is converted into fuels of various types, but what other applications does it have? The US Energy Information Agency (EIA) provides some good information about how oil is used in the United States, which is the world’s biggest oil consumer.

Gasoline/petrol

The EIA estimates that about 14 million bpd (about 71% of total consumption) of oil was used each day in 2017 for transport. Finished motor gasoline, the American version of petrol for sale at the pump, alone accounted for 9.33 million bpd of this (some 47% of total US consumption), making it the most-consumed petroleum product in the country.

Distillate fuels

In second at 3.93 million bpd (20% of total consumption) place is distillate fuel, such as heating oil and diesel. While diesel is used in some passenger cars, it is mostly used to fuel heavier vehicles like trains, trucks, boats, and buses, and well as heavy construction vehicles. It’s also used in some electricity generators. Heating oil, meanwhile, can be used to generate electricity in power plants or to provide domestic or industrial heating.

Hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL)

Third on the list are hydrocarbon gas liquids (HGL) at 2.64 million bpd of oil on average. Oil and gas is processed at oil refineries and natural gas processing plants to produce familiar gases like ethane, propane, and butane. Propane is particularly heavily used, with applications like cooking, heating, and drying clothes or crops. It can even be used as a vehicle fuel.

Despite originally being regarded as a nuisance by-product, HGLs are particularly useful because they span the gas-liquid divide. They are gases at lower pressure and liquid at higher pressures, making them easy to store and transport in pressurised containers. They are also used as a feedstock for the petrochemical industry to make plastics, chemicals, and synthetic rubber, and as a thinning agent for transporting heavy crude.

Jet fuels

As a vast country with international links, it’s no surprise that much of the oil ends up as jet fuel, accounting for 1.68 million bpd on average in 2017.

While this is by no means an exhaustive list, let’s look at where lubricants sit in this picture. Given that every vehicle needs oil and industry relies on adequate lubrication to keep its machinery going, you may expect it to be quite high. The IEA estimates that just 0.121 million bpd of oil is used for lubricants like Mobil DTE 24, representing just 0.6% of total US oil consumption.

A typical mineral oil typically comprises 90% or more base oils derived from crude oil, with the remainder being additives that help reduce friction, adjust the viscosity, protect against water and corrosion, reduce wear, and so on. Even the synthetic hydrocarbons used in synthetic lubricants are often ultimately derived from petroleum.

The post What is oil used for? appeared first on Oil Store.

It’s often taken for granted that motorists can stop at a petrol station and fill their tanks, but that fuel has gone through a number of stages before it gets to the pump.

Petrol—just like petroleum-based products such as industrial lubricants such as Mobil DTE Light—needs to be first extracted from the ground, transported and refined before it can be used.

The whole process starts with exploration, which can be an expensive and risky business. While some smaller companies do seek out onshore prospects, exploring offshore and remote fields is generally restricted to the larger oil companies like ExxonMobil. For example, being on a shallow shelf, exploring the North Sea is relatively cheap at $10-30 million for a well, but deep-water wells can cost in excess of $100 million.

While there can be visible signs of petroleum resources on the surface, such as oil and gas seeps, oil exploration these days applies sophisticated technology. When an area is believed to hold hydrocarbon resources, geologists and geophysicists first determine the subsurface geology using a passive seismic or regional seismic reflection survey, gravity survey or magnetic survey. If this reveals a possible reservoir (i.e., a lead), a more detailed seismic survey is performed. It’s only when an exploration well is drilled, however, that the operators know for sure that there are oil and gas resources present.

When a reservoir is found to be commercially viable, oil companies build production wells. This is often referred to as the upstream part of the industry. Of course, it’s not enough to simply pump oil out of the ground—the operator also needs to build a distribution network. This involves constructing a pipeline or using tankers to get the crude oil to the nearest oil terminal.

From here, the midstream activities take over. A lot of oil is produced in regions with limited domestic demand (e.g. Saudi Arabia), so it needs to be transported to net consumers like Europe and the United States. Pipelines are generally regarded as the better option for transport over land, but when they pass through a number of countries, each one may levy a tax on all the oil or gas that flows through them. For sea transport, however, oil tankers are very efficient at transporting large quantities of crude over long distances, although transport can be vulnerable in certain chokepoints, such as the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

When the crude arrives in its destination country, it is shipped to a refinery for downstream activity. Refining basically starts with separating the crude oil into its component hydrocarbons. These can then processed further to make fuels like petrol and diesel, which usually have additives and may be combined with biofuels. These are then shipped by tankers to the petrol stations. Other refined hydrocarbons, however, may be used as feedstock by the petrochemical industry, where they might go into the manufacture of a variety of products, including lubricants like Mobil DTE Light.

The post How oil gets to the petrol pump appeared first on Oil Store.