Look at this strange stuff. It’s called Aerogel, and it’s a super insulator with the lowest density of any solid substance in the world. Affectionately known as “frozen smoke,” it happens to be really good at sucking up a bunch of slimy oil. Its maker, AeroClay, is hard at work creating a spongy version of this shapeable goo that could be fabricated into gigantic sheets that soak up only oil, but not water. This would be perfect for cleaning up that gigantic oil slick, otherwise known as the Gulf of Mexico. Too bad it’s not ready right now, guys. Regardless of the [...]

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Speaking of using hexane to extract oil from soybeans: Apparently, back in 1981, the Ralston-Purina plant in Louisville, Kentucky, illegally discharged hexane vapors into the city sewer system—leading to a series of explosions that destroyed two miles of sewer line. Luckily, this happened super-early in the morning, meaning lots of people were woken up, but nobody was killed. (Via Dr. Kiki Sanford)

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Cyclone Power Technologies, maker of electric generator systems, has just received a tall order. As part of a new contract with the Phoenix Power Group, it will be building a prototype of a generator powered by the external combustion of waste motor oil (PDF) — a ubiquitous, renewable source of energy. The first of these systems is predicted to churn out 50 kilowatts of electricity (enough to power about 50 American homes). Motor oil might not seem like the cleanest substance in the world, but Cyclone says it has devised a way to burn it cleanly and recover the heat released in the process. [...]

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Gwadar is located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, on the Arabian Sea.The Gwadar Port was built on a turnkey basis by China and signifies an enlarging Chinese footprint in a critically important area. Opened in spring 2007 by then Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, in the presence of Chinese Communications Minister Li Shenglin, Gwadar Port is now being expanded into a naval base with Chinese technical and financial assistance. Gwadar Port became operational in 2008, with the first ship to dock bringing 52000 tonnes of wheat from Canada. Minister of Ports and Shipping Sardar [...]

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The idea of creating database driven oil industry software programsfor use in exploration and production was introduced in the early 1990s. The Petrotechnical Open Software Corp’s request for information in 1991 generated a great deal of positive feedback from major companies directly involved in drilling and refining, as well as a variety of support companies. Here’s a look at what’s available today. Telemetry Telemetry or telematics allows engineers, operators, designers and executives to monitor information from remote locations. The technologyis used in a variety of different fields [...]

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