This morning we opened our minds, not that we normally have them closed, to learn about science. That’s right, science, the science of the petroleum industry. Not the Blinded me with SCIENCE 1980s song popularized by Thomas Dolby. Now, I have never worked in the petroleum industry, but I can assure you that every one of us are affected by it, good, bad, or indifferent. To clear up the muddle, and educate us with SCIENCE, our guest speaker was California Resources Corporation Petroleum Engineer Ray Clanton.
In addition to engineering, Ray knows a bit, bit ha-ha get it, oilfield bit, about education. He is an engineering instructor at CSUB and heads up The Magic Barrel educational program. It is this program Ray told us all about. In this program, Ray said that he actually brings in a 42 gal. oil barrel packed with educational materials to share with school aged children the many concepts, and controversies of petroleum production. It’s all about Fact or Fiction for Ray and he tells it like it is from his experiences as an engineer.
There’s gonna be a test on this boys and girls, so pay attention. Did you know that:
  • California Resources Corporation CRC is the largest oil producer in California.
  • A barrel of oil is 42 gal. Not 55 gal.
  • It is believed oil is derived from prehistoric plant sediments in salt water, if fresh water we would have coal instead.
  • Only 1 in 10 exploration wells drilled for oil will produce oil.
  • Oil exploration is expensive and it is difficult to extract from the earth.
  • Faults make it more difficult to find the oil. There’s a lot of faults here folks!
  • 75% of oil in the US is imported from other countries.
  • Nationwide, California is the 3rd largest oil producer.
  • Natural gas is the preferred fuel of the future.
Ray will admit that not all of his students are PRO-petroleum, but the fact remains that many things we use in everyday life are somehow connected to oil. He impresses on his students that California alone employs 500,000 people in the industry. Good work Ray, and we know and support your pursuits in promoting education and the facts surrounding one of our most important natural resources.