Oil and Gas Producing Activities (Unaudited) - Narrative (Details)	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Industries Disclosures [Abstract]
Period of average estimated price of proved reserves	12 months

Proved reserves are estimated using the average period of oil and gas prices.

No definition available.

Name:	ae_PeriodOfAverageEstimatedPriceOfProvedReserves
Namespace Prefix:	ae_
Data Type:	xbrli:durationItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration