Liquid fuel supplies

This paper presents an overview of United States and world petroleum, natural gas, and natural gas liquids presumed recoverable but as-yet undiscovered resources and suggests that the depletion of these fuels may not occur as quickly as frequently predicted. the paper points out that the construction of a synthetic fuels industry will be very costly and will provide only a small amount of increased energy independence. the fear is expressed that haste in accepting a specific synfuels process on the basis of present technology may serve to forestall the development of a better technology in order to gain better understandings of the various technologies, more information on costs and the essential but as yet unknown information on environmental and socioeconomic effects of large scale plants.     

Fuels and Energy for the Future: The Role of Catalysis

Abstract

There are many reasons to decrease the dependency on oil and to increase the use of other energy sources than fossil fuels. The wish for energy security is balanced by a wish for sustainable growth. Catalysis plays an important role in creating new routes and flexibility in the network of energy sources, energy carriers, and energy conversion. The process technologies resemble those applied in the large scale manufacture of commodities. This is illustrated by examples from refinery fuels, synfuels, and hydrogen and the future role of fossil fuels is discussed.     

Fuels and Energy for the Future: The Role of Catalysis

There are many reasons to decrease the dependency on oil and to increase the use of other energy sources than fossil fuels. The wish for energy security is balanced by a wish for sustainable growth. Catalysis plays an important role in creating new routes and flexibility in the network of energy sources, energy carriers, and energy conversion. The process technologies resemble those applied in the large scale manufacture of commodities. This is illustrated by examples from refinery fuels, synfuels, and hydrogen and the future role of fossil fuels is discussed.     

Economic and market potential for SRC-II products

The SRC-II process being developed by Gulf Oil Corporation under a contract with the Fossil Fuel Division of the United States Department of Energy has shown considerable promise in pilot plant work, and plans are now being made to demonstrate the process using commercial size equipment in a 6000 tons/day (T/D) plant to be located near Morgantown, West Virginia. the products (both liquid and gas) from a future large-scale commercial plant are expected to have an overall selling price of $3·50-4·00 per million Btu (fourth quarter 1978 basis). The major product of the primary process is distillate fuel oil of less than 0·3 per cent sulphur for use at the outset largely as a non-polluting fuel for generating electrical power and steam, especially in the east where utilities and industry are presently using petroleum products. In such applications, SRC-II fuel oil is expected to become competitive with petroleum-derived fuels within the next decade. During this period, SRC-II fuel oil should be economically attractive compared to coal combustion with flue gas desulphurization in electric utility and industrial boilers, particularly in the major metropolitan areas. For the longer term, the major growth opportunity for SRC-II fuel oil in the generation of electric power will probably be through advanced combustion turbine units with heat recovery boilers (combined cycle units). The light liquid fractions (naphtha and middle distillate) produced by the SRC-II process can be upgraded to a high octane unleaded gasoline blending stock to supplement petroleum-derived supplies. Significant quantities of pipeline gas are also produced at a cost which should be competitive with SNG from direct coal gasification. Light hydrocarbons (ethane, propane) from the process may be effectively converted to ethylene in conventional cracking plants to offset ethylene demand from petroleum-derived naphtha and gas oil, both of which could otherwise be used for other refinery products. In addition, certain fractions of the fuel oil might also be used in medium speed diesel engines and automotive gas turbines. For many of these applications, the fuel oil and other products from the SRC-II process would displace high quality petroleum fractions, which could then be used for production of diesel fuels, jet fuels, home heating oil, and gasoline by conventional refinery processes.     

Environmental concerns for coal synfuel commercialization

The control of multimedia environmental impacts (air, land, water) for commercial U.S. coal synfuel facilities is briefly discussed, based on process design data and environmental standards. While environmental control technology appears to be adequate, there is a critical need for confirmatory data from large-scale operating plants. Worker exposure to fugitive emission and the disposal of solid waste are of special concern. the major environmental impediments to the commercialization of existing coal synfuel technology are time delays, facility size limitations, and ‘non-acceptance’ by the impacted community.