Alternate fuel outlook

The outlook for domestic and industrial gas, oil and residual fuels (Fig 2) is one of steady decline under pressure from alternative fuels at attractive prices. This is particularly marked in the heavy residual fuel sector, where coal is the major competitor, but is also apparent in the domestic heating market as a result of efficiency improvements and competition from gas and electricity. 

FIGURE 18.5 Indirect coal liquefaction with potential for coprocessing. (From Miller, C.L., Coal conversion—Pathway to alternate fuels, EIA Energy Outlook Modeling and Data Conference, Washington, DC, March 28, 2007.)... 

When we wrote a previous study (Mather and Wilson, 2006) on the use of textiles in solar electricity conversion, there was a continuing concern about the worldwide dependence on oil as our prime energy source. Alternative fuels each had their promoters and detractors, from both environmental and economic considerations. This outlook has not changed, and the situation may have deteriorated further with political challenges to the assured supply of gas and oil. Therefore, some countries have revisited their shale-based reserves, which are certainly immense but raise issues about environmentally safe extraction. In addition, this fuel would add to atmospheric carbon emissions, which show little sign of being reduced in the near future. 

This paper describes the status of the development of the Exxon Donor Solvent (or EDS) coal liquefaction process. It includes an overview of the jointly funded project and a brief description of the EDS process. It also includes a discussion of the project status, including a description of coal feed flexibility, hydrogen and fuel gas production alternatives and the progress in the construction of the 250 T/D pilot plant. Other communications have covered the R D program, the outlook for commercialization, and the organization of the EDS Project (1,2, 3,, 5, 6, J) ... 

The technology is rapidly approaching a state of development that can provide reliable commercial design data. Just as rapidly, the critical nature of the world energy outlook is becoming more definitized, making it obvious that any reasonable alternatives to crude oil as a source of fuel and petrochemicals must be evaluated for commercial potential as expeditiuosly as possible. 

On the other hand, if the price of fossil fuels declines from today s peak and there are no technology breakthroughs, the outlook is likely to be mixed. As Figure 5 illustrates, while some alternative energy sources appear to be competitive with traditional fossil fuels, others have a ways to go at present prices and with present technology to achieve the economics that are likely to promote a major shift in demand. 

This paper analyzes the sources of hydrogen for ammonia production, presents the feed and fuel requirements of the natural gas steam reforming process, estimates the relative economics of alternate feedstocks and briefly discusses the outlook for the ammonia industry. 

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