Cost of energy

The oil crisis of 1974 following the Middle East war resulted in an overnight quadrupling of the oil price from approximately 8 per barrel to 32 per 

The average prices paid for fuels and electricity are shown in Table 8.5. The prices are quoted on a pence per GJ basis for more easy comparison. Points to notice are the major increases after the oil crises of 1973 and 1979. Also natural gas is a major fuel and has a higher price while the inefficiencies of production of electricity make this the most expensive source of energy. 

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Synthesis. Because of the limited availabiUty of by-product isoprene much effort has been devoted to synthesis of isoprene. Most routes tend to have marginal selectivity and require large amounts of energy. The choice of which route is preferable depends on availabiUty and cost of raw materials and cost of energy. Several synthetic routes have been practiced commercially (103—108). 

Absorption. Oil absorption is another process used for recovery of LPG and natural gas Hquids from natural gas. Recovery is enhanced by loweriag the absorption temperature to —45°C and by keeping the molecular weight of the absorption oil down to 100. Heat used to separate the product from the absorption oil contributes to the cost of recovery. Therefore, this process has become less competitive as the cost of energy has iacreased. A simplified flow diagram of a typical oil-absorption process is shown ia Figure 2. 

Further design modifications to improve energy efficiency are likely, particularly if the cost of energy should increase significantly. 

An important concern in photofinishing and in industrial photography is the environmental effect of effluents discharged by laboratories that process large quantities of color films. Further concerns are the limited suppHes of clean water available for processing in many areas and the high cost of energy to provide clean air and water at required temperatures. The completely self-contained instant films avoid all of these problems. 

The tables were based upon the cost of energy at the end of the first year, a 10 percent inflation rate on energy costs, a 15 percent interest cost, and a present-worth pretax profit of 40 percent per annum on the last increment of insulation thickness. Dual-layer insulation was used for 3l/2-in and greater thicknesses. The tables and a full explanation of their derivation appear in a paper by F. L. Rubin (op. cit.). Alternatively, the selected thicknesses have a payback period on the last nominal l/2-in increment of 1.44 years as presented in a later paper by Rubin [ Can You Justify More Piping Insiilation Hydrocarbon Process., 152-155 (July 1982)]. 

Hohmeyer, O. (1988). Social Costs of Energy Consumption External Effects of Electricity Generation in the federal Republic of Germany. Berlin Springer-Verlag. 

Kosmo, M. (1987). Money to Buni The High Costs of Energy Subsidies. World Resources Institute. 

The range of total pressure indicated in the graph corresponds to the lowest value at which the condensation of H20/dioxane vapors is feasible by using cooling water at a maximum temperature of 35°C (as in when using water from the cooling tower), namely, without the extra cost of energy for the eventual production of chilled water. 

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