Fuels lessons

The NFS shear successfully processed irradiated LWR fuel between 1966 and 1972. Among the lessons learned were that the chute that channeled sheared fuel pieces to the dissolver basket was susceptible to bridging, the gag drives required a disproportionate amount of maintenance, and insufficient throat clearance led to jamming of chopped fuel. 

Lessons learned about the application of these technologies to clean up media contaminated with MTBE and other fuel oxygenates. 

In 1974, after failure and indications of failure of three commercial reprocessing ventures, the AEC reassigned programs for support of commercial fuel reprocessing to emphasize successful experience and lessons learned from that experience. Responsibilities were transferred from the AEC Division of Reactor Development and Oak Ridge National Laboratory with their pilot plant reprocessing model, to the Division of Production and DuPont Company-operated SRP with their safe, successful production-scale reprocessing experience. 

DuPont carried out and supported research and development by others focused on conceptual design studies for an NRC licensed fuel recycle complex based on its successful reprocessing experience and lessons learned from that experience and the experience of others. The design studies were completed and reports issued in November 1978. Costs for the 3000 ton/ycar integrated fuel reprocessing/fabrication facility were estimated at 3.7 billion (1978 dollars). Special features ofthis facility design include ... 

This facility design concept was not considered in White House reviews of reprocessing during the Ford and Carter Administrations, nor as an option for support by President Reagan, who had been elected on a platform to support reprocessing of commercial spent firel. The ERDA and the DOE had reassigned responsibilities for commercial fuel cycle to its Division of Reactor Development (later Office of Nuclear Energy) which supported pilot plant concepts of its national laboratories and rejected concepts based on successful experience and lessons learned from that experience. 

Capital cost estimates for a new 285 MWe (net) greenfield IGCC plant incorporating lessons learned, technology improvements, and a heat rate of 8526 Btu/kWh are l,318/kW (2000 ) for a coal-fueled unit and 1,260 (2000 ) for a petroleum coke-fueled unit. 

The Concorde aircraft tragedy in July 1999 involved a fuel tank puncture caused by tire failure.During the investigation, it was disclosed that there had been at least five previous incidents of almost the same scenario. In one of the previous incidents, a tire failed and punctured the fuel tanks, yet there was no ignition. The incident investigation management systems used by the airlines failed to adequately follow-up and apply lessons learned from previous investigations. 

The lesson to be learned from this rather coarse and simplified analysis is that spontaneous reactions are costly and energy-inefficient. The spontaneous combustion of fossil fuels for example costs about 30% of the work available in the original fuel [4]. Instead, one should aim for bridging the distance in affinity by a limited number of coupled reactions, which are sequential and share a common intermediate. 

Davis, J.M. and Thomas, V.M. (2006) Systematic approach to evaluating trade-offs among fuel options the lessons of MTBE. Ann. NY Acad. Sci., 1076, 498. 

Finally, we need to seek other lessons from our successes and failures in implementing the innovation process as it fuels growth for DuPont. 

With these sober lessons in mind, let s examine some of the technology and infrastructure issues related to advancing hydrogen as an alternative fuel. 

What are the lessons learned from the failure of PAFC to become a commercial success and how do these lessons apply to other stationary fuel cell systems in development and demonstration Was the cause of failure only the high cost relative to the other DG systems The PAFC systems appeared to perform well. The federal government had spent more than 411 million on PAFC. Should it have continued... 

CaFCP and its members plan to work together to help prepare local communities for fuel cell vehicles and fueling by training local officials, facilitating permit processes and sharing lessons learned. The CaFCP and its members also plan to promote the development of practical codes and standards for FCVs and fueling stations, and help to obtain financial and other support where needed. 

Lessons learned CO exposures and poisonings were the most dramatic health concerns in the early aftermath of the ice storm. CO toxicity has been documented as a health concern following winter storms, especially during power outages. Many of the same mechanisms observed in previous outbreaks of CO poisoning (e.g., improper use of gasoline generators and fuel-powered heaters) may have played a role in Maine. 

The experiences of the past few decades, however, provide a rich and unique historical perspective to examine new government transportation strategies. Three Asilomar presentations look to past experiences for lessons learned. The first two chapters are.by alternative fuel veterans from the DOE and DaimlerChrysler, and the third by two experienced alternative fuel researchers. All three chapters assess past experiences with technology development, investment, and regulation and policy. They offer perspectives on how hydrogen and fuel cell technologies can best be promoted by the government to avoid the pitfalls that hampered past efforts. 

It is evident that a careful assessment has not been made of lessons already learned from previous alternative fuel policies. Chapter 12 in this volume by McNutt and Rodgers discusses the consequences in the United States of earlier policies that emphasized using certain niche markets. They suggest that current hydrogen programs would have been designed differently if those lessons had been taken into account. The situation in the E.U. is the same hardly any connection to lessons learned in past policies. 

Lessons Learned from 15 Years of Alternative Fuels Experience—1988 to 2003... 

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