Synthetic fuels coal-based

Faced with the above obstacles to mining enough coal for conventional uses, it is difficult to see how we can develop a synthetic fuel industry based on coal unless we make it more attractive from an economic standpoint. 

Coal gasification, which is used intensively in parts of the world, is also based on partial oxidation. Often the hydrogen is, however, not separated from the syngas, e.g. in the production of synthetic fuels. Coal gasification plays a role as a sub-process especially for the so called Pre-Combustion CO2 Capture . 

Coal is used ia industry both as a fuel and ia much lower volume as a source of chemicals. In this respect it is like petroleum and natural gas whose consumption also is heavily dominated by fuel use. Coal was once the principal feedstock for chemical production, but ia the 1950s it became more economical to obtain most industrial chemicals from petroleum and gas. Nevertheless, certain chemicals continue to be obtained from coal by traditional routes, and an interest in coal-based chemicals has been maintained in academic and industrial research laboratories. Much of the recent activity in coal conversion has been focused on production of synthetic fuels, but significant progress also has been made on use of coal as a chemical feedstock (see Coal CONVERSION processes). 

Depending on the product and sales arrangement, the revenues calculation can take from a few man-hours to many man-months of effort. For instance, determining the price for a synthetic fuel from coal can be done in a very short time, based on the cost of service. However, if the price is tied to the price of natural gas or oil, the task becomes very difficult, if not impossible. On the other hand, determining the sales growth and selling price for a new product requires a great deal of analysis, speculation, market research, and luck, but projections can be made. 

The early 1970 s saw the development of many new coal-based, synthetic-fuel, fluidized-bed processes which operated at high pressures. The scientists and engineers charged with designing these processes realized that there was a severe lack of information on how pressure (and also temperature) affected the operation of fluidized beds. Therefore, several studies to determine the effect of pressure on the operation of fluidized beds were commissioned. During the same period, other researchers in Japan, Europe, and the U.S. were also starting to conduct research to determine the effects that temperature and pressure have on fluidized systems. 

The terms synthetic fuel and alternative fuel are closely related, but not truly synonymous. Synthetic fuel was coined as a term in the middle of the twentieth century to include gaseous, liquid and solid fuels produced from coal, oil shale, tar sands, and biomass. Alternative fuel appeared as a popular phrase during the latter years of the twentieth century which referred to fuels that were not totally based on petroleum and held potential as clean-burning, low-polluting, commercially viable fuel resources. 

The carbon in coal can exist in two forms, volatile carbon and base carbon. Volatile carbon is released by pyrolysis while base carbon remains as a residual char or coke. Both forms of carbon in coal have been utilized in the development of synthetic fuel. 

An interesting side note to the use of coal is the recent use of jet fuel that is derived from coal. The U.S. Air Force, which spends billions of dollars each year on jet fuel, has been testing a blend of conventional petroleum-based jet fuel and synthetic fuel derived from gasification in aircraft since 2006. 

This paper has primarily discussed the latter topic and other speakers at this conference have discussed a number of the other topics. It is likely that the large pilot plants that will begin operation in 1980 will establish engineering parameters and information that will bring the production of fuels from coal to technical readiness and provide a firm engineering and environmental data base to establish the foundation for a synthetic fuels industry in the U.S. 

Basically, our initiative in coal-derived synthetic fuels began at the end of World War II from the German technology and liquefaction experience, and this was the basic reason why the center at PETC was expanded from downtown Pittsburgh out to its current site. Then with the discovery of substantial oil assets in the mid-East War. So PETC s technology base on liquefied coal fuels has been in being since the end of World War II. 

The title of my paper "The Future of Coal as a Source of Synthetic Fuels", might better have been stated as "Is There a Future for Coal as a Source of Synthetic Fuel" In which case, my answer would be that if Washington continues on its present incredible suicidal direction of destroying our domestic energy base, there is no future for coal for synthetic fuels and in fact, there is no future for synthetic fuels from coal or from anything else. This is particularly true for the next 10 to 20 years - after that, there could be a future for both. 

Thus, energy policy makers face an exceptionally severe challenge. They must find politically acceptable ways to produce and market the remaining oil and gas resources in quantities and at prices which do not impair the capabilities of the industrialized world to manage the transition to inexhaustible energy forms. They must determine the path of the transition Is it to rely primarily on the still abundant coal, bitumen and marginal hydrocarbon resources in conjunction with synthetic fuels and a moderate increase in electrification Or, is it to follow a high electrification scenario based on coal and/or nuclear fission ... 

The combustion of fossil fuels in the United States will be complicated by an increased reliance on fuels with high nitrogen and low hydrogen content. The problem will be aggravated by the displacement of petroleum-based fuels by coal-derived synthetic fuels and shale oil. 

Another nuclear heat application system that offers reduction potential is the conversion of coal by gasification to other synthetic fuels. The gasification process selected is dependent on what type of fuel is desired. Hydro-gasification is appropriate for H2 or CH4 production, whereas partial oxidation and steam gasification are better suited for methanol production. The latter process has been proposed for a nuclear coal reforming system with methane reformer and steam gasifier based on a 450 MW(th) HTGR. With an input of 93 t/h of water and 34.5 t/h of coal and 27,490 Nm /h of methane, the methanol production rate would be 101 t/h plus 68 MW(e) electricity [31]. 

At the onset of WWII in 1939, the total fuel consumption in Germany was 6 million tonnes oil equivalent. Imports from overseas accounted for 60% of the total supply, 10% were imported overland from European sources (mainly Romania), and 10% were based on domestic oil production. Only the remaining 20% was produced synthetically from coal. This high proportion of imports indicates how precarious the fuel situation was as Germany was cut off from them by the blockade that began at the beginning of World War II. At that time (and still today), four methods of synthetic fuel production from coal were available ... 

Speight, J. G. 2008. Synthetic Fuels Handbook Properties, Process and Performance. New York McGraw-Hill. Covers the production and properties of fuels made from natural gas and hydrates, petroleum and heavy oil, tar sand bitumen, coal, oil shale, and related nonpetroleum based products, such as wood, biomass, and domestic and industrial waste. 

From a search on the Internet, look up the largest coal-based synthetic fuels plant in the United States. Where is it located What does it make How long has it been operating Get the same information for the largest coal-based synthetic fuel plant in the world. Is there at least one other synthetic fuels plant in the world that uses natural gas as a feedstock What is the future of such plants given recent increased development of previously inaccessible natural gas resources ... 

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