Prospects for coal as a direct fuel and its potential through application of liquefaction and gasification technology. [1 ref. ; 5 tables]
During the next 20 years, domestic energy consumption will grow at a rate of somewhat less than 3 percent per year. Coal production can grow 75 percent in this period, which will increase coal's contribution to our energy budget from 18 to 27 percent. New technology in mining and processing will play only a modest role in expanded utilization of coal, and that mostly after 1985. Principal opportunities and constraints rest in the political arena as we try to accommodate our social concerns with physical and economic realities. No technical fix is on the horizon which will permit coal to be converted cheaply to our present definition of a clean fuel. For processes other than flue-gas desulfurization, value added during conversion exceeds the basic cost of the energy in coal. All conversion costs lie within the range of uncertainty of the untried processes and no process has emerged as clearly superior. An aggressive federal support program is required for verification of the economics on a small commercial scale of several competing conversion processes so that more intelligent choices can be made for the second generation of conversion plants which will emerge in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
- Research Organization:
- Conoco Coal Development Co., Stamford, CT
- OSTI ID:
- 7241445
- Journal Information:
- Energy Sources; (United States), Vol. 3:1
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
COAL INDUSTRY
FORECASTING
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
COAL
COAL GASIFICATION
COAL LIQUEFACTION
COAL MINING
COST
DESULFURIZATION
ECONOMICS
FLUE GAS
PRODUCTION
USES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASIFICATION
INDUSTRY
LIQUEFACTION
MINING
WASTES
010000* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat
294001 - Energy Planning & Policy- Coal