fossil fuels - conventional and advanced · energy resources - fossil fuels fall ... then coal •...

Energy resources - fossil fuels Fall

Throstur Thorsteinsson ([email protected]) 1

Fossil Fuels

The development of sustainable energy systems has ‘emerged as one of the priority issues in the move towards global sustainability’ (Malkina-Pykh et al., 2002)

“improving access to reliable, affordable, economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy services and resources, taking into account national specificities and circumstances through various means such as enhanced rural electrification and decentralized energy systems, increased use of renewable energy, cleaner liquid and gaseous fuels and enhanced energy efficiency.” (Johannesburg declaration)

Social

Economic Environmental

Develop energy systems such that we balance economic development with social and environmental objectives

SED Themes/Goals

Four broad themes/goals towards SED: •Improve technical and economic efficiency (Econ D)

•Improve energy security (supply and infrastructure); diversifying, decentralize, increasing supply, local sources, renewable (Econ D)

•Reduce environmental impact (environmental dimension)

•Expand access and affordability (social dimension)

Multi-objective policy and decision-making

E.g. Energy and Environmental policy interlinked!



Resource Classification How to measure lifetime? Fossil Fuels, use and lifetime

• Conventional vs. unconventional

• Oil

• Natural Gas

• Coal

Environmental impact Advanced Use of Fossil Fuel Resources

In 2008, total worldwide energy consumption was

474 exajoules (474*1018 J = 132,000 TWh).

85% fossil fuel

World Total Primary Energy Supply Geothe

rmal

0.1%

Icel

and

Shares of energy sources in total global primary

energy supply in 2008 (492 EJ).



For fossil fuel at the

end of 2010

Reserves to

production ratio (R/P)

Years

Oil

Coal

Natural

gas

Renewable resource: continuously

available or replenished quickly • examples: sunlight, biomass, hydro-power

Non-renewable: extracted at rate > than

replenishment rate • examples: fossil fuels, nuclear fuels, metals

Primary energy

• Can be used almost directly, coal, oil, gas

Secondary energy • Produced from primary energy e.g. electricity

Alternative, conventional, unconventional Measured in e.g. TOE, Joules, BTU’s, kWh

Energy intensity

• BTU energy/tons aluminum

Energy efficiency • Tons aluminum/BTU´s energy

• Laws of thermodynamics! Quantity, quality

EROI • Energy out/Energy in

Conservation

Cogeneration (e.g. NGCC, combined gas

and steam cycle – waste heat to produce

electricity)

Efficiency change

Oil

• Conventional (crude)

• Unconventional (Oil shale, Tar sands, Heavy crude)

Natural Gas

• Conventional

• Unconventional (Methane ice, coalbed methane)

Coal

• Conventional



Origin Organic matter is buried in anoxic marine basins in

tropical environments often in highly productive areas

Incomplete biological decomposition, depth >500m Buried organic material forms kerogen, a solid,

waxy organic material Kerogen is converted to petroleum during burial at

temperatures of 50 to 100°C; up to 200°C for gas. More heat and pressure - higher quality fuels.

Increasing pressure and heat - water pushed out, upwards migration to reservoir rock, cap rock.

Petroleum migrates from source rock (usually siltstone or shale) to reservoir rock (usually more permeable)

Oil will move to surface unless it hits an oil trap

Thus to get oil, we need a productive area, lack of oxygen, high pressure and heat, trapping structure

Primary recovery

• 25-30%, flows out by own pressure

Secondary recovery • 10%, flows out with help of gas or water

Tertiary recovery • 10%, CO2 or NOx enhanced recovery

An oil refinery is

an industrial process

plant where crude oil

is processed and

refined into useful

petroleum products

such as gasoline

and diesel fuel.

Fractional distillation

Oil Shale: brown-black sedimentary rock consisting of kerogen (10%) and fine mineral grains • Surface or subsurface mining, vaporized

• 10 times oil reserves of the Middle East

• Environmentally harmful, expensive

Tar Sand: unconsolidated sand and silt with bitumen • Mining, vaporizing, high viscosity

• Expensive, environmentally harmful



Peak oil is the point or timeframe at which the

maximum global petroleum production rate is

reached, after which the rate of production

enters its terminal decline.

If global consumption is not mitigated before the

peak, the availability of conventional oil will drop

and prices will rise, perhaps dramatically.

M. King Hubbert first used the theory in 1956 to

accurately predict that US oil production would

peak between 65 and 70.

His model, now called Hubbert peak theory, has

since been used to predict the peak petroleum

production of many other countries

According to the Hubbert model, the production

rate of a limited resource will follow a roughly

symmetrical bell-shaped curve based on the

limits of exploitability and market pressures.

Best first principle in

action

Discoveries peak, and

then production peaks

Peak defined by

physical scarcities - at

about mid-point

After peak, production

declines



Natural gas

• Mixture of 80 - 90% methane, smaller amount of

heavier hydrocarbon compounds

• Conventional - with oil

• Unconventional

Coalbed methane

Methane ice (>500m), marsh gas

Aquifer gas

Water ice, that

contains methane

within its crystal

structure

Frozen, or

crystallized storage

of methane

Polar permafrost, in

ocean sediments



Origin:

• Dead plants are buried in terrestrial

sediments

• Heat, pressure and bacterial action and

lack of oxygen

• First peat, then coal

• Anthracite, bituminous, lignite

In order of

increasing energy

content:

1.Peat

2.Lignite (low sulfur)

3.Bituminous (high S)

4.Anthracite (low-med

sulfur)



Electricity

• Increase efficiency of power/electricity generation

and use less coal more natural gas

• Use cogeneration – polygeneration - synfuels

Transportation

• Towards use of electricity, hydrogen, biofuels,

synfuels

• Other advanced transportation tech. e.g. hybrids

Cogeneration(steam-electricity) –

polygeneration (steam, electricity, synfuels). A) Large scale (Coal) – IGCC.

B) Small scale (Natural gas) - NGCC - can be deployed at a

much smaller scales from 1 to several hundred megawatts).

Clean coal

Cogeneration with industry

Increase the Efficiency of Power/electricity generation, and use more gas.

• Gas Driven Turbines

Advantages: Are as efficient as the coal driven ones

NOx the only real pollution (and CO2 of course) and is only 10% of coal fired power plants.

• Disadvantages: A bit more expensive

Inertia prevents investment

Increase fuel efficiency - only about 8% efficiency, use lighter cars

Use Alternative Fuels • Hybrids cars: Use a mixture of electricity and gasoline.

• Electric cars: Plug - in

• Biofuels: Such as ethanol, methane, biodiesel

• Synfuels – or syngas derived fuels:

Synthetic middle distillates (SMD)

Dimethyl ether (DME)

• Hydrogen as an energy carrier – fuel cells



Recovery: damage to fragile

ecosystems, water and air pollution, and

waste disposal

Refining: soil, water and air pollution

Delivery and Use: energy to power

automobiles, produce electricity, etc.

Household Scale • Carbon monoxide

Local (community) Scale • Fuel-derived air pollution/urban pollution. Electric Power sector - particles, NOx and SOx, lead e.g.

Local pollution

Car exhaust - Small particles, NOx, SOx, VOC - Smog

• Oil Spills: impact on water and terrestrial ecosystems, very difficult to clean.

• Local impact from extraction

Regional scale

• Acid Rain

Global Scale • Climate change

fossil fuels - conventional and advanced · energy resources - fossil fuels fall ... then coal •...

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