Fuel Flexible Energy Generation

Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Fuels

John Oakey

• Publisher: Woodhead Publishing
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781782423997
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Fossil Fuels
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Fuel Flexible Energy Generation: Solid, Liquid and Gaseous Fuels provides updated information on flexible fuel energy generation, the process by which one or more fuels can be combusted in the same boiler or turbine to generate power. By adapting or building boilers and turbines to accept multiple fuel sources, they can be co-fired with biomass and waste derived fuels, allowing a reduction in carbon output, thus providing cleaner energy.

Fuel flexibility is becoming more important in a world of diminishing fossil fuel stocks. Many countries are investing in the development of more efficient fuel flexible boilers and turbines, and their use is becoming more prevalent in industry as well.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of flexible fuel energy generation across all potential fuel types, and was written by a selection of experts in the field who discuss the types of fuels which can be used in fuel flexible energy generation, from solid fuels to biomass fuels, the preparation of fuels to be used in fuel flexible operations, that includes their handling and transport, and combustion and conversion technologies with chapters ranging from large-scale coal gasification to technology options and plant design issues.

• Focuses on fuel flexibility across all potential fuel types
• Includes thorough treatment of the technology being developed to allow for fuel flexibility
• Written by leading experts in the field
• Provides an essential text for R&D managers in firms which produce boilers or turbines, those who work in the fuel industry, and academics working in engineering departments on energy generation

Part One

Introduction and fuel types

Outline

1. Introduction to fuel flexible energy

2. Solid fuel types for energy generation: coal and fossil carbon-derivative solid fuels

3. Biomass and agricultural residues for energy generation

1

Introduction to fuel flexible energy

James G. Speight CD&W Inc., Laramie, WY, USA

Abstract

Fuels for domestic and industrial use are changing in character with the passage of time, but fuels from petroleum, natural gas, coal, heavy oil, and tar sand bitumen are likely to the predominant modus operandi of the domestic and industrial fuels for the next 50 years. During this period, fuels from tight-shale formations (including oil shale) will also play a role in satisfying fuel demand. The goal is to ensure that these fuel sources are developed in an environmentally controlled manner. Alternative fuel sources, such as biomass, are materials or substances, other than petroleum, natural gas, coal, heavy oil, and tar sand bitumen, that will gradually grow in prominence and be used as sources of fuels or energy.

This chapter presents an overview of the various fuel sources to introduce the various helps to place each fuel source in the correct context of the production of conventional fuels and to understand the options when unconventional fuels are employed for energy production.

Keywords

Biomass; Coal; Natural gas; Oil from shale; Oil shale; Petroleum; Shale gas; Tar sand bitumen

1.1. Introduction

Fuels for domestic and industrial use are changing with the passage of time and have continued to do so since whale oil was first used as illuminating oil followed by kerosene as the illuminant. From that time, with the onset of the modern petroleum industry in 1856, petroleum and coal have been the dominant fuel sources and are now joined by natural gas, shale gas, oil from shale, tar sand bitumen, and oil shale (from which shale oil is produced by thermal decomposition of the kerogen) in the shale—these are the so-called conventional fuel sources and which will be the dominant fuel sources for the next several decades (Speight and Ozum, 2002; Hsu and Robinson, 2006; Gary et al., 2007; Speight, 2007, 2008, 2009; Bower, 2009; Wihbey, 2009; Crane et al., 2010; Levant, 2010; Speight, 2011a,b,c, 2012, 2013a,b,c, 2014a,b). All of these sources are fossil fuel sources, are nonrenewable, and cannot be replaced without invoking the concept of geological time and, therefore, sustainability of current fuel sources is open to debate (Crane et al., 2010; Zatzman, 2012).

To clarify and avoid the confusion regarding recent terminology, the term oil from shale is a petroleum-type oil than can be recovered in its natural state from shale formations, whereas shale oil is a petroleum substitute oil which does not exist in a natural state in shale and is produced by thermal decomposition of the organic material (kerogen) in oil shale. Shale oil is produced from either mined or unmined (in situ) shale (Speight and Ozum, 2002; Hsu and Robinson, 2006; Gary et al., 2007; Speight, 2013a, 2014a).

Nonconventional energy sources (also called alternative energy sources) are any sources or substances that can be used to produce fuels, other than conventional fuels. These are sources that are continuously replenished by natural processes, including biomass, hydropower, nuclear power, solar energy, and tidal energy. Examples of nonconventional fuels include biodiesel, bioalcohols (methanol, ethanol, butanol produced from biological sources), hydrogen, and fuels from other nonconventional (nonfossil fuel) sources (Speight, 2011a,b).

Furthermore, a biofuel is any as solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel consisting of, or derived from, biomass. Biomass can also be used directly for heating or power—known as biomass fuel. Biofuel can be produced from any carbon source that can be replenished rapidly, for example, plants. Many different plants and plant-derived materials are used for biofuel manufacture and the various technologies applied to produce biofuels hold great promise (Speight, 2008; Giampietro and Mayumi, 2009; EREC, 2010; Langeveld et al., 2010; Speight, 2011a,b).

On the other hand, there are fuels known as flexible fuels that are typically mixture of fuels such as gasoline and ethanol. Thus, a flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) is, for example, an automobile that can alternate between two or more sources of fuel such as gasoline and ethanol mixtures. Flexible-fuel vehicles are already in production by automobile manufacturers and are engineered to run on blends of gasoline and ethanol in any percentage up to 85%. For example, E85 is a liquid fuel that is 85% v/v ethanol and 15% v/v gasoline—the mixture can be seasonally adjusted for variations in the weather and may, at times, be less than 85% v/v ethanol. To be considered an alternative fuel vehicle (for tax incentives), the automobile or truck must be able to operate on up to 85% v/v ethanol. However, to use any ethanol blend in accordance with the specifications provided by the manufacturer, each manufacturer will, more than likely, have individual specifications. Generally, all gasoline-fueled vehicles are FFVs insofar as they are able to operate on gasoline and ethanol blends up to 10% v/v ethanol—in fact, most gasoline sold in the United States has approximately that amount of ethanol to meet c...