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Selected Technical and Economic Comparisons of Synfuel Options Background Paper #2 - 1982

Office of Technology Assessment

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 14kb 1
Section 1
52kb		 Table of Contents i
List of Figures iv
List of Tables v
List of Exhibits viii
Section 2
456kb		 Chapter 1: Introduction 1-0
1.1 Role of Synthetic Fuels 1-1
1.2 Scope of Study 1-2
Chapter 2: Background 2-0
(I) Description of the Coal Conversion and Oil Shale Retorting Fuel Cycles
2.1 Overview of the Coal and Oil Shale Fuel Cycles 2-1
2.2 Coal and Oil Shale Resources 2-1
2.3 Exploration and Mining 2-6
2.4 Beneficiation 2-9
2.5 Transportation 2-10
2.6 Conversion 2-10
2.7 Upgrading and Refining 2-10
2.8 Distribution to End Users 2-13
(II) Characteristic Synfuel Technologies Parameters
2.9 Common Elements 2-15
2.10 Physical Size 2-15
2.11 Complexity 2-15
2.12 Costs 2-17
2.13 Conversion Efficiency 2-18
2.14 Other Requirements and Concerns 2-18
Section 3
428kb		 Chapter 3: Overview of Selected Synthetic Fuel Conversion Processes 3-0
3.1 General Synfuel Processes 3-1
3.2 Coal Gasification 3-2
3.3 Coal Liquefaction 3-8
  3.3.1 General 3-8
  3.3.2 Liquid Solvent Refined Coal (SRCII) 3-11
3.3.3 Exxon Donor Solvent 3-14
3.3.4 H-Coal 3-17
3.3.5 Fischer-Tropsch Process 3-21
Section 4
625kb		 3.3.6 Methanol Process 3-26
3.4 Oil Shale Retorting 3-31
  3.4.1 General 3-31
3.4.2 Surface Retorting 3-31
3.4.3 Modified in Situ Retorting 3-36
3.5 Comparison of the Various Synfuel Systems With Respect to Resource Requirements 3-40
Section 5
844kb		 Chapter 4: Synthetic Fuel Processes Conversion Cost and Product Economics 4-0
4.1 Conversion Costs and Product Economics 4-1
4.2 Scale of Production 4-7
4.3 Product Quality 4-8
4.4 Estimating Methods 4-11
4.5 Product Upgrading 4-22
Section 6
479kb		 4.6 Refining Synthetic Liquids 4-28
4.7 Transportation and Other Infrastructure Costs 4-36
4.8 Addendum to Chapter 4: Basis for Cost Assumptions 4-43
  1 Basic Conversion Plant 4-43
2 Assumptions of Product Upgrading 4-44
3 Refining Cost Assumptions 4-46
Chapter 5: Supply Deployment Scenarios for Synthetic Fuels 5-0
5.1 Factors and Constraints Affecting Synfuel Development 5-1
5.2 Constraining Factors in the Transition period: 1980-2000 5-3
  5.2.1 Equipment Problems 5-4
5.2.2 Critical Materials 5-6
5.2.3 Manpower 5-6
5.2.4 Coal Supply 5-9
Section 7
208kb		 5.2.5 Water Supply 5-13
5.2.6 Environmental Health and Safety 5-13
5.2.7 Siting 5-14
5.2.8 Transportation 5-15
5.2.9 Tradeoffs 5-15
5.3 Development of Supply Deployment Scenario and Comparisons With Other Estimates 5-17
  (A) Shale Oil Scenario 5-17
(B) Coal Gases Scenario 5-23
(C) Coal Liquids 5-32
(D) Summary Tables and Comparisons 5-38
5.4 Labor Requirements Associated With the Scenarios 5-42
  5.4.1 Operations Labor Needs 5-42
Section 8
538kb		 5.4.2 Construction Labor Needs 5-44
5.4.3 Regional Deployment of Synthetic Fuel Plants Work Force 5-49
5.5 Additional Concerns and Impacts: Product Acceptability Concerns 5-50

5.6

 Foot notes to Chapter 5 5-53
Appendices
  Appendix to Chapter 2: Typical Mining Characteristics A-1
Section 9
710kb		 Appendix to Chapter 5:

(A)

 Status of Process Development A-1

(B)

 Existing U.S. and Foreign Low and Medium-Btu Gasification Systems B-1
Section 10
550kb

(C)

 U.S. DOE Cooperative Agreements and Feasibility Study Grants for Synfuels C-1
Glossary G-1
Bibliography B-1