CURRENT PERSPECTIVES ON FOSSIL FUEL RESOURCES Fusion Power Associates 25 th Anniversary Meeting and Symposium December 13, 2004 John Sheffield Joint Institute for Energy and Environment University of Tennessee
FOSSIL FUELS INCLUDE Coal Lignite Peat Conventional Oil Heavy Oil, Oil Sands, and Shale Oil Gas and Natural Gas Liquids Methane Hydrates
FOSSIL FUELS ARE INTERCHANGEABLE All fossil fuels may be both gasified and converted to liquids. Consequently, all of the fossil resources should be included when we consider availability for a particular purpose e.g. transportation or electricity production.
RUNNING OUT OF AND INTO OIL David Greene et al (ORNL and U. Tennessee) have analyzed global oil depletion up to 2050 for a number of scenarios. They consider both conventional and unconventional oil resources. 1 Gtoe = 7.33 billion barrels. ROW conventional oil production may peak in Including OPEC around To meet demand, the difference will be made up from unconventional oil
Page 6
Page 10
Page 12
Page 14
Page 15
Page 26
CONCLUSIONS OF GREENE’S PAPER Present trends imply ROW conventional oil peak in period Transition to unconventional oil may be rapid: 7-9% growth. First suppliers from Venezuela, Canada, Russia. Vast quantities of shale oil (or coal, NG) may be needed before notably in high demand case.
Page 30
Page 27
COAL AND NATURAL GAS From talk by Rita Bajura (NETL) at the NRL - Energy Options for the Future meeting www. World recoverable coal reserves 1,083 billion tons year supply at current use. Coal is mainly used for electricity production - 92% in U.S. and 66% in the World. Issues of mine safety and environmental impact.
Page 2
Page 4
Page 10
Page 14
Page 16
Page 24
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR COAL USE DOE’s goals: Improved efficiency NO x and SO x removal Mercury removal CO 2 sequestration. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) is a promising pathway to “Zero- Emission” Plants
Page 25
NATURAL GAS World proven natural gas reserves 5,500 Tcf - 62-year supply at current use rates (Hydrates?). Cleanest fossil fuel. Rapid rate of increase in use. Price is volatile. In U.S. 24% for electricity, 32% in industry, and 44% other. In World 36% electricity, 23% industry, and 41% other.
Page 39
Page 42
Page 54
Page 57
Page 76
CONCLUSIONS There is a lot of fossil fuel. Needed investment an issue. Uncertainty in total recoverable amount - issue of unit cost. Likely they will be major part of U.S. and Global energy mix for at least the next 50years. Uneven distribution and pollution are major problems. –Carbon sequestration at scale envisioned is still a young technology –Near-zero emission technologies (NO x, SO x, CO 2, Hg) will be necessary to secure long-term future for coal.