In a period when easily extractable sources of relatively clean energy are dwindling worldwide and becoming increasingly expensive, the development of new energy sources--compatible with society's existing technology--has become both an urgent national priority and an increasingly competitive commercial venture.One promising source is the manufacture of synthetic fuels from coal and oil shale. A major constraint is that the processes involved require considerable amounts of water--a once-"free" commodity that is itself becoming increasingly scarce and expensive in many areas. "Water in Synthetic Fuel Production" explores both the promise and the constraints that are involved in the large-scale synthesis of such fuels.The authors summarize the problem and the intent of their book as follows: "Plants to manufacture synthetic fuels from coal and oil shale require large quantities of fresh water and produce large quantities of dirty water. In the United States this poses a problem: much of the easily mined coal and almost all of the high-grade oil shale are in the arid West, and local and temporal water shortages sometimes occur where coal supplies are located in the East. In all regions the discharge of contaminated water is constrained by environmental considerations. In this book we have endeavored to present the practically available technology that can be incorporated in synthetic fuel plants to minimize water consumption and pollution. The book is intended to be a guide to understand the role water plays in synthetic fuel production and includes the basic concepts underlying water usage and water treatment in this context...."The book is directed to a wide audience including those responsible for planning energy development, those involved with the engineering and design of synthetic fuel plants, and students and others who desire a background in synthetic fuel production. The book is formally self-contained and all the material--encompassing the disciplines of chemical, mechanical, civil, environmental, and mining engineering--should be accessible to anyone with an undergraduate degree in engineering or the physical sciences."The book describes the various methods of producing synthetic fuels, and the technologies and costs involved in "not" using water. For alternative economic constraints and different levels of water availability, the technologies involved in minimizing the need for water, and in reusing and recycling water, are applied to the manufacture of different synthetic fuels. For a given level of fuel production, the book demonstrates how to calculate the water consumption and the residual solid wastes in various regions of the country.The authors conclude that, applying the criteria of water availability alone, a relatively high level of synthetic fuel production can be supported in the principal coal and shale regions of the United States, excepting only the most arid areas and those where water is already largely allocated.

Ammonia Fuel Cells covers all aspects of ammonia fuel cell technologies and their applications, including their theoretical analysis, modeling studies and experimental investigations. The book analyzes the role of integrated ammonia fuel cell systems within various renewable energy resources and existing energy systems.

Gasification involves the conversion of carbon sources without combustion to syngas, which can be used as a fuel itself or further processed to synthetic fuels. The technology provides a potentially more efficient means of energy generation than direct combustion. This book provides an overview of gasification science and engineering and the production of synthetic fuels by gasification from a variety of feedstocks. Part one introduces gasification, reviewing the scientific basis of the process and gasification engineering. Part two then addresses gasification and synthentic fuel production processes. Finally, chapters in part three outline the different applications of gasification, with chapters on the conversion of different types of feedstock. - Examines the design of gasifiers, the preparation of feedstocks, and the economic, environmental and policy issues related to gasification - Reviews gasification processes for liquid fuel production - Outlines the different applications of gasification technology

Power to Fuel: How to Speed Up a Hydrogen Economy highlights how the surplus of electricity from renewable sources can be usefully accumulated thanks to hydrogen overcoming the obstacles that can prevent the final use of hydrogen on a large scale. The book includes an introduction and sections on the production of hydrogen, conversion of hydrogen into synthetic fuel, the power-to-fuel concept, and renewable energy source descriptions. The second and third levels are structured identically with a standalone approach that covers established and commercial pathways, emerging pathways, and cost analysis sections within each subject specific chapter, making the content easily referenced and applied.Readers will find details on the state-of-the-art and emerging technologies of various power to fuels options suitable for different final uses of the stored energy, as well as figures and diagrams that illustrate and compare the different processes. The book contains examples of existing plants and pilot projects that will be useful for academics dealing with renewable energies and energy storage. - Discusses possible applications of synthetic fuels, describing existing plants for fuel production - Contains opinions on opportunities offered by the power to fuel concept and by single technologies - Presents power to fuel techno-economic models and calculations down to system level

Capitalize on the Vast Potential of Alternative Energy Sources Such as Fuel Cells and Biofuels Synthetic Fuels Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the benefits and trade-offs of numerous alternative fuels, presenting expert analyses of the different properties, processes, and performance characteristics of each fuel. It discusses the concept systems and technology involved in the production of fuels on both industrial and individual scales. Written by internationally renowned fuels expert James G. Speight, this vital resource describes the production and properties of fuels from natural gas and natural gas hydrates...tar sand bitumen...coal...oil shale...synthesis gas...crops...wood sources...biomass...industrial and domestic waste...landfill gas...and much more. Using both U.S. and SI units, Synthetic Fuels Handbook features: Information on conventional and nonconventional fuel sources Discussion of the production of alternative fuels on both industrial and individual scales Analyses of properties and uses of gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels from different sources Comparison of properties of alternative fuels with petroleum-based fuels Discover All the Benefits and Trade-Offs of Synthetic Fuels • Fuel sources: conventional and nonconventional • Natural gas and natural gas hydrates • Petroleum and heavy oil • Tar sand bitumen • Coal • Oil shale • Synthesis gas • Crops • Wood sources • Biomass • Industrial and domestic waste • Landfill gas • Comparison of the properties and uses of gaseous fuels from different sources • Comparison of the properties and uses of liquid fuels from different sources • Comparison of the properties and uses of solid fuels from different sources

A state-of-the-art review of scientific knowledge on the environmental risk of ocean discharge of produced water and advances in mitigation technologies. In offshore oil and gas operations, produced water (the water produced with oil or gas from a well) accounts for the largest waste stream (in terms of volume discharged). Its discharge is continuous during oil and gas production and typically increases in volume over the lifetime of an offshore production platform. Produced water discharge as waste into the ocean has become an environmental concern because of its potential contaminant content. Environmental risk assessments of ocean discharge of produced water have yielded different results. For example, several laboratory and field studies have shown that significant acute toxic effects cannot be detected beyond the "point of discharge" due to rapid dilution in the receiving waters. However, there is some preliminary evidence of chronic sub-lethal impacts in biota associated with the discharge of produced water from oil and gas fields within the North Sea. As the composition and concentration of potential produced water contaminants may vary from one geologic formation to another, this conference also highlights the results of recent studies in Atlantic Canada.