FOSSIL FUELS

Dr. Tazien Rashid

Assistant Professor
NFC Institute of Engineering & Fertilizer
Research, Faisalabad
SEQUENCE OF PRESENTATION
■ Introduction
■ Coal
■ Oil
■ Natural Gas
■ Shale Oil
■ Tar Sands
■ Methane Hydrate
■ Conclusion
■ Fossil fuels in Pakistan
 Workhorses Of Our Energy
Sector
■ Fossil Fuels are energy-rich substances that
have formed from long-buried plants and
microorganisms.

■ The gasoline that fuels our cars, the coal

that powers electrical plants, the natural gas
that heats our homes are all fossil fuels.
 They are indispensable…
■ High energy density
o 73,890 BTU/ lb of Natural Gas
o 17,400,000 BTU/ton of Lignite Coal
o 138,000 BTU/gal of Fuel Oil
■ Renewable sources vary with
–Geographical location
–Season
–Time of day
■ Relative inexpensiveness.
■ The entire transportation infrastructure is built
around fossil fuels
COAL
 COAL
The energy bridge to the future!!
■ First fossil fuel to be discovered.
■ Pushed to background because of its environmental
effects.
■ The two major uses for coal – steel production and
electricity.
■ Accounts for 23% of the global primary energy
demand, 26% of world electricity production and 70%
of world steel production.
 Reserves…
■ The present reserves represent a life span of
hundreds of years at the current rate of
production and consumption
■ The average open market sales price of coal
in the USA is around $30/ton
 Reverting to COAL
■ For coal to reestablish itself as the primary
fuel, it will need to reduce its environmental
footprint.
Comparison of Air Pollution from the Combustion of Fossil Fuels
(kilograms of emission per TJ of energy consumed)

Natural Oil Coal

gas
Nitrogen oxides 43 142 359

Sulphur di oxide 0.3 430 731

Particulates 2 36 1333
■ Major pollutants are volatile organic compounds
(VOC), Nitrogen oxides (NOX), CO, SO2,
particulate matter, mercury and lead.

■ Electric utility power plants 72%, 35%, and 33% of

total emissions of SO2, CO2, and NOx.

■ Average mercury content of coal is 7.4 pounds per

trillion Btu of energy input to the coal-fired
electricity generator.
 Gasification
■ Breaks down coal into basic chemical constituents.
■ Coal is exposed to hot steam and controlled
amounts of air or oxygen under high temperature
and pressures.
■ Carbon molecules in coal break apart, setting off
chemical reactions that produce syn gas and other
gaseous compounds.
Integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC)
■ Syn gas is burned in a combustion turbine which
drives an electric generator.
■ The exhaust gases are used to heat steam.
OIL
Basic Technology of Oil Extraction
■ The crude oil is separated in a distillation column
into various fractions of multifarious uses.
 Proven oil reserves

■ 465 billion barrels consumed

■ 1 trillion barrels left

■ 22 billion consumed a year

■ 45 years to go! Party now!

 Role of OPEC

■ Middle East countries hold 65% of oil and 34% of

the gas reserves.
■ 14 of the major oil producing countries constitute
the Organization of the petroleum exporting
corporation (OPEC)
■ OPEC has proven reserves of 891,116 million
barrels of crude oil, representing 78.3% of the
world reserves, and produces around 40% of the
world’s crude.
 Increasing Demands And Consequences

■ Oil is extracted at the rate of 75 million

barrels per day, which means the current
reserves are predicted to last only for
another 35-40 years.
■ The cost of oil has already surged past $120
per barrel and now is $64.01.
NATURAL GAS
 Natural Gas
■ The world had around 197.47 trillion cubic meters
at the end of 2014.
Why Natural Gas?
o Cleaner fuel, has low carbon/hydrogen ratio hence
less carbon dioxide emission.
o Has a distinct hydrogen-rich molecular structure,
hence supply hydrogen for future technologies like
fuel cells.
■ 3D seismic technologies now used to locate
fractures in the earth.
 Economics
The price is based on
 calorific value of gas
 local demand
 supply
 cost of alternate liquid fuels

Cost of natural gas has increased over

200% in the past 2 decades.
SHALE OIL
 What is Oil Shale?
■ The Oil Shale consists of a rock marlstone
(mixture of clay and calcium carbonate),
and the main organic constituent is kerogen.
 What is Oil Shale?

Syn- Crude
Naphtha

Rock Jet Fuel

Kerogen 700 - 800 °F Diesel

Nat. Gas
Pyrolysis
Hydrogen

Upgrade 28
 Bright Prospects…
■ Is a 40-50 million-year-old sedimentary rock.
■ Contains a solid hydrocarbon, kerogen which is
"fossilised algae".
■ Time, pressure and temperature have transformed
these sediments into a hydrocarbon-bearing rock.
■ Contains no liquid hydrocarbons.
■ The heating of the oil shale, forces the
decomposition of kerogen and hydrocarbons are
released as a vapour which on cooling becomes
liquid oil and gas.
Where is Shale Found
■ Mostly U.S., Russia, Brazil
■ In U.S. (62% world res.* 2
Trillion bbls)
o Piceance Basin- W. CO
o Uinta Basin- E. UT
o Green River Basin- S. WY
■ Estonia has small reserves
but is leader in power
production from oil shale
(pushed by soviets since
1916)

*potentially recoverable
10 Trillion Barrels of Shale Oil
Worldwide

Russia
Canada Estonia

France Italy
United States Israel China
Morocco Jordan
Egypt

Zaire

Brazil

Australia

Countries With Oil Shale Deposits 31

 Top Ten Countries (Barrels)

China 16 Billion
Estonia 16 Billion
Australia 32 Billion
Morocco 53 Billion
Italy 73 Billion
Brazil 82 Billion
Jordan* 90 Billion
Zaire 100 Billion
Russia 248 Billion
United States 6,000 Billion
32
Source: USGS, 2005
* Jordan NRA, 2009
 How Much Oil Does Shale Hold?

■ Typical values range from 5-50 gallons/ton

■ Some cases up to 100 gallons/ton

 Can We Get the Oil Out?
•Two Primary Methods:

■ Ex Situ ■ In Situ
o Blast shale o Remove Water
o Transport o Heat Shale
o Crush o Collect Oil
o Heat o Replace Water
o Dispose of Shale
Shell In-Situ Technology
 What Does Oil Extraction Cost?
■ Ex Situ Methods
o $10 - $75 / bbl

■ In Situ Methods
o $25-$60 / bbl

■ Costs can be affected by shale

accessibility/quality, water availability, scale,
and energy costs.
 Environmental Concerns
■ Heavy use of water (3 bbl water / 1bbl oil)
■ Hazardous fly ash
■ Production of SOx and NOx
■ Possible Ground Water Contamination with
hazardous byproducts
■ Land Reclamation Concern
TAR SANDS
 Tar Sands
■ Deposits of bitumen - viscous oil that must
be thoroughly treated in order to convert it
into an upgraded crude oil
■ Of the oil sands found in Alberta, 10-12% is
bitumen, 80-85 % is mineral matter, and 4-
6% is water.
■ Reserves estimated at 280-300 billion
barrels.
 Definition of Tar Sands

In a nutshell: gravels or sands that are

saturated with very heavy crude oil.

Think of a very soggy, new asphalt

road.
■ Oil sands production is expected to increase
from 1.9 million barrels per day in 2012 to 3.8
million barrels per day in 2022, keeping view
with demand, providing jobs to Canadians,
and creating a sound economic basis for the
future.
 Interest in Tar Sands:

Remote location, cheap conventional

crude oil, technology for extraction
not yet developed:

Development of expertise in drilling for

oil in remote places has made their
location not the problem it was 30
years ago.
 Location of Tar Sands

Two known sites, of very large size:

Canada and Venezuela

Alberta, Canada
Venezuela
 Location of Tar Sands

Many other sites, of large size:

US, Russia, other countries

 Advantages of Tar Sands

■ Enormous quantities.
■ Developed technology.
■ Converted to crude oil, can fit into
existing system without change.
 Advantages of Tar Sands:
Enormous Quantities

Canadian tar sands are estimated to

have as much crude oil as Saudi
Arabia has petroleum.
At least.
 Advantages of Tar Sands:
No Great Change

The final product is crude oil, same as

crude oil from elsewhere.
All we have to do is build more
pipelines and refineries, and plug it
into our current system.
 Disadvantages of Tar Sands

■ Energy hog to develop.

■ Need to expand pipelines etc. in
remote area.
■ Uses enormous amounts of water,
only a small portion is recycled.
■ Production process very polluting.
■ Contributes to global warming.
 Processing Technique
■ Must be mined or recovered in situ.
■ Recovery processes include extraction and
separation systems to remove the bitumen
from the sand and water.
■ Cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) and steam
assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) currently
used.
■ Technique not advanced enough to make it
economical.
METHANE HYDRATE
 What is a Gas Hydrate?

 A gas hydrate is a crystalline solid; its building blocks consist

of a gas molecule surrounded by a cage of water molecules.
 It is similar to ice, except that the crystalline structure is
stabilized by the guest gas molecule within the cage of water
molecules.
 Suitable gases are: carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and
several low-carbon-number hydrocarbons. Most gas hydrates ,
however are Methane Hydrates.
Methane Hydrate…the gas resource of
the future
■ It is a compound of water and methane
■ Forms under pressure at cold temperatures.
■ Potential significant source of natural gas.
■ Large volumes of hydrate based natural gas
found on Alaska's North Slope.
■ Natural gas potential of methane hydrate
approach 400 million trillion cubic feet.
 Hydrate Samples

Gas hydrates in sea-floor mounds here methane

gas is actively dissociating from a hydrate mound.

Gas hydrate can occur as nodules within sediment.

 Where are Methane Hydrates
located?
Found in 4 major location types

■ Subduction zones (e.g., Nankai Trough Japan, Cascadia Basin)

■ Passive Margins (e.g., Blake Ridge on the southeast cost of the US)
■ Off-shore hydrocarbon (e.g., Gulf of Mexico, North Slope Alaska)
■ On-shore Arctic Permafrost (e.g., Mackenzie Delta, Arctic Russia,
Arctic Alaska)
 Where are Methane Hydrates
located?

■ Methane hydrate occurs in a zone referred to as the

hydrate stability zone.
■ The zone lies roughly parallel to the land or seafloor
surface.
■ Permafrost regions,
depths about 150 - 2000 m below the surface.
■ In oceanic sediment
ocean is at least 300 m deep,
depths of 0 - 1,100 m below the seafloor.
 What is the potential of
CH4 Hydrates as an energy resource
 CH4 Hydrates and Climate Change
■ Methane is a very effective greenhouse gas. It is ten times more
strong than carbon dioxide.

■ There is increasing evidence that points to the periodic massive

release of methane into the atmosphere over geological timescales.
Are these enormous releases of methane a cause or an effect of global
climate change?
 The Future of Methane Hydrates
■ Worldwide gas production in the next 30-50 years
■ Areas with unique economic and/or political motivations could see
substantial production within 5-10 years
■ We need to better understand the mechanisms of hydrate
disassociation and its role in global warming, either as an accelerator
or and inhibitor
PAKISTAN
Pakistan Energy Profile: Energy
Supply

Pakistan Energy Yearbook

2011
 Pakistan Energy Profile: Demand

120000

101478
100000

80000 72169
MW

60000
44903

40000
35413

22353
20000

17328
0
2007 2010 2013 2016 2019 2022 2025 2028

12.09.20 12.09.2012
Seite Seite 5
Demand-Supply Gap
 COAL
■ Pakistan has emerged as one of the leading
countries –in the list of top 20 countries of the
world after the discovery of huge lignite coal
resources in Sindh.

■ Coal is found in all the four provinces of Pakistan.

The country has resources of about 185 billion
tons, The current total mine able reserves of coal
are estimated at 2 billion tones
 Oil
■ 944 million barrels crude oil reserves
have been discovered of which 680
million barrels have already been
produced
■ 65,866 barrels per day
OIL
 NATURAL GAS
■ Natural gas remains the most common indigenous source
of energy in Pakistan.

■ Currently 50% of the energy requirements of the country

are being met from natural gas
 Natural Gas Consumption By Sector

0.90%
2.70% 0.90%
4.90%

38.20%

16.70%

17.50%

18.40%

Power Gen. Industry Domestic Fertilizer (Feed)

Fertilizer (Fuel) Commercial Cement Transport (CNG)
Upcoming IPPs (Ministry of
Finance)
 Vision 21 The "Ultimate" Power Plant Concept

■ Multiple products - electricity in combination with

liquid fuels and chemicals or hydrogen or industrial
process heat.
■ Not restricted to a single fuel type.
■ Technology modules interconnected to produce
selected products.
■ Very High efficiencies with near-zero emissions.
■ Uses low-polluting processes.
 Fossil Fuels…
the fuels of the past & the fuels for the future

■ The volumes of exploitable oil and gas are closely

correlated to technological advances, technical
costs.
■ Any improvement in the recovery rate - even if by
only one point - allows the industry to tap
substantial additional reserves.
■ Coal with its abundant reserves and
inexpensiveness offers tremendous potential if we
carry out environment friendly plans.
■ With the various technological advancements, and
alternate sources for oil and gas, the end of fossil
fuels is still centuries away.
 References
■ Prospects of Chemical Industry in Pakistan (Ministry of Industries &
Production), 2003
■ Energy & Resources Pakistan (Earth Trends Country Profile, Pakistan)
■ The South Asian Energy Challenge: Implications for Pakistan (Martin
Trachsel Vice President Middle East Gulf, Shell International Gas &
Power Ltd), 2007
■ Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources
■ Pakistan: Oil and Gas Sector Review, 2003
■ Year Book 2005-2006, Government Of Pakistan Ministry Of Petroleum
& Natural Resources Islamabad
 Knocking the NOx out of coal
■ NOx emissions reduced at low-combustion
temperatures and by use of low-nitrogen fuels,
low- NOx burners and fluidized-bed combustion.
■ Particulate matter removed by fabric filters or
electrostatic precipitator.
■ Membranes for separating gases.
■ Selective removal of hydrogen from syn gas.
■ Sulfur extracted from coal converted into
commercial-grade sulfuric acid or elemental sulfur.
■ Mercury controls - oxidizing agents.
 Carbon Sequestration
It is a family of methods for capturing and permanently isolating gases
that could contribute to global climate change.

CARBON CAPTURE
■ Pre-combustion capture
■ Post-combustion capture
■ Oxyfuel technologies.

CARBON DIOXIDE SEQUESTRATION

■ Industrial use of CO2 in plastics and other chemical industries
■ Inorganic sequestration as carbonates
■ Biological conversion to fuel
■ Geological sequestration, in salt domes, or coal beds
■ Injection into active oil wells
■ Injection into exhausted gas or oil wells
■ Injection into aquifers
■ Ocean disposal
No one can make you feel
inferior without your
consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt