1. Benign roles of water in the production of energy and raw fuels
Water has played an important role in the recovery and purification of oil,
gas, coal, oil shale, tar sand, and uranium. This role will become even more
important as we (1) try to recover more unconventional sources of gas and
oils, (2) use enhanced oil recovery methods more vigorously to work hard
to get the remaining sources of oil, and (3) develop new technology such
as “fracking process” to improve our efficiency of both conventional and
unconventional oil and gas recovery. The use of water will also expand
s ignificantly with a substantial growth of recovery of bitumen from tar sand.
The water has also played a significant role as a thermal energy carrier
and a reactor moderator in the nuclear power industry. With the commercialization of the next generation of nuclear reactors using “supercritical water,”
the importance of water in the nuclear industry will further increase. The
importance of water as a benign energy carrier will also increase significantly because of the aggressive pursuit of enhanced geothermal systems
across the world. An increased use of solar energy will also require more
use of water as a thermal energy carrier. Finally, it is predicted that by 2040,
electrical energy will be about 40% of our total energy usage. This growth
of electrical energy will require more steam-driven turbines that will drive
more electric generators.
2. Role of steam as a reactant
While steam has been used as a reactant for a variety of gasification and
reforming processes in the past, this role will significantly increase because
of (1) large growth in natural gas production (by unconventional gas recovery), which can be used for reforming (and hydrogen generation) and power
plants; (2) the increased use of biomass gasification and reforming as it is a
good source of hydrogen and it is renewable and environmentally friendly;
xviii
Preface
our fossil energy resources. Water is not only essential for all lives on this planet, but
it is also the best under-tapped source of energy and fuels.
The main theme of this book is to convey the message that as we continue to find
new sources of energy and fuels and continue the development of new technologies
to meet our growing needs of energy, we need to be more vigilant in pursuing the
role of water in the future energy landscape. Water can play a vital role in creating
new energy sources that will keep our environment intact. For one thing, water is
free and in plentiful supply. For the other thing, it carries the most important green
source of energy, namely, hydrogen. In fact, there is a general belief that the best
long-term solution for energy is hydrogen due to its least impact on environment.
We have used water without its appreciation due to its abundance. However, until
now, we have not exploited all the versatility of water in its use to provide energy and
fuels. New technological development over the past several decades have brought
forward some of the most fascinating characteristics of water that was unknown
before. These characteristics offer an even wider role for water in the future production of energy and fuel.
The book outlines, with concrete examples, five separate roles of water in the
energy and fuel industry, which are as follows:
Water has played an important role in the recovery and purification of oil,
gas, coal, oil shale, tar sand, and uranium. This role will become even more
important as we (1) try to recover more unconventional sources of gas and
oils, (2) use enhanced oil recovery methods more vigorously to work hard
to get the remaining sources of oil, and (3) develop new technology such
as “fracking process” to improve our efficiency of both conventional and
unconventional oil and gas recovery. The use of water will also expand
s ignificantly with a substantial growth of recovery of bitumen from tar sand.
The water has also played a significant role as a thermal energy carrier
and a reactor moderator in the nuclear power industry. With the commercialization of the next generation of nuclear reactors using “supercritical water,”
the importance of water in the nuclear industry will further increase. The
importance of water as a benign energy carrier will also increase significantly because of the aggressive pursuit of enhanced geothermal systems
across the world. An increased use of solar energy will also require more
use of water as a thermal energy carrier. Finally, it is predicted that by 2040,
electrical energy will be about 40% of our total energy usage. This growth
of electrical energy will require more steam-driven turbines that will drive
more electric generators.
2. Role of steam as a reactant
While steam has been used as a reactant for a variety of gasification and
reforming processes in the past, this role will significantly increase because
of (1) large growth in natural gas production (by unconventional gas recovery), which can be used for reforming (and hydrogen generation) and power
plants; (2) the increased use of biomass gasification and reforming as it is a
good source of hydrogen and it is renewable and environmentally friendly;
xviii
Preface
our fossil energy resources. Water is not only essential for all lives on this planet, but
it is also the best under-tapped source of energy and fuels.
The main theme of this book is to convey the message that as we continue to find
new sources of energy and fuels and continue the development of new technologies
to meet our growing needs of energy, we need to be more vigilant in pursuing the
role of water in the future energy landscape. Water can play a vital role in creating
new energy sources that will keep our environment intact. For one thing, water is
free and in plentiful supply. For the other thing, it carries the most important green
source of energy, namely, hydrogen. In fact, there is a general belief that the best
long-term solution for energy is hydrogen due to its least impact on environment.
We have used water without its appreciation due to its abundance. However, until
now, we have not exploited all the versatility of water in its use to provide energy and
fuels. New technological development over the past several decades have brought
forward some of the most fascinating characteristics of water that was unknown
before. These characteristics offer an even wider role for water in the future production of energy and fuel.
The book outlines, with concrete examples, five separate roles of water in the
energy and fuel industry, which are as follows: