Some Cost,Energy,Environmental,and Resource Implications of Synthetic Fuels Produced from Coal for Military Aircraft,

摘要

As the availability and economics of jet fuels derived from crude oil become less certain in the future, the United States Air Force will need to consider the implications of utilizing aviation fuels derived from alternative energy resources. This paper examines the most promising energy resource alternative to crude oil and the most attractive aviation fuels derivable from the resource alternatives, with emphasis on coal-based aviation fuels. The findings suggest that coal and oil shale are the most promising energy resource alternatives. A synthetic jet fuel similar to jet fuels in use today appears to be the most attractive aviation fuel derivable from coal, primarily because its production requires lower energy expenditures and results in a less costly fuel product than the other two major alternatives, liquid hydrogen and liquid methane, while offering attractive characteristics for aviation applications. Despite its attractive features, there are definite resource, capacity, and environmental constraints which could tend to limit the availability of synthetic jet fuels in the future. (Author)