Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy

182 Pages·2007·2.98 MB·English

by  National Research Council

Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
Committee on Coal Research, Technology, and
Resource Assessments to Inform Energy Policy
Board on Earth Sciences and Resources
Division on Earth and Life Studies
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonproft, self-perpetuating society of
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Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
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are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
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Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
COMMITTEE ON COAL RESEARCH, TECHNOLOgy, AND
RESOuRCE ASSESSMENTS TO INFORM ENERgy POLICy
CORALE L. BRIERLEY, Chair, Brierley Consultancy LLC, Highlands Ranch,
Colorado
fRANCIS p. BURKE, CONSOL Energy Inc. (retired), South park,
pennsylvania
JAMES C. COBB, University of Kentucky, Lexington
ROBERT B. fINKELMAN, University of Texas at Dallas
WILLIAM fULKERSON, Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
HAROLD J. GLUSKOTER, U.S. Geological Survey (emeritus), McLean,
Virginia
MICHAEL E. KARMIS, Virginia polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg
KLAUS S. LACKNER, Columbia University, New York
REGINALD E. MITCHELL, Stanford University, California
RAJA V. RAMANI, The pennsylvania State University, University park
JEAN-MICHEL M. RENDU, Mining Consultant, Englewood, Colorado
EDWARD S. RUBIN, Carnegie Mellon University, pittsburgh, pennsylvania
SAMUEL A. WOLfE, New Jersey Board of public Utilities, Newark
National Research Council Staff
DAVID A. fEARY, Study Director
TANYA pILZAK, Research Associate (until December 2005)
CAETLIN M. OfIESH, Research Associate (January-March 2006)
KRISTEN B. DALY, Research Associate (March-July 2006)
SANDI SCHWARTZ, project Researcher (from August 2006)
JENNIfER T. ESTEp, financial and Administrative Associate
JAMES DAVIS, Senior project Assistant (until December 2005)
AMANDA M. ROBERTS, Senior project Assistant (January-August 2006)
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Senior project Assistant (from August 2006)
iv
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
COMMITTEE ON EARTH RESOuRCES
MURRAY W. HITZMAN, Chair, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
fRANCIS p. BURKE, CONSOL Energy Inc. (retired), South park,
pennsylvania
WILLIAM S. CONDIT, Independent Consultant, Santa fe, New Mexico
MICHAEL DOGGETT, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
THOMAS V. fALKIE, Berwind Natural Resources Corporation (retired),
Newtown Square, pennsylvania
pATRICIA M. HALL, Bp America Inc., Houston, Texas
DAVID D. LAURISKI, Safety Solutions International, LLC, parker, Colorado
ANN S. MAEST, Stratus Consulting, Boulder, Colorado
LELAND L. MINK, U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal program (retired),
Worley, Idaho
REGINAL SpILLER, frontera Resources Corporation, Houston, Texas
SAMUEL J. TRAINA, University of California, Merced
HAROLD J. VINEGAR, Shell Exploration and production Company, Houston,
Texas
National Research Council Staff
ELIZABETH A. EIDE, Senior program Offcer
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Senior program Assistant
v
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOuRCES
GEORGE M. HORNBERGER, Chair, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
GREGORY B. BAECHER, University of Maryland, College park
STEVEN R. BOHLEN, Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Washington, D.C.
KEITH C. CLARKE, University of California, Santa Barbara
DAVID COWEN, University of South Carolina, Columbia
WILLIAM E. DIETRICH, University of California, Berkeley
ROGER M. DOWNS, The pennsylvania State University, University park
JEFF DOZIER, University of California, Santa Barbara
KATHERINE H. FREEMAN, The pennsylvania State University, University park
RHEA L. GRAHAM, pueblo of Sandia, Bernalillo, New Mexico
RUSSELL J. HEMLEY, Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington, D.C.
MURRAY W. HITZMAN, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
LOUISE H. KELLOGG, University of California, Davis
V. RAMA MURTHY, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
CLAYTON NICHOLS, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental
Laboratory (retired), Sandpoint
RAYMOND A. PRICE, Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada
BARBARA A. ROMANOWICZ, University of California, Berkeley
JOAQUIN RUIZ, University of Arizona, Tucson
MARK SCHAEFER, Global Environment and Technology foundation,
Arlington, Virginia
WILLIAM W. SHILTS, Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign
RUSSELL STANDS-OVER-BULL, Bp American production Company,
Houston, Texas
TERRY C. WALLACE, JR., Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico
THOMAS J. WILBANKS, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee
National Research Council Staff
ANTHONY R. DE SOUZA, Director
pAUL M. CUTLER, Senior program Offcer
ELIZABETH A. EIDE, Senior program Offcer
DAVID A. fEARY, Senior program Offcer
ANNE M. LINN, Senior program Offcer
ANN G. fRAZIER, program Offcer
SAMMANTHA L. MAGSINO, program Offcer
CAETLIN M. OfIESH, Associate program Offcer
RONALD f. ABLER, Senior Scholar
JENNIfER T. ESTEp, financial and Administrative Associate
VERNA J. BOWEN, financial and Administrative Associate
JARED p. ENO, Research Associate
NICHOLAS D. ROGERS, Research Associate
TONYA E. fONG YEE, program Assistant
vi
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
preface
he extraordinarily broad scope of the congressional request for advice
on coal resources and future coal research and development needs pro-
Tvided a signifcant challenge for the committee appointed by the National
Research Council (NRC). fortunately, clarifcations by staff members from the
offces of U.S. Senators Robert C. Byrd and Arlen Specter—the originators of
this study—were most helpful, suggesting that the report should be brief and
contain limited detail, but with abundant references to other, more comprehensive
studies. They also emphasized that a major element of their request was to learn
of any potential roadblocks that might impinge on the production or delivery of
coal should the nation’s energy requirements dictate that a substantial increase
in coal use was needed.
The task for the committee was made easier by the many experts in all
aspects of the coal life cycle who freely gave up their time to make presenta-
tions in open session. These presentations formed the basis for the committee’s
deliberations as it fashioned the fndings and recommendations. The committee’s
task was also facilitated by the cooperation of the interagency liaison group,
established and coordinated by the Offce of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement (OSM), which provided input to the committee at its public meet-
ings and responded to specifc questions.
I am truly indebted to the committee members, all of whom remained com-
pletely engaged in the entire process from start to fnish. All gave generously of
their expertise, time, and energy, and provided wit and cheerfulness when they
were sorely needed. Collectively, they performed as a skillful team with dedica-
tion and determination. On behalf of the committee I thank the NRC staff: David
feary, whose input and guidance was indispensable in producing a focused and
vii
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
viii PREFACE
lucid report; Anthony de Souza, Tanya pilzak, Caetlin Ofesh, Kristen Daly, and
Sandi Schwartz, who assisted with broad guidance and background information;
and James Davis, Amanda Roberts, and Nicholas Rogers, who made sure the
committee process proceeded effciently and effectively.
Corale L. Brierley
Chair
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
Acknowledgments
his report was greatly enhanced by input from the many participants at the
public committee meetings held as part of this study—Mike Adamczyk,
TCarl O. Bauer, peter J. Bethell, perry Bissell, paul Bollinger, Richard
Bonskowski, Wanda Burget, Gregory E. Conrad, John Craynon, Rob Donovan,
Tom Dower, Mike Eastman, Nick fedorko, Sara flitner, Bradford frisby,
Ari Geertsema, Steve Gigliotti, Thomas J. Grahame, Güner Gürtunca, David
Hawkins, peter Holman, Connie Holmes, Mike Hood, James R. Katzer, Larry
Kellerman, Julianne M. Klara, Mo Klefeker, Jeffrey L. Kohler, John Langton,
John A. Lewis, Alexander Livnat, James Luppens, Gerald H. Luttrell, Maria M.
Mitchell, John Moran, M. Granger Morgan, Mike Mosser, John Novak, Karen
Obenshain, Bruce peterson, Brenda S. pierce, Jacek podkanski, Craig Rockey,
Timothy Rohrbacher, Scott Sitzer, Neil Stiber, Eugene Trisko, Ted Venners,
Kimery Vories, franz Wuerfmannsdobler, and Ben Yamagata. These presentations
and the ensuing discussions helped set the stage for the committee’s fruitful dis-
cussions in the sessions that followed. We also gratefully acknowledge the people
who facilitated our committee meetings, the company personnel who briefed the
committee on mine operations and led the committee on mine and plant tours,
and the experts who supplied information in response to specifc enquiries by
the committee—David Aloia, Gene D. Berry, Joe Cerenzia, Becki Dale, Mark
Davies, James Dooley, Bob Green, Mark Kamlet, Gary G. Loop, James Manual,
Claudia L. Miller, phillip H. Nicks, Jack C. pashin, Mark payne, Joe Vaccari,
Marshall Wise, and Connie Zaremsky.
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their
diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures
approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The
ix
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Coal: Research and Development to Support National Energy Policy
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11977.html
x ACkNowLEdPgRmEFEANCtES
purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments
that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as pos-
sible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity,
evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and
draft manuscript remain confdential to protect the integrity of the deliberative
process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their participation in the
review of this report:
Heinz H. Damberger, Illinois State Geological Survey (retired), Boulder,
Colorado
Mark Davies, Rio Tinto Energy America, Gillette, Wyoming
Thomas V. falkie, Berwind Natural Resources Corporation (retired), New-
town Square, pennsylvania
Barbara A. filas, Knight piesold and Company, Denver, Colorado
paul E. Gray, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
R. Larry Grayson, School of Mining and Metallurgy, University of Missouri,
Rolla
Howard J. Herzog, Laboratory for Energy and the Environment, Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
John N. Murphy, Department of Chemical and petroleum Engineering, Uni-
versity of pittsburgh, pennsylvania
Dianne R. Nielson, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake
City
Lee Saperstein, School of Mines and Metallurgy, University of Missouri-
Rolla (retired), Nantucket, Massachusetts
Stanley C. Suboleski, federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
(retired), Midlothian, Virginia
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments
and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommenda-
tions nor did they see the fnal draft of the report before its release. The review
of this report was overseen by William G. Agnew, General Motors Corporation
(retired), Corrales, New Mexico, and William L. fisher, Jackson School of Geo-
sciences, the University of Texas, Austin. Appointed by the National Research
Council, they were responsible for making certain that an independent examina-
tion of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures
and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the
fnal content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the
institution.
Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.