Economics and modeling of manufacture and automotive use of broad-cut fuels from coal and shale syncrudes

SRI has developed the pertinent economic and efficiency data on the manufacture, distribution, and end-use of broad-cut fuels (BCF) for automotive transportation. This study defines the economic parameters of refining BCF from syncrude and chooses an appropriate modeling approach to represent this potential fuel option for transportation. A number of engines have been developed that can use wide boiling range fuels (BCF) without the octane, cetane, and other qualities now required in gasoline and diesel fuels. For this study, Texaco's design for a direct-injected stratified charge (DISC) engine has been selected to represent the generic class of BCF engines. This engine's technology will allow considerable simplification of the refinery processing required for automotive fuel, with corresponding reductions in refinery energy requirements and operating costs. The BCF under consideration is envisioned to be a mixture of hydrocarbons in the nominal distillation temperature range of 100 to 650/sup 0/F. Many conventional petroleum products, including gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel, lie within this boiling range. Once separated from the syncrude mixture, the BCF fraction is conceived to require no additional processing other than hydrotreating to remove sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen heteroatoms remaining from the syncrude upgrading stage. Thus, the refinery process required formore » this minimal chemical modification of the syncrude product could be as simple as a conventional atmospheric distillation step followed by hydrotreating of the 650/sup 0/F and lighter fractions.« less