For evaluating the total energy efficiency and environmental inpacts of new fuel/propulsion systems it is essential to consider the complete fuel cycle, from the primary resource to fuel station and car tank to the wheel. In this paper we will compare the energy consumption and emission aspects of the transformation process of natural gas to methanol to the gasoline/diesel production from crude oil. Considering the efficiency of the methanol plant, the low value of 66 % is often mentioned as a disdvantage for methanol as fuel. However the methanol process is highly selective, yields a pure product and considering the theoretical value of 80 % the process is efficient. In fuel production from crude oil, the total efficiency of the total refinery is higher, 90 % in the case presented. For CO2, we have calculated approximately equal emission values per ton of product. Considering the fuel consumption of the different propulsion systems, the methanol fuel cell consumes more than an equivalent conventional system. Consequently the conventional system shows lower CO2 emissions with respect to fuel production. But in future stricter specifications for motor fuels used in conventional systems, principally diesel fuel, will provoke a sensitive increase in CO2 emissions. In contrast, the methanol production will produce lower CO2 emissions by continued optimization of the technology. Then the attractiveness of fuel cell cars with methanol as hydrogen carrier as an alternative to conventional cars will be even higher than today.
Methanol as an automotive fuel - the future in gas utilization and environmental protection
Annual World Methanol Conference, 16 ; 123-129
1998
7 Seiten, 5 Bilder, 2 Tabellen, 2 Quellen
Conference paper
English
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