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The 2007/2008 Hydrogen Technology Information Service provided a report describing and evaluating the potential for large scale production of liquid automotive fuels and blend components (such as dimethyl ether and ethanol) from North American hydrogen-deficient carbon feed stocks during a transition to a future hydrogen fuel economy. The report focused on the prospects for such fuels to become available in the United States within the next 20 years. Potential feed stocks consist of coal, heavy fossil hydrocarbons from oil shale and tar sands, and biomatter (such as plant lignins). Production of such fuels from these feed stocks will require both heat and hydrogen.

The study focused on nuclear plants that may be deployed in the United States that are capable of providing heat and hydrogen for the fuel production process, such as the High Temperature Gas Reactor, and the relationship of these nuclear plants to liquid fuel production. Other potential energy and hydrogen sources, such as new generation coal gasification facilities that might evolve from the FutureGen demonstration plant project, were also discussed.

Contents of the 2007/2008 Report

The 2007/2008 Hydrogen Technology Information Service provided subscribers with a comprehensive review of the technologies and infrastructure needed for large scale production of liquid automotive fuels and blend components from North American hydrogen-deficient carbon feed stocks. Specific topics to be addressed in the report are:

• Chemical Processes for Producing Liquid Automotive Fuels from Hydrogen-Deficient Carbon Feed Stocks

• Resource Assessment of Hydrogen-Deficient Carbon Feed Stocks Available in North America

  • Coal

  • Lignite

  • Oil Shale

  • Tar Sands (primarily Canada)

  • Recent Biomass

• Conversion Processes

  • Heat and Hydrogen Requirements

    • Coal

    • Lignite

    • Oil Shale

    • Tar Sands (primarily Canada)

    • Recent Biomass

  • Life-Cycle Environmental Impacts

    • Greenhouse Gas Emissions

    • Waste Products

• Infrastructure Requirements

  • Energy and Hydrogen Sources

    • Nuclear Reactors Under Development

    • High-temperature Solar Plants

    • Other Sources

  • Chemical Processing Facilities

  • Distribution Facilities

    • Pipeline Requirements and Capacities

    • Other Transportation Modes and Issues

• Automotive End-Use Requirements

  • Fuels Compatible with Current Generation Engines

  • Future Engine Requirements

• Government Programs Affecting Future Development

  • Programs Promoting Alternative Automotive Fuels

    • Programs Supporting Research and Development

    • Economic Policies that Would Support Such Alternative Fuels

  • Programs Supporting Infrastructure Development

    • Nuclear Power Sources

    • Solar Power Sources

    • Other Energy Sources

  • Regulatory Programs Affecting Fuel Production, Distribution, and Use

    • Regulations Affecting New Chemical Processing Facilities

    • Regulations Affecting Nuclear Heat and Hydrogen Sources

    • Environmental Regulations Affecting Fuel Use

      • Automobile Emissions and Ambient Air Quality

      • Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The report was prepared by SwRI subject matter experts based on information available to the public and which is not subject to United States import/export restrictions. The publicly available information was supplemented by insights and interpretations provided by the SwRI subject matter experts so as to provide subscribers with a concise source of information on the potential for alternative liquid automotive fuels to become available within the United States in the next 20 years.

2007/2008 Hydrogen Technology Information Service

Subscriptions are still available to receive the 2007/2008 Hydrogen Technology Information Service report "Prospects for Generation of Hydrogen as an Automotive Fuel Using Nuclear Fission Reactors in the United States."

2006 Hydrogen Technology Information Service

Subscriptions are still available to receive the 2006 Hydrogen Technology Information Service report "Prospects for Generation of Hydrogen as an Automotive Fuel Using Nuclear Fission Reactors in the United States."

For more information on the 2007/2008 Hydrogen Technology Information Service, or to subscribe to the service or contract with SwRI, please contact Cheuk Ng at cng@swri.org or (210) 522-3311.

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Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

March 07, 2013