Personal Cars and China (2003) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
5. Energy and Fuels
5. Energy and Fuels
Pages 113-130
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 113... ...
energy consumption is linked in part to the greater use of energy in the United States for transportation, which is linked in turn to lower population density. Globally, an average of 1.4 TOE per capita per year is consumed.
|
From page 114... ...
A particular concern is the high sulfur content of imported crude oil compared with that of domestic crude. Because the Chinese refineries were built to process the relatively low-sulfur domestic crude, the available hydrodesulfurization capacity is limited.
|
From page 115... ...
After an extensive consultation process, the European Union Commission initially proposed requiring the introduction of gasoline and diesel fuels with less sulfur than 10 parts per million (ppm) or 0.001 percent by mass as early as 2005, with a complete shift to these lowsulfur fuels by 2011.2 Because lower sulfur levels in gasoline and diesel fuel are preconditions for the introduction of advanced vehicle technologies that are able to comply with future European Emission Standard III 2 In November 2001 the European Parliament, in its first reading, called for a complete conversion to fuels with a maximum sulfur content of 10 ppm (0.001 percent by mass)
|
From page 116... ...
The automobile fleet in particular is expected to increase by a factor of between four and five within the same time period. Based on the vehicle characteristics in the tenth five-year plan, it is estimated that total fuel consumption will more than double by 2020 despite a gradual improvement in gasoline vehicle fuel efficiency and an increase in the use of more efficient diesel technology.
|
From page 117... ...
CHINA'S FUEL INDUSTRY Chinese crude oils have less naphtha, the feedstock for the catalytic reforming process, than most foreign crudest Therefore, one feature of the Chinese petroleum refining industry is that its catalytic cracking capacity is much greater than its capacities for catalytic reforming and catalytic hydrotreating. The principal characteristics of Chinese gasoline are a high olefin and sulfur content; likewise, Chinese diesel fuel has a high sulfur content.
|
From page 118... ...
SOURCE: Chen (2001~. SINOPEC's crude oil runs account for 52 percent of the national total.
|
From page 119... ...
As noted earlier, this industry is geared to handle the quality of Chinese crude, most of which is heavy, low-sulfur, and waxy, and therefore refiners lack the capacity to process highsulfur crude. At present, China has about 50 refineries with crude oil input capacities of greater than 1 MMT per year and an average capacity of 4.76 MMT per year.
|
From page 120... ...
Recently, several measures have been adopted in Chinese refineries to improve gasoline quality, including adding innovative catalytic cracking technology, increasing catalytic reforming capacity, and installing hydrodesulfurization facilities. Gasoline Specifications Gasoline specifications are driven by emissions standards.
|
From page 121... ...
However, new large capital investments may be needed for the Chinese oil industry. Some special grade of higher-purity gasoline designed for fuel cell vehicles fitted with gasoline reformers may appear, but it need not be radically different from the cleaner gasoline that will evolve for use in cars with internal combustion engines.
|
From page 122... ...
However, revised fuel specifications would be important in new diesel engine designs using exhaust gas aftertreatment, or in light-duty diesel engines for passenger cars. Modifications to reduce emissions to very low levels may reduce the relative efficiency advantage TABLE 5-7 Sulfur Content of Chinese Diesel Fuels (parts per million)
|
From page 123... ...
The minimum cetane number limit is 45, except for the diesel fuels made from naphthenic or paraffin-naphthenic crude oils, as well as the diesel fuels containing catalytic cracking components, which have a minimum cetane number limit of 40. GB 252-2000 includes one grade with a maximum sulfur content of 2,000 ppm.
|
From page 126... ...
June 1, 2002 Sulfur standard for light diesel fuels: 2,000 ppm End of 2003 or Sulfur standard for city diesel fuel: early 2004 500 ppm SINOPEC will supply 300 ppm sulfur diesel fuel to metropolitan areas. NOTE: ppm = parts per million.
|
From page 127... ...
Natural gas is now being used in about 110,000 vehicles in twelve cities in China, and about two-thirds of these vehicles are fitted with dualfuel capability. Although natural gas spark ignition engines still emit nitrogen oxides, they are cleaner than diesel engines when used in urban taxis and buses.
|
From page 128... ...
Because biofuels are derived from solar energy, they are a dispersed energy source and consume a great deal of agricultural land (see Chapter 4~. The Brazilian automobile fleet was fueled by biofuels for many years, but in light of current oil prices, dedicated ethanol vehicles have been largely abandoned.
|
From page 129... ...
The commercial source for hydrogen production today is natural gas. Limitations on the availability of natural gas will apply equally to its use to produce hydrogen as a transportation fuel.
|
From page 130... ...
1997. Analysis for supply and demand of world crude resource and trend of China's petroleum industry.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.