Lignite Reserves Research Articles

Energy policy and climate change in Turkey

The problem of massive emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2) from the burning of fossil fuels and their climatic impact have become major scientific and political issues. Future stabilization of the atmospheric CO 2 content requires a drastic decrease of CO 2 emissions worldwide. In this study, energy utilization and its major environmental impacts are discussed from the standpoint of sustainable development, including anticipated patterns of future energy use and subsequent environmental issues in Turkey. Several aspects relating to energy utilization, renewable energy, energy efficiency, environment and sustainable development are examined from both current and future perspectives. Turkey is an energy importing country; with more than half of the energy requirement being supplied by imports. Domestic oil and lignite reserves are limited, and the lignites are characterised by high ash, sulfur and moisture contents. Because of increasing energy consumption, air pollution is becoming a great environmental concern for the future in the country. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be one of the most efficient and effective solutions for sustainable energy development and environmental pollution prevention in Turkey. Turkey’s geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of the renewable energy sources.

Utilization of Lignite Reserves and Simultaneous Improvement of Dust Emissions and Operation Efficiency of a Power Plant by Controlling the Calcium (Total and Free) Content of the Fed Lignite. Application on the Agios Dimitrios Power Plant, Ptolemais, Greece

The lignite thermal plant operation is affected by the fuel quality. In the lignite mines of Northern Greece, both inorganic impurities and thin intercalations, especially when they consist of carbonate minerals, co-excavated with lignite, reduce the run-of-mine lignite quality. Before any lignite exploitation or combustion process study, both the lignite and the lignite ash quality have to be thoroughly investigated in order for the recoverable blocks of lignite to be determined. Marly layers, characterized as marly limestones, containing up to 95% CaCO3, are thermally decomposed producing a high percent of CaO and CO2. The high CaO(total) and CaO(free) contents of the lignite ash cause fouling problems in the combustion systems of the power plants and increase the solid particle emissions to the atmosphere. To control the CaO(free) content of the ash below a critical limit of 11%, an index (∑) = [CO2 in lignite/ash(d.b.)] × 100 may be used. For values of (∑) lower than 17, the CaO(free) of the lignite ash is controlled approximately lower than 11%. The use of the index (∑) in determining the CaO(free) content of the ash and controlling the blending process of lignite layers has improved the operation of the Agios Dimitrios Power Plant, leading to economic and environmental advantages, such as reduction of lignite specific consumption, increase of the calorific value, and reduction and stabilization of the solid particle emissions.

Estimation of lignite reserve in the Kalburcayiri field, Kangal basin, Sivas, Turkey

Estimation of lignite reserve in the Kalburcayiri field, Kangal basin, Sivas, Turkey

Energy and Sustainable Development in Turkey. Part I: Energy Utilization and Sustainability

Turkey is an energy importing country; more than half of the energy requirement has been supplied by imports. Domestic oil and lignite reserves are limited, and lignites are characterized by high ash, sulfur, and moisture content. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be one of the most efficient and effective solutions for sustainable energy development in Turkey. Turkey's geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of these renewable energy sources. Because of this and the fact that it has limited fossil fuel resources, a gradual shift from fossil fuels to renewables seems to be serious and the sole alternative for Turkey. This article presents a review of the present energy situation and sustainability, technical and economical potential of renewable energy sources, and future policies for the energy sector in Turkey. Throughout this paper several problems relating to energy sources and sustainable development are discussed from both current and future perspectives.

Environmental impacts of energy utilisation and renewable energy policies in Turkey

This paper extensively concentrates on energy and environmental impacts only. Energy utilisation and its major environmental impacts are discussed from the standpoint of sustainable development, including anticipated patterns of future energy use and subsequent environmental issues in Turkey. Several aspects relating to energy utilisation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, environment and sustainable development are examined from both current and future perspectives. Turkey is an energy-importing country; more than half of the energy requirement has been supplied by imports. Domestic oil and lignite reserves are limited and lignites are characterised by high ash, sulphur and moisture content. Due to increasing energy consumption, air pollution is becoming a great environmental concern for the future of the country. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be the one of the most efficient and effective solutions for sustainable energy development and environmental pollution preventation in Turkey. Turkey's geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of these renewable energy sources.

Environmental Impacts of Energy Utilization and Renewable Energy Sources in Turkey

Turkey is an energy importing country, more than half of the energy requirement has been supplied by imports. Domestic oil and lignite reserves are limited and lignites are characterised by high ash, sulfur and moisture content. Due to increasing energy consumption, air pollution is becoming a great environmental concern for future in the country. In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be the one of the most efficient and effective solutions for sustainable energy development and environmental pollution prevention in Turkey. Turkey's geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of these renewable energy sources. Because of this and the fact that it has limited fossil fuel resources, a gradual shift from fossil fuels to renewables seems to be serious and the sole alternative for Turkey. This article presents a review of the present energy situation and sustainability, technical and economical potential of renewable energy sources and future policies for energy sector in Turkey. Throughout the paper several problems relating to energy sources, environment and sustainable development are discussed from both current and future perspectives.

Estimation of lignite reserve in the Kalburcayiri field, Kangal basin, Sivas, Turkey

This paper addresses a case study on global estimation of lignite reserve in the Kalburcayiri field from the Sivas–Kangal basin, which is one of the most productive lignite basins in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The two lignite seams, which were developed in a fresh-water lacustrine depositional environment during the Pliocene time, are currently being exploited in the Kalburcayiri open-cast mine for feed coal to a power plant with 300-MW capacity. Tonnage, thickness and quality parameters (ash yield, total sulphur content, and calorific value) of the lignite are variables considered in this study. The global estimates of these variables together with 95% confidence limits are obtained using the approximation principle of global estimation. A random stratified grid is fitted to available boreholes; the variograms for thickness and lignite quality parameters are estimated and modeled. The models are used in calculating estimation error variances that will later be used in constructing 95% confidence intervals for the true values.

Forecast of World Energy Consumption to 2050 RWE Anticipates Use of Germany's Huge Soft Lignite Reserves with Improved Technology

RWE, the Germany energy company, has recently provided its view of world energy supply and demand to the year 2050. Of particular interest are the forecasts associated with Europe's supply and demand of anthracite, bitumenous coal, woody lignite and soft lignite.

Turkish lignite deposits

Abstract The distribution of lignite deposits in Turkey is such that in general the Eocene lignites are in northern Turkey, Oligocene lignites are in northwestern Turkey, Miocene lignites are in western Turkey, and Pliocene-Pleistocene lignites are in eastern Turkey. Only the Oligocene lignites are paralic deposits, the rest being formed in a limnic environment. Turkey has about 8.4 Gt of lignite reserves of which 3.9 Gt are the exploitable reserves. Most of the known lignite deposits in Turkey are of low calorific value and have high contents of ash, moisture and total sulphur. Almost 80% of the total reserves have calorific values below 2500 kcal kg −1 . The lignites having low calorific values are generally consumed in power plants. The lignites having relatively high calorific values are exploited for domestic and industrial use in the country. The majority of Turkish lignite deposits are worked in open-pit mines, but there are also some underground operations.

Coals of Greece: distribution, quality and reserves

Abstract Greek coals occur in a number of sedimentary basins and range in age from Eocene to Quaternary. The petrographic data indicate a wide variation in petrographic and chemical composition. The rank ranges from the transition zone peat-lignite to subbituminous. There are no deposits of hard coal in the country. Lignite constitutes the most abundant type of coal in Greece and the most important of the Greek lignite deposits formed during the Pliocene and Pleistocene in shallow lakes and marshes of closed intramontaine basins (Ptolemais, Florina, Drama in Macedonia, northern Greece and Megalopolis in Peloponnesus, southern Greece). The proved lignite reserves are currently estimated at 6750 Mt, excluding the 4300 Mm 3 of ‘Phillipi’ peat in Macedonia. There, 58% (about 3900 Mt) is considered to be economically recoverable. The probable and possible reserves are estimated to be of the order of 4000 Mt. The Kozane-Ptolemais-Amynteo-Florina basins in Macedonia contain most (about 64%) of the nation’s coal resources. These lignites, which are all already being exploited, have a very low calorific value (at Ptolemais-Amynteo, 1400 kcal kg −1 ; at Megalopolis, 900 kcal kg −1 ) and high ash and low sulphur contents. The lignite production for 1992 was over 54 Mt. the greatest centres of lignite production are in Macedonia, at the opencast mines of Ptolemais and Amynteo, and in Peloponnesus, at the opencast mine of Megalopolis. The vast majority (98%) of the extracted lignite is used for electricity generation and feeds power plants which have a total capacity of 4533 MW. The lignite-based power plants account for more than 720f the total electricity generation of the country. Today, through detailed geological exploration and evaluation, efforts are being made to locate and develop other lignite deposits throughout Greece.

APP, a new binder for briquetting lignites

Turkey has considerable lignite reserves that are mainly used as domestic fuel without processing. The lignite weathers and degrades easily and much is lost as dust before it reaches the consumer; furthermore, in combustion fine particles can cause air pollution. Since briquetting can eliminate many of these existing problems, it is of special importance. Binderless briquetting is always preferred when possible, since it is less complicated and less expensive, but Turkish lignites usually require a binder to obtain reasonable briquettes and various binders can be used for this purpose. In this work, atactic polypropylene (APP), a by-product of the polypropylene (PP) plant of Petkim Petrochemicals A.S. and emulsions of partially oxidized APP prepared by the research centre of the company, were used as binders, with different types of briquetting techniques. Studies on a laboratory scale were carried out to determine optimum parameters of briquetting; binder content, water content, pressure and temperature of heat treatment. Shatter and water resistance tests were carried out on briquettes obtained under different conditions. APP appears to have many advantages, and none of the disadvantages of other commercial binders such as tar, bitumen, molasses, sulphide liquor and clay. Furthermore, unlike other plastics that cause difficulties in briquetting and have high manufacturing costs, APP, particularly in emulsion, can easily be used as a binder and is relatively cheap. However, a production unit would be required to prepare the relevant modified APP emulsion for its extended usage.

Newer mining technology and plans for increased use of lignite in India

The total inferred reserves of lignite in India are about 3680 million t, out of which the Neyveli Lignite Field in Tamil Nadu State, South India, accounts for 3300 million t. This field is mined by the mechanized opencast method, using bucket wheel excavator-belt conveyor-spreader continuous mining technology. The lignite is mainly used for power generation. The present level of lignite production is 6.5 million t/yr. The mining of lignite at Neyveli is faced with major problems like tackling hard, abrasive Cuddalore sandstone overburden, high pressure aquifers below lignite seams and high monsoonic storm water. These problems have been successfully overcome in stages, and the mine has achieved very high capacity utilization during 1984–1985. Up to March 1985, about 83.8 million t of lignite have been mined from this field. Taking into consideration the future demand for power in the energy-starved southern region, Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) plans to develop a second mine producing 10.5 million t/yr of lignite, and is also considering opening new mines to increase lignite output to 32 million t/yr by the year 2000. Measures are also being taken to maintain the environmental quality in the mining and industrial complex.

Lignite Development and Utilization in Mid-Continent Region: ABSTRACT

Until recently, the Mid-Continent region, with large supplies of oil and gas, had little incentive to exploit lignite, a low-grade coal of Tertiary age. Increasing prices for natural gas and the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act changed this situation in the 1970s and today we find major utility use of lignite as a boiler fuel in Texas, development beginning in Louisiana, and considerable interest by utilities in Arkansas. The greatest lignite reserve base in the Mid-Continent area is in Texas with 8.6 to 11.1 billion short tons of near-surface lignite reserves, followed by Arkansas with 2.5 billion and Louisiana with 1.1 billion tons. The first use of lignite in the modern era of lignite development occurred in Texas in 1954 near Rockdale where it was developed as a boiler fuel for electricity generation in connection with aluminum refining operations. In 1971, Texas Utilities opened a major lignite-fired generating station near Fairfield, Texas, followed by two other large mines and generating stations in east Texas by the same company and announcements of additional mines by Texas Utilities and others. Development of lignite will begin in Louisiana in 1981. Five mines are planned in northwest Louisiana for the mid-1980s with Phillips Coal Co. the largest lignite reserve holder in the Gulf Coast area, responsible for the two largest mines. Three of the mines will be developed for electricity generation, two will b for industrial use of lignite. Firm commitments to lignite use in Arkansas are pending with Arkansas Power and Light Co. the closest to opting for lignite use. All current operations and announced developments rely on surface mining techniques; most are classic drag-line area-stripping operations. Many large blocks of near-surface lignite reserves in Texas and Louisiana have been committed to use for power generation. Use for gasification is under consideration by Exxon at a large deposit near Troup, Texas. Pilot in-situ gasification projects have been conducted in Texas to develop methods for extracting lignite too deep to mine. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1498------------

Need for Comprehensive Study on Methanol

Oil supply has been rapidly un-stable since the so-called second oil crisis.Electric power companies in Japan will convert their fuels from oil to other alternatives in their existing oil-fired power stations in the near future.Conversions to LNG, Coal and COM (coal-oil-mixture) have been studied or made, but they have their own drawbacks.In addition to existing oil-fired plants, the companies will be required to develop alternative fuels other than nuclear, LNG, coal, hydro, and geothermal to provide newly-built power plants with fuels.Methanol is thought to be one of main alternatives for oil.It is clean fuel like LNG.We can easily transport and store it, and produce from natural gas by conventional technol-ogy.Process for producing it from coal has been developed.There are abundunt natural gas reserves even outside OPEC countries, and we have huge brown coal or lignite reserves which can not be used otherwise as well as hard coal (btituminous or sub-bituminous coal).It is necessary, however, for us to study following items in order to commercialize the utilization of methanol as a fuel for power generation-----supply potential, economics, envi-ronmental impact and technology for utilization.

Banquet Speech "Man's Conquest of Energy, Its Ecological and Human Consequences"

The world's energy resources suitable for power production are of two classes: (1) various channels of the continuous energy flux from extraterrestrial sources, and from the earth's interior, and (2) chemical, thermal, and nuclear energy stored in the outer part of the lithosphere and in the oceans. The continuous energy influxes are from: solar radiation, 178,000 × 1012 watts; geothermal energy, 32 × 1012 watts; and tidal energy, 3 × 1012 watts. Of the solar energy influx, the only fraction suitable at present for large-scale power production is the approximately 40,000 × 1012 watts expended in evaporation of water and in atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Of this, the world's potential water power is about 2.9 × 1012 watts. A very small fraction of the solar influx, 40 × 1012 watts, is stored chemically by photosynthesis. A minute fraction of this, stored during the geologic past, is the source of the energy of the fossil fuels, coal and petroleum. Tidal power is capable of large-scale development in a small number of coastal localities with a total potential power of about 64,000 megawatts. Of the sources of stored energy, geothermal energy is the least important. Installed capacity by 1970 is about 1,125 electrical megawatts, and the ultimate potential is estimated at about 60,000 megawatts, with a lifetime of probably less than a century. The largest sources of stored energy, other than nuclear, are the fossil fuels. The initial minable world reserves of coal and lignite are estimated to have been about 7.

Coal, Oil, and Water Power as Fuels

to oil and water power, coal is abundant in most important industrial areas in the world, in part, because great industrial areas grew up on the coal fields, and, in part while geographical inertia might have caused them to remain there, more positive attractions have not been lacking. Two are of outstanding importance: (a) We may safely conclude that where coal continues to be widely used as fuel, it is cheapest and most suitable. (b) Reserves in the most important fields are still considerable. Though in some areas, the most accessible coal has already been worked, and individual pits may have to close, in very few have whole fields been worked out. Thus in County Durham, one of the most urgent problems of British town planning has been set by decay of mining in the western part of the field, leaving some towns and villages derelict. Yet mining on the Durham coast has been an expanding industry. In most cases, however, oil or water power could replace coal as fuel if it became cheaper or more efficient to do so. The chief factor affecting cheapness is usually transport. Calorific values of coals vary, being least with lignite and most with anthracite, and calorific value is some measure of how well particular coals can stand cost of transport. Thus there are vast reserves of lignite in the world, but they are exploited in very few areas, as it is generally cheaper to import other fuels. An exception to the rule was in the artificially protected economy of Germany, but even here, power stations were located on the actual fields to