Achieving energy self-sufficiency (in the U. S. ) with coal

It is proposed that substantial savings in energy can be realized by pyrolysis of coal with more or less direct use of the char, gas, and liquid fuels as contrasted with the E.R.D.A. program for coal emphasizing use of coal in power-plants, gasification of coal to SNG, and liquefaction of coal to synthetic crude oil. With U.S. consumption of energy in 1973 as a base, hypothetical cases are developed for supply of U.S. 1973 energy needs solely from coal by (1) the proposed pyrolysis alternative, and (2) the E.R.D.A.-type coal program; the respective indicated energy consumptions would be 88.30 vs. 101.63 quadrillion Btu/yr and the coal consumed would be 2970 vs. 3480 million tons/yr. The energy price for converting coal into synthetic crude or SNG is too high. Energy policy should maximize the use of solid fuels and minimize the use of gas and liquid fuels. It is pointed out that cooling water requirements would be much lower for pyrolysis than for gasification or liquefaction, and that the products of pyrolysis could be used in place of water for slurry pipelining for a further reduction in water consumption.