SYNTHETIC FUELS 



NUCLEAR FISSION 



Commercially demonstrated processes are now available 

 for producing usable synthetic gases from coal, and proc- 

 esses with improved efficiency, reliability, and environ- 

 mental acceptability should be demonstrated in the next 5 

 years. Private industry has made substantial investments 

 in the development of synthetic fuels technologies. Large 

 pilot plant programs for the direct liquefaction of coal are 

 under way, and these programs could lead to commer- 

 cially feasible processes by the end of the decade (pp. 

 54-55). 



Probably the greatest need in synthetic fuels science 

 and technology during the next 5 years is for basic science 

 and engineering studies to learn more about different 

 possible production processes and fuel uses. Such studies 

 should lead to improved efficiency and reliability in sec- 

 ond- and third-generation commercial plants and to mini- 

 mized environmental problems (pp. 54-55). 



Fermentation of grains to produce alcohol is an estab- 

 lished commercial technology. Results of research and 

 development that could lead to the commercial production 

 of alcohol and synthetic gas through fermentation of 

 grains and other biomass forms are promising. A better 

 understanding of plant genetics could serve as a basis for 

 the biological engineering of plants and could greatly 

 enhance the potential of biomass as a significant long- 

 term energy option (p. 58). 



DIRECT COMBUSTION OF COAL 



Coal use is expected to increase throughout the decade. A 

 number of utilities and a few large industries are already 

 converting from oil to coal or natural gas, and a good deal 

 of attention is being paid to possible commercial systems 

 that would allow the cost-effective use of coal instead of 

 oil in small manufacturing plants. The introduction of new 

 mining technologies should improve the efficiency of coal 

 extraction and reduce the health and safety hazards associ- 

 ated with mining. Increased direct use of coal as a fuel will 

 be facilitated by systems, some of them near commercial- 

 ization, that reduce the emission of oxides of sulfur and 

 nitrogen. Research on coal combustion processes is ex- 

 pected to lead to further improvements in such advanced 

 systems (pp. 53-54). 



Increases in atmospheric concentrations of carbon di- 

 oxide may ultimately limit the amounts of fossil fuels, 

 including coal and synthetic fuels, that can be burned. A 

 high-priority need in the next 5 years is to learn enough 

 about the details of the global carbon dioxide problem to 

 provide a basis for assessing probable long-term limits on 

 coal use (pp. 53, 55). 



Research and development aimed at improving the effi- 

 ciency and safety of light water nuclear reactors is ex- 

 pected to intensify during the next 5 years. Science and 

 engineering studies will be focused on an advanced reac- 

 tor that could be operated in a converter mode fueled with 

 a uranium-thorium mixture. Such a reactor could serve as 

 a source of industrial process heat as well as electricity. 

 Broadly based research and development efforts will be 

 pursued that would permit the selection of an appropriate 

 breeder reactor system for possible deployment by the end 

 of the century. Since the 1977 moratorium on commercial 

 reprocessing and recycling of fuel has been lifted, these 

 reactors, which could use domestic uranium and thorium 

 with 100 times the efficiency of present light water reac- 

 tors, may now be a more realizable option. Additionally, 

 the existence of reprocessing capabilities could simplify 

 the technical problem of permanent nuclear waste dis- 

 posal. Reprocessing and recycling are presently being 

 pursued in Europe and Japan. France plans to demonstrate 

 a large commercial breeder reactor during 1983 and has 

 also completed a 2-year waste disposal pilot test (pp. 

 55-57). 



DIRECT SOLAR CONVERSION 



Federal tax credits have helped increase the Nation's use 

 of solar energy for space heating. A variety of tech- 

 nologies for harnessing solar energy for other applications 

 are under development. Photovoltaic systems that convert 

 light directly into electricity with better than 11 percent 

 efficiency are at the research stage. Cost reductions, 

 however, may require radically new approaches using 

 advanced semiconductor materials. The introduction of 

 large, automated facilities should also reduce the cost of 

 commercial production (pp. 57-58). 



FUSION RESEARCH 



The scientific feasibility of producing fusion power by the 

 magnetic confinement method is scheduled to be demon- 

 strated during the next 5 years at test facilities nearing 

 completion, but formidable technical problems remain to 

 be solved if a commercial-size system is to be demon- 

 strated by the end of the century. Development of the 

 inertial fusion method is essential for addressing nuclear 

 weapons design problems. The country's leading inertial 

 research facility is scheduled to demonstrate the scientific 

 feasibility of that method in 1983 (pp. 58-59). 



ENERGY END-USE EFHCIENCY 



Increased energy use efficiencies will continue to 

 strengthen national efforts to ameliorate the near-term 



