OCR Text |
Show 3 Analysis of information in the table reveals several interesting features. First, over 60% of the fuels burned by industry are gaseous, with natural gas and refinery fuel gas accounting for the largest portion. About one~uarter of the fuels burned are solid fuels. Somewhat over 10% are liquid fuels. Viewed from a different perspective, over one-third of the fuels used by industry are waste fuels. Despite its widespread industrial use, coal is not included in OIT's Industrial Combustion Programs. Coal combustion has been and will continue to be handled by the Fossil Energy activity within DOE. INDUSTRIAL COMBUSTION TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM The objective of DOE's Industrial Combustion Technology Program is to apply the fundamentals of combustion to combustion systems used by industry. To this end, the Program supports the identification and research of new ideas and concepts that can improve combustion efficiency and minimize combustion-related emissions. Typically, projects undertaken by the Combustion Technology Program cannot be undertaken by more conventional development approaches. Thus, to accomplish its goals, the Combustion Technology Program utilizes state-of-the-art mathematical modeling, as well as advanced diagnostics to better understand the combustion processes under investigation. Because of unified management within DOE, concepts investigated by the Combustion Technology Program can be transferred to the Combustion Equipment Program for development, scale-up and demonstration. Since some Combustion Technology projects are initiated at the behest of an industrial company, the information developed is transferred to that organization for its use. Historically, the Industrial Combustion Technology Program was composed of two interrelated technical areas: Continuous Combustion (now the Industrial Combustion Technology Program) and Engine Combustion. Continuous Combustion focused on issues related to improving the efficiency, fuel flexibility, and emissions of boilers, furnaces, and industrial process heating systems. The second area, Engine Combustion, focused on the same issues with respect of stationary, automobile and truck engines. The Engine Combustion Program has been transferred to DOE's Office of Transportation Technologies. Advanced diagnostics and computer modeling have been applied extenSively in pursuit of Program goals. Because of its fundamental nature, most of this work has been performed by universities as well as National and other government laboratories, often teamed in one way or another with industrial organizations. The Program has a record of accomplishment and has achieved recognition. |