Petroleum from Coal

Anthony N. Stranges is Professor in the History Department at Texas A&M University. He teaches history of science, especially chemistry and chemical engineering. He has published several books and articles in various journals, including Isis, Technology and Culture, and Annals of Science.

Contents

Preface

Permission Acknowledgements

List of Illustrations and Tables

Abbreviations

1 Overview of the Synthetic Fuel Industry

 1 Introductory

 2 Global Energy Situation 1910–90s: Energy Crises and Revivals

 3 Impact of Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) Revolution on Natural Petroleum and Synthetic Fuel Production

 4 Scientific and Engineering Advances in Synthetich Fuel Research and Development

 5 Economics and Politics of Synthetic Fuel Development

 6 Chapter Titles and Summaries

 7 A Note on Sources

2 Friedrich Bergius, Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch: The Rise of the German Synthetic Fuel Industry

 1 Introductory

 2 Hydrogenation Begins

 3 First Industrial Application of High-Pressure Hydrogenation

 4 Friedrich Bergius: Background to High-Pressure Coal Hydrogenation

 5 IG Farben Process and Its Industrialization in Germany

 6 Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

 7 Conclusion

3 Germany’s Synthetic Fuel Industry 1927–45

 1 Introductory

 2 Germany’s Energy Plan

 3 BASF-IG Farben’s Coal Hydrogenation Program

 4 Industrial Development of the F-T Synthesis

 5 Summary of Synthetic Fuel Industrial Development in Germany 1927–45

 6 Labor Force in the Synthetic Fuel Plants

 7 Conclusion

4 From Birmingham to Billingham: High-Pressure Coal Hydrogenation in Great Britain

 1 Introductory

 2 Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis and the Beginning of Coal Hydrogenation in Britain: Birmingham

 3 Coal Hydrogenation at the Fuel Research Station

 4 Influence of Variables on the Conversion Process

 5 Development of a Small-Size Continuous Plant

 6 ICI and the Billingham Plant

 7 Politics and Economics

 8 Conclusion

5 Synthetic Fuel Production in Prewar and World War II Japan: A Study in Technological Failure

 1 Introductory

 2 Overview of Japan’s Coal Conversion Processes, Seven Year Energy Plan

 3 Development of Japan’s Oil Shale, Derived and Synthetic Liquid Fuel Sources to 1930

 4 Government Support of Japan’s Synthetic Fuel Industry

 5 Oil Shale and LTC Emerge as Major Sources of Liquid Fuel

 6 Research and Development of the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis: A Promising Beginning

 7 Coal Hydrogenation: High Hopes but Little Success

 8 Japan’s IG Farben Connection

 9 Conclusion

6 Canada’s Mines Branch and Its Synthetic Fuel Program for Energy Independence

 1 Introductory

 2 Early Concern for Fuel Supply

 3 Synthetic Fuel Research at the Mines Branch

 4 Wartime Developments on Synthetic Fuel

 5 Postwar Developments on Oil Sands Separation

 6 The Blair Report, Athabasca Conference, and the State of Canadian Fuel Research

 7 Canada’s Changing Energy Situation

 8 Conclusion

7 The United States Bureau of Mines’ Synthetic Fuel Program 1920s–50s: German Connections and American Advances

 1 Introductory

 2 Early Bureau of Mines, European, and Japanese Research and Development of Derived and Synthetic Liquid Fuel

 3 Liquid Fuel Developments in the United States

 4 Development of the F-T Synthesis

 5 Early Research on Coal Hydrogenation

 6 Coal Hydrogenation and F-T Synthesis at the Bureau of Mines, the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act of 1944

 7 The Demonstration Synthetic Fuel Plants in Louisiana, Missouri

 8 Industrial Development of F-T and Coal Hydrogenation

 9 Concluding the Bureau’s Synthetic Fuel Program

8 Epilogue: Post-World War II Synthetic Fuel Development and the Emergence of Environmental Concerns

 1 Introductory

 2 Pre-World War II Small-Scale Synthetic Fuel Developments: Italy and France 1920s–40s

 3 Post-World War II Synthetic Fuel Developments: Sasol 1950s–2000s

 4 Post-World War II Synthetic Fuel Developments: United States 1960s–80s

 5 Fossil Fuel, Synthetic Fuel, the Environment

 6 Oil Crises 1990s, Oil Shale Fracking Revolution and Its Consequences

 7 Conclusion

Bibliography

Index