Information Sources in Energy Technology: Butterworths Guides to Information Sources

By L. J. Anthony

Information Sources in Energy Technology presents the major sources in the field of energy technology. The book is comprised of 16 chapters that are organized into three parts. The first part covers energy in general and discusses both local and international agencies that deal with energy technology along with its primary and secondary sources. The next part deals with fuel technology; this part details combustion, steam and boiler plant, electrical energy, and energy conservation. The last part talks about specific energy sources, including nuclear, solar, and geothermal. The text will be of great use to individuals involved in energy industry. Scientists and engineers involved in energy projects will also benefit from the book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Release date: Oct 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483192338

Book preview

Oxon

Part 1

Energy in general

Outline

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: International energy agencies and services

Chapter 3: National energy agencies

Chapter 4: Primary sources of information

Chapter 5: Secondary sources of information

1

Introduction

L.J. Anthony

Energy is conventionally defined by the physicist as a measure of a system’s ability to do work, and is conveniently classified into two forms, potential and kinetic. The laws of physics also state that energy cannot be created or destroyed (assuming that matter and energy are interchangeable).

However, in the world of energy technology the concept takes on other shades of meaning. Energy is often regarded as a commodity to be bought and sold in the marketplace: on the other hand, it is also viewed as a resource which provides the basis of life and wealth on our planet, but it is not unlimited. It is the relationship between these two somewhat incompatible concepts which has brought energy technology into the realm of political and social activity on a worldwide basis. There are, of course, also those who regard energy as a strategic material and hence a factor in political confrontation.

The aim of this book is to set out the major sources in the field of energy technology in the strict sense, although, when discussing energy, it is becoming increasingly difficult to exclude entirely the social and political effects of energy policies. The first part of the book deals with energy in general and with related topics such as geological exploration, fluid transport, etc. which are not covered in the chapters on specific fuels. Chapter 2 describes the major international and regional organizations in the energy field and the services which they provide. Chapter 3 discusses the main national organizations in the major countries. Primary documentary sources are described in Chapter 4, covering journals; reports; statistics; standards; conference papers and proceedings; theses and directories of research organizations; patent literature; and translations. Chapter 5 covers the secondary sources, including abstracting and indexing services and their online equivalents; bibliographies and guides to sources; review journals; encyclopedias, dictionaries and handbooks; monographs; and biographical sources.

The next part of the book is concerned with fuel technology. The fate of most fuel is to be burned to produce heat for space heating or steam for driving turbines and generators. Combustion is the theme of Chapter 6, which also covers explosions and detonations, and prime movers which rely on combustion and the thermodynamics of such systems. Chapter 7 deals with steam and boiler plant, still the normal method of converting the chemical energy of fuels into publicly usable electrical energy. An appendix to this chapter deals with the main aspects of space heating.

The most widely used form of energy is electrical energy, and the generation, distribution and use of electrical energy is the theme of Chapter 8. Specific topics covered in this chapter include the generation and distribution of electrical energy for public consumption; consumer-owned generating systems; industrial installations; storage of electrical energy including batteries; and other aspects of electrotechnology.

How long we can go on burning fuels for heat and electrical power is a debated question. The latest forecasts suggest that oil supplies will fall to very low levels within decades, that gas supplies should last for about 300 years and coal about 3000 years, at present rates of use. Bearing in mind that there will be pressure from developing countries to increase energy demand, and the environmental consequences of excessive fuel consumption, it is imperative that ways are found of increasing the efficiency of energy consumption and conserving it wherever possible. This is the theme of Chapter 9, which draws mainly on UK practice.

The production and use of energy is only one facet of the much wider problem of how to manage the planet on which we live and on which we hope our descendants will be able to continue to live for an appreciable time. The problem is real and immediate. Each year another 6 million hectares of productive land turns into worthless desert. Each year more than 11 million hectares of forest are destroyed. Each year the number of hungry people in the world increases and each year the mountain of unconsumed agricultural produce in the Western world gets larger. Unless the human race can learn to manage the biosphere of which it is a part, its future is likely to be very bleak indeed. The production and use of energy is itself a major factor in this worldwide problem, and Chapter 10 discusses briefly the major environmental aspects.

In the final section each of the major conventional fuels is considered in turn together with the alternative or renewable sources of energy. The first three chapters deal mainly with the so-called fossil fuels. The energy from these fuels is chemical, the two most important reactions being the oxidation of carbon to form carbon dioxide and the oxidation of hydrogen to form water, both of which are exothermic. Chapter 11 is in five parts covering the solid fuels coal, coke, lignite, peat and wood. The use of wood as a fuel has been increasing steadily in recent years, particularly in developing countries. In certain circumstances, under proper management wood might be regarded as a renewable energy source, but at present it is more realistic to regard it as just another solid fuel. Chapter 12 deals with the liquid fuels, mainly petroleum and synthetic hydrocarbon fuels, with a section on statistical and data sources, many of which are relevant to other types of fuel. Natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas are the themes of Chapter 13, which also covers hydrogen as a fuel. The chapter includes sections on exploration, distribution and utilization of natural gas.

Energy can also be derived from the interactions between the nuclei of atoms whereby mass is converted into energy according to Einstein’s formula. The most useful reaction is the neutron-induced fission of uranium nuclei, which is both self-sustaining and controllable. Unfortunately the side effects of the process are becoming increasingly unpopular, although much of the criticism of this energy source is not, perhaps, as well informed as it might be. The alternative source of nuclear energy is that obtained from the fusion of light elements such as deuterium and tritium. The fusion of light elements is the source of the seemingly limitless energy produced by the sun and other stars, and was first demonstrated by Cockcroft and Walton in 1932 at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge, six years before Hahn and Strassman first observed the fission of uranium isotopes at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut für Chemie in Berlin in 1938. Progress in putting nuclear fission to work has been rapid, but so far thermonuclear fusion is still in the research stage. Both energy sources are covered in Chapter 14.

Solar energy and energy from geothermal sources are covered in Chapter 15. Since the mid-1970s there has been increasing interest in the use of solar energy stimulated by developments in photovoltaic cells, and geothermal energy has received an impetus from the development of the hot dry rocks systems. Chapter 16 is concerned with the main alternative energy-producing systems which have been the subject of research and development and are gradually coming into practical use in various parts of the world. The chapter covers renewable energy sources in general and then discusses, in more detail, specific sources such as ocean energy, which includes wave energy, tidal power and ocean thermal energy conversion; wind energy; and biomass and the use of wastes as fuels. There is a final section on mechanical energy storage using flywheels.

Every energy source has its own economic costs, benefits and risks, which will vary from country to country, and choices must be made. One thing is certain: choosing an energy strategy inevitably means choosing an environmental strategy, and it is difficult to see how this could be accomplished without much greater international cooperation than exists at present.

2

International energy agencies and services

Jacqui Brookes

Publisher Summary

This chapter presents the international agencies that provide information on energy reserves, production and usage in the form of conference proceedings, study reports, periodicals and statistics for a number of countries. The agencies described are those that provide information on energy in general, including energy technology, and those international organizations that supply information on a specific fuel or energy source. The World Energy Conference (WEC) was set up in 1924 and is the major international forum for producers and consumers of energy, with representatives from industry, government, and academia. The International Energy Agency (IEA), which has its headquarters in Paris, was set up as an autonomous agency in 1974 by member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in response to the mid-1970s oil crisis. The Commonwealth Secretariat, located in London, is the office of the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the association of the member nations representing a population of more than 1 billion (1981 statistics). It undertakes a variety of economic, social, and technical studies of interest to member countries. Scientific interests are the concern of the Commonwealth Science Council.

Introduction

The international agencies that form the subject of this chapter are those that provide information on energy reserves, production and usage in the form of conference proceedings, study reports, periodicals and statistics for a number of countries. The agencies described are those that provide information on energy in general, including energy technology, and those international organizations which supply information on a specific fuel or energy source. Most of these agencies have been in existence for at least the last quarter century, and have expanded and adapted their facilities in response to world economic and energy trends.

Where possible, indication is given as to where the information can be accessed in the UK. The public library of first and last resort is the Science Reference and Information Service of the British Library, which has extensive holdings of energy technology and statistical literature and the online search facility of BLAISELINE, accessing more than 100 bibliographic and other services worldwide.

Further details about the organizations referred to can be found in Swain and Buckley (1981–1984), Smith (1985), Congressional Information Services (annual), Saur (annual) and WEC (1983a).

General energy agencies

World Energy Conference

The World Energy Conference (WEC) was set up in 1924 and is the major international forum for producers and consumers of energy, with representatives from industry, government and academia. Eight-two member countries and geographical areas are each represented by a committee of energy interests within that country. The secretariat is in London.

The WEC organizes triennial congresses, the 13th in Cannes (1986) and the 14th in Montreal (1989), where authoritative technical papers on all branches of energy are presented. Between congresses the WEC has 17 permanent and ad hoc committees with regular publications of their studies. Areas of interest are world and national energy resources, forecasts of energy supply and consumption, renewable energy sources in the developing countries, standards and technology. Current technology studies include the availability of thermal generating plant, rational use of energy in agriculture, ocean thermal energy conversion, the role of electricity in the energy spectrum and energy consumption in industrial processes. Individual country committees also publish reports of the energy situation in their countries.

Of particular interest to the information scientist are the publications on Energy terminology (WEC, 1983b) and Energy Information Centres in the World (WEC, 1983a). The WEC is in the process of compiling a dictionary of World Energy Databases (publication is due in 1990), listing databases and their contents by host and network. As an information provider the WEC is a collector and publisher of data. Its publications are available for purchase and are held by the British Library and major energy libraries.

International Energy Agency

The International Energy Agency (IEA), which has its headquarters in Paris, was set up as an autonomous agency in 1974 by member countries of the OECD in response to the mid-1970s oil crisis. The IEA forms an energy forum for 21 industrialized nations with the objective of improving the world’s energy supply and demand structure. It also aims to maintain and improve a system for coping with oil supply disruptions, operate a permanent information system on the international oil market and other sources of energy and to approach energy developments in a global context through international cooperation (IEA 1986). A review of the energy economies of member countries during the first ten years of the IEA was published in 1985 (IEA, 1985a).

The IEA provides an energy information network within its member countries and publishes annual and quarterly statistical reports on oil and gas, coal and overall energy supply, consumption, prices and taxes, (IEA, annual a-d, quarterly a,b). IEA statistics and OECD main economic indicators are available online via the energy databases of Chase Econometrics/Interactive Data, CISI Network, Data Resources Inc. and I. P. Sharp. It reports annually on the research and development programmes of member countries (IEA, annual d).

Major appraisals of key energy issues are undertaken on an ad hoc basis as required by member governments. A forecast study of the electricity industry to the year 2000 and an analysis of policy questions affecting the development of energy technology were both published in 1985 (IEA, 1985b, c). A series of technology reviews on topical subjects is also published: for example, District Heating and Combined Heat and Power Systems; Heat Pump Systems; Coal Liquefaction; and Energy for Buildings—Microprocessor Technology.

Under the aegis of the IEA, specialist energy organizations have been set up, such as IEA (Coal) in London (see below), and IEA Biomass Conversion Technical Information Service in Dublin and the Coal Industry Advisory Board in Paris.

The IEA and OECD publish their own material with selected outlets in member countries; in the UK they are available from HMSO. Publications are also available on microfiche and statistical data on magnetic tape.

Multinational organizations

Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat, located in London, is the office of the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the association of the member nations representing a population of more than 1 billion (1981 statistics). It undertakes a variety of economic, social and technical studies of interest to member countries. Scientific interests are the concern of the Commonwealth Science Council.

The Secretariat publishes a range of information material on the Commonwealth and reports of meetings and seminars, journals, handbooks and directories. Energy publications reflect the interest in harnessing renewable energy sources, particularly solar, wind and biomass, in Africa, India and the Caribbean. They provide an authoritative information source on energy developments in these areas of the world: see, for example, Commonwealth Secretariat (1984–1986). Publications are available for purchase or free of charge from the Secretariat and can be viewed at the library, which is open to the public.

European Economic Community

At 1987 the EEC comprises twelve member countries in Western Europe with the Commission of the European Communities located in Brussels. Directorate-General XVII has primary responsibiliy for energy affairs, although DG XII, Science Research and Development, and DG XIII, Telecommunications, Information and Innovation, also deal with energy-related topics.

One of the important areas of activity of DG XVII is the coordination of research, development and demonstration projects that involve energy savings or the development of alternative energy sources. Booklets and pamphlets describing individual R, D&D projects and cumulative lists of current and completed projects are available free from the library of DG XVII. Detailed reports of completed projects are published in the EUR publications series from the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities: 2500 project profiles of the R&D projects under DG XII and DG XVII are held on the SESAME database. DG XVII produces Energy Europe (bi-monthly), a review of energy policy and technical projects.

Ad hoc publications are generated according to interest and need such as Energy 2000 (Guilmot, 1986), an authoritative forecast document predicting energy use in member countries, a survey of geothermal heating (Aurielle, 1983) and the solar program within the Community (EEC, 1981).

Comprehensive energy statistical data for member countries appear in an annual report (EEC, annual a) compiled by Eurostat in Luxembourg, which details production, consumption, trade and balances by energy type for the current and preceding years. Input is derived from the monthly publication, EEC (monthly), which replaces the three former statistical bulletins for coal, electricity and oil. It gives details of the short-term movements in supply and consumption of the main sources of energy, the overall energy situation and economic and climatic conditions. Online access is available on the CRONOS-ZENI DATABASE via CISI, and the ECHO service database via Euronet.

The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) is concerned with promoting nuclear research in member countries and conducts its own research in the four joint research centres at Karlsruhe, Geel, Petten and Ispra. Regular and ad hoc publications are produced including data for nuclear fuel, world production of uranium by country, total nuclear power production and capacity of individual reactors.

Publications can be purchased from the Commission and selected outlets in member countries, such as HMSO. They can be viewed in depository libraries like the EEC London Office Library, the Science Reference Library and the London School of Economics Library.

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

The OECD was set up in 1961 to maintain economic growth and employment within member countries and to contribute to the development of the world economy. The 23 country members are from Western Europe, with the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Energy interests within OECD countries are the concern of the IEA (see above) and the specific interests in nuclear energy are coordinated by the Nuclear Energy Agency (see below).

The OECD itself publishes, from its Paris base, a series of selected economic statistics—Main economic indicators (monthly), OECD economic outlook (semi-annual) and the Annual Report, available as printed bilingual (English and French) versions or online via Chase Econometrics, CISI Network, Data Resources Inc. and I. P. Sharp. Reports on energy topics, in addition to those produced by the IEA and NEA, appear in the form of ad hoc monographs, such as the economics of biomass for energy (OECD, 1984a); road transport research (OECD, 1984b); energy use in the pulp and paper industry (OECD, 1984c); and the environmental effects of energy systems—a report of the OECD Compass project (OECD, 1983). Conference proceedings and forecasts are also published.

Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE)

The Latin American Energy Organization with headquarters in Quito, Ecuador, was set up in 1974 and has members from 24 Central and South American countries. It aims to foster independent development of energy resources in member states and pre- pares inventories of national energy resources. In 1981 the Latin American Inter-Agency Information System came into being. Its publications include the OLADE Statistical Yearbook (annual) and OLADE Information Bulletins.

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is a permanent inter-governmental organization for 13 oil-producing countries in the Middle East, Africa and South America, and Indonesia. It aims to coordinate the petroleum policies in member states and to stabilize the prices in international oil markets in order to secure a steady income to producing countries and a regular supply to consuming nations. OPEC forms an important economic pressure group on the world scene and actively participates in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC), the North–South Dialogue, with developing countries.

The OPEC Secretariat in Vienna has departments for energy studies, economics and finance, data services, public information and the OPEC News Agency. The Public Information Department publishes free of charge the OPEC Annual Report, which includes oil and gas sector information, production, reserves and exploration statistics; OPEC Facts and Figures (biennial), with comparative statistical analysis of member countries; OPEC Bulletin (monthly), with articles and news of petroleum industry developments, energy technology developments and statistics; and information pamphlets such as OPEC at a Glance and OPEC Information. Publications available for purchase include the authoritative Annual Statistical Bulletin and the academic OPEC Review—Energy and Economic Forum (quarterly), which incorporates articles on international energy issues, OPEC and non-OPEC countries and OPEC activities and statistics.

Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)

OAPEC is the association of 21 Arab oil-exporting countries, which was set up in 1968 to safeguard common interests in the Arab oil industry. OAPEC organizes and co-sponsors conferences and seminars on energy-related matters, including technological developments.

The Information and International Relations Department in Kuwait publishes the Secretary-General’s Annual Report; Annual Statistical Report, which includes selected basic economic and energy indicators for Arab countries and the world; OPEC Bul- letin (monthly; in Arabic and English) with economic rather than technical items; Oil and Arab Co-operation (quarterly; Arabic); Energy Resource Monitor (quarterly; Arabic) and Annual Energy Bibliography (Arabic and English).

United Nations

The United Nations, created in 1945 from the League of Nations, currently comprises 157 member states. Linked to the UN are a series of sub-organizations, including the IAEA (see below), many of which cover energy in their fields of interest. They are listed in the UN Handbook (annual). The UN and its organizations are prolific publishers of study reports, monographs, conference proceedings and statistics. A comprehensive list is provided in the Index to International Statistics (Congressional Information Service Inc., annual).

The UN Department of International Economic and Social Affairs Statistical Office publishes the Energy Statistics Yearbook (annual), the essential source of statistical data for those studying the supply and demand of energy. It comprises a comprehensive collection of comparable data on the long-term trends in the supply of commercial primary and secondary energy for Western, Eastern bloc and Third World nations. The information is also available on magnetic tape. Statistical data over five years for 48 developing countries is provided in Energy Balances and Electricity Profiles (biennial).

In 1947 the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) was established to strengthen economic activity in Europe and to promote close economic relationships between the 34 member countries. Energy questions have always played a prominent role in the UNECE programme. Meetings and seminars are held annually on coal, gas and electric power to assess supply and demand, balances, national polices, trade, technological developments and international cooperation. An authoritative series of annual bulletins give basic statistical data on the general energy situations in Europe (UN, annual a); on development and trends in solid fuels (UN, annual b); gas, (UN, annual c); and electrical generating capacity, production and consumption of electricity and international exchanges (UN, annual d). The ECE also publishes the Economic Bulletin for Europe (quarterly) and the Statistical Journal of the UNECE (quarterly). Study reports are published on an ad hoc basis; for example, UN (1979, 1980).

Economic commissions flourish in other geographic regions. That for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), with its headquarters in Bangkok, is the focus for coordinating information and analysis of economic development in the Pacific Region. Publications include energy surveys (see UN, 1984). The Economic Committee for West Asia is centred in Beirut and that for Africa in Addis Ababa, where there is a solar research and development establishment.

Energy development in Third World countries is of particular interest to the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna. The UN Development Programme, in association with other UN bodies, assists the technical development of the Third World by a programme of grants.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), with headquarters in Paris, is responsible for a variety of energy publications, from the easy-to-read analysis of the world energy situation by Clarke (1982) to the analysis of the principal water-using processes in the energy sector, current and projected (Davis, 1986). Reports of conferences and forums are produced on an ad hoc basis; for example, UNESCO (1983). UN memoranda and statistics are on open access at the UN depository libraries in member countries, such as the London School of Economics