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Alternative fuel technologies

28 .11 .2007

Introduction

Since its discovery 150 years ago , petroleum oil has become lifeline of the world , the functional equivalent of blood in the human body . The mechanism driving the entire transportation system from automobiles airplanes , railways , ships to space rockets is based on utilization of energy of petroleum oil . Petroleum products are also extensively used in a number of infrastructure industries that form the core of industrial processes and basis of existence of modern world

However , the petroleum resources of world are very limited and

they cannot endlessly meet human demands . Various estimates have put the continues to consume them at present rate . After that the cost of extraction of remaining petroleum products would become much more than the benefits obtained them and world would require new resources of energy to exist . These concerns have already spawned intense research in alternative technologies to meet the future energy needs in the face of an impending petroleum crisis

United States of America is world 's leading consumer of petroleum products accounting for approximately 25 of petroleum oil world over . In 2003 , world 's consumption of petroleum oil stood at around 80 million barrels per day , out of which US 's share was close to 20 million barrel (Hirsch , Bezdek , Wending , 2005 . To meet these huge petroleum demands US depends crucially on oil imports that is well above 50 today and continuing to rise upward . This overwhelming dependence on imported oil poses various strategic and security challenges for US interests in the long run . The sharp oil price increases of 1973 and 1979-81 serve as testimony to the dangers of import dependence . Further as the oil sources would continue to deplete the prices of oil would steadily and inexorably rise until the level when world is faced with an acute fuel crisis . Based on these observations it 's vital that U .S explores alternative technologies and fuels to sustain its development and growth structure

Need of alternative fuels

The continuous rise in U .S oil consumption has forced it to rely increasingly on imported oil to meet its expanding requirements . As of today with its 20 million barrel per day consumption U .S is the largest consumer and importer of oil , surpassing the combined consumption of Japan , Germany , China , Russia and South Korea (Reardon , 2004 . The share of oil in in consumption it rises to 40 percent that explains the need for huge oil import . Imports constitute 11 million barrels per day that is more than the aggregate oil import of Japan , Germany , and South Korea (Reardon , 2004

The bulk of the oil consumption takes place in the transportation sector , which accounts for the 69 percent of the in US (Basic Petroleum Statistics , 2007 . Consumption stands highest for motor gasoline . Average daily consumption of motor gasoline in U .S according to Petroleum data (EIA , 2005 ) is 8933 thousand barrels per day . Distillate fuel oil is the second most consumed petroleum product with daily consumption at 2817 thousand barrels...

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