IMechE support for unconventional fossil fuels

I was delighted to read about the institution's support for shale gas, but what about shale oil?

In “View from Westminster” in the October issue of PE, I was delighted to read that Tim Fox is now expressing IMechE support for shale gas development in UK. But what about shale oil? And underground coal gasification? (PE August 2011).

The Parliamentary Group on Peak Oil will be hearing a presentation on shale oil on 27 November. For the record, in the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis, RTZ (as then was) looked at the potential for extracting oil from the Kimmeridge shales, which extend widely under SE England. Technology has moved ahead since that time, and I am looking forward to hearing this presentation.

UCG is moving ahead fast in many countries, and will soon be able to be proved as commercial. Regrettably, after the initial studies a decade ago, initiated while I was Chief Executive of the Coal Authority, momentum in Britain has slowed, and we are likely to end up buying-in much of the expertise from elsewhere.

But all three of these fossil fuel sources are abundant in UK and offer the real prospect of greatly reducing our imports of fuel, especially natural gas, as well as generating power from UCG, including the cost of CCS, at well below the cost of any renewable, and especially offshore wind.

IMechE supports CCS, where there are huge opportunities. The recently-announced concept by Howden and others of adapting the 100-year-old Ljungstrom rotary air heater to remove CO₂ by solid-state adsorption from gas turbine exhaust is a good example. If successful, it could offer low-cost decarbonisation of gas-fired power generation. We now support shale gas. Let’s add shale oil and UCG to the proactive list.

Kenneth Fergusson, Battersea, London

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