..|MlS-«»n|- l°\ THE INSTITUTE OF FUEL AUSTRALIAN MEMBERSHIP i CONFERENCE ON I i I •it THE ASSESSMENT OF OUR FUEL AND ENERGY § RESOURCES AND REQUIREMENTS ti HELD AT THE PARK ROYAL MOTOR INN, BRISBANE, OLD. 4th-6th NOVEMBER, 1970 COLLECTED PREPRINTS OF PAPERS PRESENTED THE ASSESSMENT OF OUR FUEL AND ENERGY RESOURCES AND REQUIREMENTS CONFERENCE HELD AT THE PARK ROYAL MOTOR INN BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND 4th-6th NOVEMBER, 1970 Collected Preprints of Papers Presented THE INSTITUTE OF FUEL AUSTRALIAN MEMBERSHIP Opinions expressed in these papers are those of the authors individually, and should not be taken as those of The Institute as a corporate body* FOREWORD The 1970 Conference of the Australian Membership of the Institute is the seventh in a series which began in 195&. Each conference has marked a fresh phase in Institute development, which members will recall from the list of conferences included in this volume. The present Conference will be remembered as the first to be held in Queensland and the first to be organized by the Brisbane Group. The Group is much to be congratulated on having persuaded the Hon. R.E. Camm, Queensland Minister for Mines and Main Roads, to open the Conference. Another feature is the introduction, for the first time in the series, of an international guest lecturer — Mr. Yoshiharu Iimura, Director and General Manager., Nippon Steel Corporation. He will discuss the significance of fuels to Australia and Japan. An appraisal of the present position of nuclear energy in this country will be contributed by the Chairman of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission, Sir Philip Baxter, The 1970 CR. Kent Lecturer and Medallist is the well-known former National Chariman of the Australian Membership, Mr. W.W. Pettingell, F.Inst.F., who some years ago steered the National Committee in its first steps towards recognition of the need for "home grown" development within the framework of an international Institute. A major address by the First Assistant Secretary, Department of National Development, Mr. F.L. McCay, O.B.E., will be a highlight of the proceedings at the Conference Dinner. After the Conference all delegates will receive a supplementary volume containing the addresses by Mr. Camm, Mr* limura, Mr* Pettingell, and Mr* McCayj this will form, with the present volume of preprints, a unique work of reference and of material for use by fuel technologists and engineers throughout the Australian Continent. Through its initiative in calling this Conference The Institute is, I believe, contributing significantly to the further development of fuels in Australia* Such development calls for skilful organization and a high standard of professional expertise. Fuels underpin all civilized life today, but for Australians they hold special significance because our future as a nation depends upon the degree to which we are successful in discovering new sources of fuel and energy while at the same time using to the best advantage all known reserves. T.G. Callcott. Chairman, Australian Membership, The Institute of Fuel# ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FOR 197Q CONFERENCE A.G. Reeve (Chairman) K.T. Greenham, M. Inst. F, (Hon. Secretary) G.W. Richardson F.W. Hazell V.E. Baker A.J. Willis, A. M. Inst. F. T.G. Calicott, F. Inst. F. W.T. Cooper, F. Inst. F. (Hon. Editor) J.F. Cudmore, M. Inst. F. LIST OF CHAIRMEN OF THE AUSTRALIAN MEMBERSHIP, THE INSTITUTE OF FUEL, FROM ITS FORMATION IN 1952 1952 C.R. Kent 1953 C.R. Kent 1954 C.R. Kent 1955 H.R. Brown 1956 H.R. Brown 1957 I. McCbll Stewart 1958 F.H. Roberts 1959 F.H. Roberts 1960 C.R.'Kent 1961 W.W. Pettingell 1962 W.W. Pettingell 1963 N.Y„ Kirov 1964 F.H. Roberts 1965 N.Y. Kirov 1966 W.T. Cooper 1967 W.T. Cooper 1968 H.R. Goode 1969 H.R. Goode 1970 T.G. Callcott LIST OF CONFERENCES OF THE AUSTRALIAN MEMBERSHIP. THE INSTITUTE OF FUEL 1956 Sydney. "Fuel and Power - Vital Elements in the Development of Australia." Opened by the Hon. W.H. Spooner, Federal Minister for National Development. 1959 Newcastle. "Australian Fuels and Their Utilization." Opened by F.H. Roberts, Chairman, Australian Membership, The Institute of Fuel. 1961 Sydney. "Oil Fuels and Their Utilization." Opened by Professor J.P. Baxter, Vice-Chancellor, University of New South Wales. 1964. Melbourne. "The Inorganic Constituents of Fuels." Opened by the Hon. G.O. Reid, Minister for,Electrical Undertakings, Victoria. 1966 Newcastle. "1966 Fuel Conference." Opened by W.T. Cooper, Chairman, Australian Membership, The Institute of Fuel. First C.R. Kent Lecturer and Medallist: Professor E.A. Rudd. 1968 Canberra. "Combustion and Combustion Equipment." Opened, by the Hon. David Fairbaim, Federal Minister for National Development. Second C.R. Kent Lecturer and Medallist: Dr. W.T. McFayden. Scheduled: 1970 Brisbane. "The Assessment of our Fuel and Energy Resources and Requirements." To be opened by the Hon. R.E. Camm, Queensland Minister for Minas and Main Roads. Third C.R. Kent Lecturer and Medallist: W.W. Pettingell, C.B.E. LIST OF PAPERS First Technical Session Paper 1. Nuclear Energy in Australia Dr. R.K. Warner and Sir Philip Baxter (Australian Atomic Energy Commission) Paper 2. An Energy Policy for Queensland A.W. Norrie (Department of Mines, Queensland) Paper 3» Australian Primary Energy Requirements, with Special Reference to the Industrial Sector C.F. Gartland, M. Inst. F. (Department of National Development, Melbourne) Second Technical Session Paper U» Review of New South Wales Coals, Their Occurrence, Quality, and Uses G.E. Edwards and J.B. Robinson (Joint Coal Board) Paper 5» The Coal Resources of Queensland W.L. Hawthorne (Geological Survey of Queensland) Paper o. Reserves, Resources, and Statistics of Liquid and Gaseous Fuels in Australia M.C. Konecki, K. Blair, and J.M. Henry (Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Canberra) Paper 7. Energy Resources and Requirements in Western Australia L.J. Brennan, A. M. Inst. F. (Government Chemical Laboratories, Perth, Western Australia) Third Technical Session Paper 8. Study of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Strategies for Australia' J.E. Hayes, J.B. Herbert, and R.A. Slizys (State Electricity Commission of Victoria) Paper 9. Fuels for Electricity Generation in Australia D.G. Evans, M. Inst. F. (Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Melbourne) Paper 10. Oil and Gas Development in Bass Strait and Some, •Implications for the Australian Oil Industry T.H. Ramsay (Oil and Gas Division, The Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd.).--"'• Fourth Technical Session Paper 11• Australian Crude Oils -' Their Effect on Industrial Fuel Oils H.W. Baddams (The Shell Company of Australia Limited, Melbourne) Paper 12. Natural Gas Development and Experience A.J. Willis, A. M. Inst. F. (Allgas Energy Ltd., Brisbane) Paper 13. The. Effect of Bass Strait Crude Oil on Australian • Refinery Technology A.C. Nommensen (Ampol Petroleum Limited, Sydney) Fifth Technical Session Paper 14. Paralic.Coal Seam Formation Dr. Claus F.K..Diessel (Department of Geology, The University of Newcastle, New South Wales) Paper 15. Research and Developments in Coal Preparation Dr. R.G. Burdon, M. Inst. F. (School of Mining Engineering, The University of New S.outh Wales), and A. Le Page (Australian Coal Industry Research Laboratories Limited) Paper 16. Coking Australian Coals T.G. Calicott and N.A. Brown (Central Research Laboratories, B.H.P. Ltd., Shortland, N.S.W.) Paper 17. General Review of Coal Exploration Possibilities in Western Australia Hector J. Ward and Robert Pickering (Geotechnics (Aust.) Pty. Ltd^ and P.S. Chaturvedi' (Lucknow University) Sixth Technical Session Paper 18. Comparative Costs of Transport of Coal by Rail, Road and Sea J.B. Thomson (Coal and Allied (Sales) Pty. Ltd., Newcastle, N.S.W.), Paper 19. The Marine Transportation of Liquid Hydrocarbons J.F. Crane (The Shell Company of Australia Limited, Melbourne) Paper 20. Pipelines for Natural Gas C.R., Saunders - (Associated Pipelines Limited, Brisbane) 1-1 PAPER 1 NUCLEAR ENERGY IN AUSTRALIA By: R. K. WARNER* and J. P. BAXTER SUMMARY Reactor types and major overseas programmes for nuclear power are re­ viewed, and an outline is given of future developments. At present in the world the capacity of nuclear power stations in operation, under construction, or committed, totals some 129,500 MW(e). By 1980 the installed nuclear generating capacity outside the Soviet area should be 250,000 - 300,000 MW(e), and in 1990 the U.S.A. alone is expected to have 500,000 MW(e) of nuclear plant in operation. Nuclear power has been established as a technically and economically viable industry, which will not add,to atmospheric pollution. The proposed nuclear power station at Jervis Bay heralds the beginning of Australia's nuclear power industry, which is destined to play a major role in the development of this country. By 1985 nuclear power stations should be competitive with conventional stations in all States of the Commonwealth, except possibly Tasmania, and the installed nuclear generating capacity is expected to be 4,000 MW(e). By the turn of the century Australia could have 36,000 MW(e) of nuclear power in operation, representing about one-third of the country's total installed generating capacity. The introduction of nuclear power into Australia will give rise to new ancillary industries, such as fuel fabrication and reprocessing. Nuclear energy has made an important contribution in the field of radioisotopes and radiation applications. In the future it is expected to.lead to.new developments in Australia in saline water conversion, civil and mining engineering uses of nuclear explosives, and possibly in "nuclear energy centres" for agro-industrial complexes. These applications are surveyed briefly. * Chief, Nuclear Technology-Division, Australian Atomic, Energy Commission. Chairman, Australian Atomic Energy Commission. 1-2 1. INTRODUCTION The generation of electricity from nuclear energy is now a well-established, technically and economically viable industry.