Balance of Energy Processes of Fuel Upgrading

Comments and methodical explanatory notes

Primary energy sources, in 2004, reached 1 816 PJ which represents slight increase, in comparison with 2003, by 0.2 %. Considering that economic growth was significantly greater (GDP in 2004 in comparison with 2003 increased by more than 4 %), the indicator of energy intensity (demandingness), i.e. ratio of primary energy sources and GDP, reached its historical minimum” 1.026 GJ/thous. CZK (in constant prices of 1995). In 2003 (after 2003 GDP adjustment) this indicator equalled to 1.070 GJ/thous. CZK (in constant prices of 1995).

The primary energy sources structure stayed the same in 2004. A share of solid fuels moderately increased from 48 % in 2003 to 49 % in 2004 despite extraction decrease by 3.1 % in 2004 – hard coal imports however considerably increased. Electricity foreign trade became stable and difference between imports and exports was not rising.
Export remained approximately 2.5 times higher than import.

Energy sources, extracted in the Czech Republic and imported into the Czech Republic are, for the most part, upgraded (c. 87.4 % in 2004) in order to improve or change their utility value for their utilization in the final consumption. In addition to electric and heat energy production there are concerned further methods for fuels upgrading, especially crude oil processing and hard coal coking. In 2004, crude oil products participated in total upgraded/improved fuels production (without electricity and heat production) with 60.5 % and coking products with 27.9 %.

Production in transformation energy processes in 2004 in comparison with 2003 dropped by c.1.8 % (by 17 449 TJ). In 2004 production increased only in blast-furnace gas production (by 4,2 %). In other processes there we register drop: in heat production (by 6 %), BKB production (by 8,8 %), coke production (by 0.5 %), liquid fuels production from crude oil (by 1,7 %).

Fuels and energy input in 2004 was higher than in 2003 by 0,3 %. Input for heat generation was, in 2004, lower by 2,4 %; as for electricity it was higher by 0,8 %. Input for fuels upgrading increased by 0,8 %. Average efficiency of transformation processes in 2004 decreased in comparison with 2003 roughly by 1.3 %. Efficiency decrease was affected, above all, by lower effectiveness of liquid fuels production from crude oil and heat production during transformation process.

Energy processes for fuels upgrading - these are productive activities, whose results is enhancement, let us say change of utility value of energy matters (fuels), that pass through them. Under energy processes in an energy balance there are considered only those processes in which on the one hand a fuel charge/input and on the other hand production/output from processes ( utilizable products ) and losses on the charge/input are qualified by means of a balance form.
In these processes there occur, as a rule, substantial chemical and physical changes in charged fuels and energy. The report/questionnaire EP 8-01 ascertains data concerning energy balance indicators of the following energy processes:

- brown coal briquetting
- high-temperature carbonization in coking plants
- gasification under pressure of coal
- liquid fuels production from crude oil
- gas works gas/generator gas production in industrial coal gasification plants
(gasification in industrial generating stations)

The energy balance of the blast-furnace gas production (blast-furnace process) is composed from the report/questionnaire EP 7-01 data, data for electric and heat energy balance compilation are surveyed by the report/questionnaire EP 10-01 and will be presented in the CSO publication "Energetics in 2003".

Primary energy sources - fuels energy sources gained directly, which did not pass through upgrading processes, i.e. natural resources (indigenous production of fuel, electricity from hydroelectric power plants, primary heat - heat from nuclear fuel), fuels and energy imports decreased by their exports, stock level change and other sources.

Charge/Input - represents fuels (energy) that directly enter into energy process where they are processed in order to improve their utility value (e.g. lignite for patent fuels production, crude oil for liquid fuels production, and so on.).

Production (utilizable products) - all energy and non-energy products, which originate in an energy process.

Working consumption - it is a total fuel and energy consumption expended on an energy process operation, i.e. on obtaining utilizable products of the energy process.

Total losses
in the energy process are defined as a difference between charge including working consumption and production.

Suppliers stock/supplies - fuels stock level designed for sale (at mining, production and business enterprises).

Consumers stock/supplies - fuels stock level designed for enterprises ( companies) production and operation. Stock draw is the difference between opening (on the 1st of January of the observed year) and closing stock level (on the 31st of December of the observed year).

Energy process efficiency - quotient of production and sum of the charge/input and working consumption of the relevant energy process.