North Dakota Lignite to Clean Aviation Fuel Project
Tempest Energy Systems is an early-stage American project development company focused on developing large-scale, clean coal to clean aviation fuels production facilities throughout North Dakota and the upper mid-west.
Vision
Mission One
Mission Two
Our vision is to be a leader in the development of large-scale, clean coal to clean fuels production facilities, utilizing revolutionary technology to convert abundant, existing, naturally occurring coal into high demand clean fuels and mineral elements, all with no negative effects on the environment.
Our mission is twofold, first to advance and maximize the circular utilization of our domestic natural resources in support of American energy independence and the continuous improvement of our environment through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation industry.
Second, to advance and maximize the utilization of domestic natural resources located on American Indian Tribal lands by developing clean coal to clean fuels facilities throughout the USA utilizing coal located on these lands to assist in establishing sovereign energy independence and the betterment of all indigenous people.
Vision and Missions
Focus
As an American company, we are focused on, and committed to, the development of large-scale, clean coal to clean fuels production facilities throughout North Dakota and the upper mid-west. These production facilities will be focused on the volume production of clean aviation fuel using North Dakota lignite as the primary feedstock. Lignite is a plant-based natural resource available in vast quantities throughout the American upper mid-west region.
We will utilize a revolutionary, patented, thermal electrical chemical reformer technology, that effectively and efficiently converts Lignite into Three Base Byproducts all while producing no fugitive emissions or negative effects on the environment.
OIL
GAS
ASH
A complex hydrocarbon liquid containing light-end aromatics that is further upgraded, on site, into ultra-low carbon Jet A-1 via commercially available Catalytic Hydrotreatment, utilizing hydrogen segregated directly from the GAS produced as part of the reforming process.
A synthesis gas containing hydrogen, methane, propane, CO2, and others. The Hydrogen is membrane-separated “on site” and used in Catalytic Hydrotreatment to produce clean aviation fuel. The other gas components will be further processed, captured, stored and utilized in additional market opportunities.
When using Lignite, this ash will include meaningful quantities of strategic metals and rare earth elements which will be reclaimed and sold into US markets to support the building of electric motors and batteries for electric cars in US markets. The remaining “Sulphur rich” mineralized ash can be used as a natural fertilizer or soil amendment for local agriculture.
Primary Production Objective
To reform lignite into the following three base byproducts
Scope
Tempest Energy Systems is a company dedicated to advancing and maximizing the circular utilization of our domestic natural resources in support of American energy independence and the continuous improvement of our environment through the reduction of greenhouse gasses (GHG) in our atmosphere.
We will do this by providing the systems and processes to convert abundant, existing, naturally occurring Lignite into high demand clean aviation fuel, additional clean fuels and mineral elements all with no negative effects on the environment.
Technology
The TEC Reformer
Previous attempts to develop clean coal technology were primarily focused on cleaning up the negative effects of the energy intense process of combusting coal. This is why our clean fuel production facilities will be distinctly different. We do not “burn coal”, we simply “reform it” uniquely, at very low temperature and very low pressure.
The Thermal-Electrical-Chemical (TEC) Reformer℗ system and process, at the heart of our production operations, is a revolutionary technology that converts carbon-based matter such as animal waste, agricultural crop residues, biomass, timber waste and coal into clean energy commodities. Coal is an excellent feedstock as it is high in carbon and is vastly abundant throughout the USA. In the past as well as the present coal has been deemed environmentally problematic, but in truth, it is a plant based, naturally occurring energy source and if utilized properly, can supply abundant amounts of clean energy for centuries.
With intrinsically low operating costs, low capital costs and exceptionally high conversion efficiency, the TEC Reformer℗ technology is set apart from environmentally harmful combustion technologies. The TEC Reformer℗ is a low pressure, low heat, continuous process in which complex organic compounds undergo atomic level separation via ionic disassociation and subsequently reform into high value hydrocarbon molecules. The thermal–electrical–chemical reaction is self-sustained using the feedstock itself to create and maintain the internal reaction. It is fundamentally different than other biomass-to-energy conversion processes such as gasification and pyrolysis that rely on combustion reactions and require high energy/high-cost inputs and operations.
The TEC Reformer℗ operates at low temperature (<160° F), low ambient pressure (15 psia), uses no catalysts in its core reaction, requires minimal levels of external power and can effectively process feedstock with a carbon content as low as 18% and a moisture level up to 70%. Environmentally friendly, the process generates no fugitive emissions. Temperatures are low and therefore cannot produce NOX or SOX (Nitric Oxide/Nitrogen Dioxide or Sulfur Oxide/Sulphur Dioxide).
The TEC Reformer - Why Coal?
In 2013, the USGS estimated there was over 1 trillion short tons of coal deposits available in the US.
Coal is an excellent feedstock for the TEC Reformer℗ as the conversion process is fundamentally a closed loop system in which no harmful or fugitive emissions are generated, and all byproducts produced are captured and sold to market. In addition, the low operating temperature (<160 degrees F) never reach levels that create NOX or SOX emissions. The volume of coal needed depends on the carbon concentration of each grade of coal.
Anthracite is the highest ranked, hardest, oldest, and least common type of coal possessing a high energy content, high percentage of carbon (>85%) and relatively little moisture or volatiles.
Bituminous is coal that is softer, younger anthracite, and contains a lower percentage of carbon (45-85%) with more moisture and volatiles.
Subbituminous coal ranks just below bituminous coal with 35 to 45 percent carbon content.
Lignite is the softest, youngest, and wettest rank of coal with a carbon content of only 25-35%.
The T-E-C Reformer can effectively and efficiently process carbon-based material with a carbon content as low as 18%. This makes coal, more specifically lignite, the ideal feedstock for our reduced GHG aviation fuel production process.
The TEC Reformer - Why Lignite?
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is the lowest grade of coal and is considered less preferred compared to higher-rank coals like bituminous and anthracite coal for several reasons:
Lower Energy Content: Lignite has a lower heating value, which means more fuel must be handled to produce a given amount of power,
The TEC Reformer can effectively process carbon-based material with a carbon content as low as 18%.
High Moisture Content: Lignite contains a very high amount of moisture, sometimes as high as 75 percent making it much more expensive to transport and when water is removed, it crumbles, losing value as a fuel.
The TEC Reformer can effectively process carbon-based material with a moisture content of up to 70%.
Handling and Storage Issues: Lignite is prone to spontaneous combustion and its high moisture content and susceptibility to crumbling can cause problems in transportation and storage,
The TEC Reformer’ preferred feedstock size is small and crumbled. In addition, transport from mine to our storage location will be less than a few miles.
It’s estimated that, at current consumption, there are enough lignite reserves in North Dakota to last almost 1,000 years.
