Resource analysis of the Chinese society 1980-2002 based on exergy - Part 1: Fossil fuels and energy minerals

The resource inflow to the Chinese society from 1980 to 2002 is investigated based on exergy as a unified quantifier of natural resources. The major resources entering the society are divided into 17 sectors, with the annual policy for the individual group is analyzed corresponding to the exergy resource inflow. This study is divided into five consequential parts. This paper as the first part introduces the fossil fuels and energy materials entering the society, including coal, crude oil, natural gas, iron ores, nonferrous metal ores and nuclear power. The coal production, which comes form unified central planning, collective and individual parts, is analyzed according to the administrative institutions associated with variable policies. The consumption of coal is also described concerning thermal power generation, coking, heating, private consumption and gasification. The storage capacity, investment and import in crude oil production, which is imperative for the rapid economic development, are depicted. The natural gas production, slowly expanding during the study period, is illustrated according to the discovered and operating gas fields. Production of iron ores and nonferrous metal ores and nuclear power produced from uranium ores are represented in this paper. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.