[Gasification] Underground gasification of coal

[Peter Singfield]

At 08:23 PM 7/21/2006 EDT, CAVM at aol.com wrote:
> 
>If you don't think about it very much it makes good sense.  We have  been 
>asked to work on an underground gasification project in the USA but have
not 
>decided to join it yet.  We are very concerned about the already  alarming
number 
>of underground coal fires that appear to go on forever with  great 
>devastation to the surface area.
> 
>Neal Van Milligen
>Kentucky Enrichment Inc.
>_www.kentuckyenrichment.com_ (http://www.kentuckyenrichment.com) 
> 


Appears to be only deep deposits -- ergo -- no cracks to flow air through.

They speak of drilling -- as in a hole. Probably injecting some pure O2??

Then following the reaction John Davies just outlined:

All oxygen present will react with carbon above about  400c to form  CO2.-
 exothermic reaction.- heat evolved  ~2X

When CO2 without oxygen comes in contact with carbon at
about 800c it will react and form CO -
endothermic reaction.- Heat absorbed ~X


As only O2 from surface "deliberately" supplied is available you really
can't have a coal mine fire.

By the way -- I worked in Levack Mine near Sudbury Ontario -- INCO -- about
195 and remember being shown areas that had "ore-fire" and the people
telling that even after flooding the mine they kept on burning.

That fuel being sulphur!!

If the air supply to those coal fires you mention is in fact "restricted"
-- there would be producer gas created as a result. But how to harvest it??

A deep seam with only a single bore hole access is a natural gasifier.

Reviewing:

"ONGC is now pinning hopes on underground gasification -- a method of using
coal mines which cannot be extracted conventionally -- in Ahmedabad region"

As in to deep to be profitable using conventional mining. 

OK -- a little more searching:

http://www.blonnet.com/2005/11/25/stories/2005112501900300.htm

ONGC to finalise plan soon for coal gasification project 
Pratim Ranjan Bose 

Kolkata , Nov. 24 

ONGC is expected to finalise its plan for setting up a pilot underground
coal gasification project in technical collaboration with Stochinsky
Institute of Russia next month. The project is estimated to cost between Rs
75 crore and Rs 100 crore. 

The company has already short-listed three-four locations under Coal India
Ltd and Neyveli Lignite Corporation for this purpose. ONGC sources said the
company has extracted geological and geophysical data on the short-listed
fields, which are currently being studied by Stochinsky Institute. 

The latter will be completing its final report on the ideal location by the
end of next month, following which ONGC will take a final call on setting
up the pilot project.

**********************************

"Ideal-Location" seems to be the code word --

Further -- one could do this same with deep pockets of heavy crude that
can't be pumped out economically???

Tar sands??

Oil shale??

Well -- at least some people are still thinking outside the box ---


Peter / Belize