Thread Content
Five Major Challenges in Coalbed In-situ Gasification Solved Author/Source: China Chemical Industry News Date: 15-01-2019 Clicks: 5 Reporters learned from China University of Mining and Technology last week that the coalbed in-situ gasification project at Shanjia Shu Mine in the Panjiang mining area of Guizhou, which features entirely independent intellectual property rights, has been in operation since mid-September 2018. It has operated steadily for over 100 days now, with a total gas production of 18 million cubic meters. This development marks success in the industrialization demonstration project of key technologies for coalbed in-situ gasification in China, enabling a new model of coal mining that involves no workers underground and no coal on the surface. “Underground gasification of coal seams features low costs and high efficiency, with economic benefits being at least twice those of coal mining. This technology is suitable as a supplement to high-yield and efficient fully mechanized mining; it transforms unminable resources into minable ones, allowing for the complete exploitation of resources deep within coal mines. ”Professor Zhuo Tang, the project’s chief commander and a renowned expert in mining from China, said. With the success of coal gasification projects, physical extraction of coal will be replaced by chemical extraction, hydraulic fracturing for coal extraction will be replaced by thermal co-extraction, and coal-based power generation, coal chemical processing, and coal-to-gas production will be integrated into a single process of converting coal directly into gas, thereby promoting the green development of coal utilization. According to Professor Wang Zuotang, the coal gasification project involves gasifying the coal that has not been extracted in the original mining areas. Over the past four years, the research team has successfully overcome five key technical challenges: a new design for underground gasification furnaces and a new process for constructing such furnaces using guided drilling; a new technique for controlling the directional combustion at the flame front along with the associated equipment; a remote centralized monitoring system and devices for multi-target tracking both above and below ground; fireproof isolation structures; and new processes and materials for gasification extraction using filling agents. These achievements have helped to break through numerous technical barriers to the industrialization of coal gasification from underground coal seams, resulting in a set of industrialization technologies suitable for similar geological conditions in southwestern mining areas. This provides technical support for the industrialization of coal gasification from underground coal seams in China. Coal gasification is a multidisciplinary technological process that integrates shaft construction, coal mining, and gasification, representing a revolutionary transformation of traditional coal mining methods. In other words, coal in-situ gasification transforms coal mining into something similar to oil and gas extraction, allowing for safe operations on the surface as well as clean production both above and below ground. “A new combustion control technology for the directional advancement of the flame front, along with its associated equipment, enables the complete gasification of coal at depths of 2,000 to 3,000 meters underground. ”Wang Zuotang said. It is understood that the coal gasification project at Shanjiaoshu Mine is planned to require an investment of 80.66 million yuan, and it will establish Guizhou Province’s first industrial demonstration site for coalbed underground gasification with an annual production capacity of 60 million cubic meters. The implementation of this project will fundamentally resolve the safety issues associated with the exploitation of coal seams prone to coal and gas outbursts in Guizhou Province and the entire southwest region, enabling efficient and clean extraction of coal resources as well as efficient and clean utilization of coal gas products.