Table of Contents

List of contributors

1: Introduction to underground coal gasification and combustion

Acknowledgments

1.1 Coal and future of energy consumption

1.2 Underground coal gasification

1.3 Multidisciplinary nature of UCG

1.4 Gasification and combustion

1.5 The scope of the book

Part One: Historical development of underground coal gasification (UCG)

2: Early developments and inventions in underground coal gasification

2.1 Introduction

2.2 William Siemens: The first mention

2.3 Dmitri Mendeleev: Vision into the future

2.4 Anson Betts: Inventing UCG

2.5 William Ramsay: Preparing first trail

2.6 The invention of UCG and its impact

2.7 Conclusions

3: History of UCG development in the USSR

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Initiation of UCG technology development

3.3 Pilot UCG technology deployment in the USSR prior to WWII

3.4 UCG production recommencement and commercial deployment post WWII

3.5 The demise of UCG industry in USSR

4: Underground coal gasification research and development in the United States

Acknowledgments

4.1 Introduction and scope

4.2 Major contributing institutions and field-test locations

4.3 Periods of UCG activities

4.4 Recommended references

4.5 Field tests

4.7 Environmental aspects

4.8 Process technology, characteristics, and performance

4.9 Conclusions

Auspices and disclaimer statements

Reference Sources

5: Underground coal gasification (UCG) in Europe: Field trials, laboratory experiments, and EU-funded projects

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Phase 1: Field trials between 1940 and 1960

5.3 Phase 3: Field and laboratory-based trials from 2010 to the present (2016)

5.4 Summary of recent research projects on UCG funded by the European Union

5.5 Lessons learned on the way to commercialization and future trends of UCG in Europe

5.6 Conclusions

Part Two: Underground coal gasification (UCG) technology development

6: The development of UCG in Australia

6.1 UCG origins (1970s to mid-1980s)

6.2 The quiet period (mid-1980s to 1999)

6.3 Initial success—Linc Energy at Chinchilla (1999–2004)

6.4 Rapid progress—Three active projects and many followers (2006–11)

6.5 UCG and coal seam gas (CSG) interaction

6.6 The Queensland Government UCG Policy

6.7 UCG development decay (2011–16)

6.8 Governmental decision making

6.9 Conclusions and the future

7: Gasification kinetics

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Kinetic aspects of the different classes of reactions during gasification

8: The role of groundwater as an important component in underground coal gasification

8.1 Introduction

9: The effects of rock deformation in underground coal gasification

9.1 Rock deformation and subsidence in conventional shaft coal mining

9.2 Rock deformation and subsidence in conventional underground coal mining

10: Underground coal gasification (UCG) modeling and analysis

Acknowledgments

10.1 Introduction

10.2 UCG processes

10.3 UCG modeling

10.4 UCG with CO₂ capture and storage

10.5 UCG with CCS and auxiliary power plant: case study

10.6 Closing remarks

11: Environmental performance of underground coal gasification

11.1 Introduction

11.2 UCG and environment

11.3 Major factors affecting the groundwater chemistry and contamination of groundwater during UCG

11.4 Environmental performance of UCG in the former USSR

11.5 Environmental performance in recent UCG projects

11.6 Conclusions

Part Three: Modern underground coal gasification (UCG) projects, scaling up and commercialization

12: What makes a UCG technology ready for commercial application?

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Requirements to commercial UCG technology

12.3 Syngas quality

12.4 Syngas quantity

12.5 Extraction efficiency and coal resource

12.6 Environmental performance

12.7 Feasibility and pilot plant

12.8 Recent CRIP-based pilot plants

12.9 The ɛUCG™ based pilot plants

12.10 Regulating UCG

12.11 Investing in UCG

12.12 Conclusion

13: Underground coal gasification (UCG) to products: Designs, efficiencies, and economics

13.1 The need for reference costs

13.2 The ɛUCG technology

13.3 Experience with different types of coal and geological conditions

13.4 Conceptual life cycle of the ɛUCG production unit—A panel

13.5 Choosing coal resource

13.6 Adopted approach

13.7 Raw syngas production

13.8 Syngas treatment (cleanup and conditioning)

13.9 Synthesis products

13.10 Electricity

13.11 Synthetic natural gas

13.14 Ultra-low-sulfur diesel

13.15 Ammonia/urea

13.16 ɛUCG vs CG cost reduction

13.17 Further work

13.18 Conclusions

14: Majuba underground coal gasification project

14.1 Introduction

14.2 Overview of Eskom's Majuba UCG project

14.3 Site selection & prefeasibility phase, 2002–03

14.4 UCG site description

14.5 Site characterization phase, 2005

14.6 Pilot phase (2007—present)

14.7 Demonstration phase studies

14.8 Majuba gasifier 1: Shutdown & verification drilling

14.9 Commercialization phase

14.10 Conclusions

15: UCG commercialization and the Cougar Energy project at Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia

15.1 Introduction

15.2 Historical background in Australia

15.3 Site characterisation

15.4 Government and community interaction

15.5 Preparations for ignition

15.6 Syngas production, cessation and the events leading to project shutdown

15.7 Environmental issues

15.8 Rehabilitation and monitoring

15.9 Conclusions from the Kingaroy UCG project

16: Underground gasification of oil shale

Acknowledgments

16.1 Underground gasification of oil shale

16.2 International classification of oil shale

16.3 Oil shale resources

16.4 Methods of oil shale utilization

16.5 Underground gasification of oil shale

16.6 Conclusions

Part Four: Fire underground: Prospective technologies

17: Underground fire prospective technologies

17.1 Introduction

17.2 Adverse impacts of underground fires

17.3 Current technologies in detection and measurement of underground fires

17.4 Potential usage of UCG technologies in controlling underground fires

17.5 Conclusions

18: Using fire to remediate contaminated soils

18.1 Introduction

18.2 Principles of smoldering

18.3 Small scale

18.4 Intermediate scale

18.5 NAPL mobility

18.6 Large scale

18.7 Other applications

19: Advanced measurements and monitoring techniques

19.1 Introduction

19.2 Detection and monitoring

19.3 Advanced measurement techniques

19.4 Conclusion and future trends