Underground Coal Gasification And Combustion

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is carried out in unmined coal seams, using wells drilled from the surface and converting coal into synthesis gas. The gas can be used for power generation and synthesis of automotive fuels, fertilizers and other products. UCG offers financial, social, and environmental benefits over conventional coal extraction and utilization methods and may play a critical role in ensuring energy security in the future. Underground Coal Gasification and Combustion provides an overview of underground coal gasification technology, its current status and future directions. Comprehensive in approach, the book covers history, science, technology, hydrogeology, rock mechanics, environmental performance, economics, regulatory and commercial aspects of UCG projects. The first book on the subject in forty years, it is unique in analysing more than a century of global UCG developments by experts from Australia, Canada, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, the USA and Uzbekistan. Provides researchers, engineers, industry, educators and regulators with an authoritative overview of science and practical applications of underground coal gasification technologies Offers insight into efficiency, environmental performance, costs, permitting issues and commercial aspects of UCG projects Written by scientists and practitioners of UCG technology sharing hands-on experience of step-by-step UCG implementation

This book addresses the science and technology of the gasification process and the production of electricity, synthetic fuels and other useful chemicals. Pursuing a holistic approach, it covers the fundamentals of gasification and its various applications. In addition to discussing recent advances and outlining future directions, it covers advanced topics such as underground coal gasification and chemical looping combustion, and describes the state-of-the-art experimental techniques, modeling and numerical simulations, environmentally friendly approaches, and technological challenges involved. Written in an easy-to-understand format with a comprehensive glossary and bibliography, the book offers an ideal reference guide to coal and biomass gasification for beginners, engineers and researchers involved in designing or operating gasification plants.

Skyrocketing energy costs have spurred renewed interest in coal gasification. Currently available information on this subject needs to be updated, however, and focused on specific coals and end products. For example, carbon capture and sequestration, previously given little attention, now has a prominent role in coal conversion processes. This book approaches coal gasification and related technologies from a process engineering point of view, with topics chosen to aid the process engineer who is interested in a complete, coal-to-products system. It provides a perspective for engineers and scientists who analyze and improve components of coal conversion processes. The first topic describes the nature and availability of coal. Next, the fundamentals of gasification are described, followed by a description of gasification technologies and gas cleaning processes. The conversion of syngas to electricity, fuels and chemicals is then discussed. Finally, process economics are covered. Emphasis is given to the selection of gasification technology based on the type of coal fed to the gasifier and desired end product: E.g., lower temperature gasifiers produce substantial quantities of methane, which is undesirable in an ammonia synthesis feed. This book also reviews gasification kinetics which is informed by recent papers and process design studies by the US Department of Energy and other groups, and also largely ignored by other gasification books. • Approaches coal gasification and related technologies from a process engineering point of view, providing a perspective for engineers and scientists who analyze and improve components of coal conversion processes • Describes the fundamentals of gasification, gasification technologies, and gas cleaning processes • Emphasizes the importance of the coal types fed to the gasifier and desired end products • Covers gasification kinetics, which was largely ignored by other gasification books Provides a perspective for engineers and scientists who analyze and improve components of the coal conversion processes Describes the fundamentals of gasification, gasification technologies, and gas cleaning processes Covers gasification kinetics, which was largely ignored by other gasification books

The book deals with development of comprehensive computational models for simulating underground coal gasification (UCG). It starts with an introduction to the UCG process and process modelling inputs in the form of reaction kinetics, flow patterns, spalling rate, and transport coefficient that are elaborated with methods to generate the same are described with illustrations. All the known process models are reviewed, and relative merits and limitations of the modeling approaches are highlighted and compared. The book describes all the necessary steps required to determine the techno-economic feasibility of UCG process for a given coal reserve, through modeling and simulation.