Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Deployment of Underground Coal Gasification in India


Affiliations
1 Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411 008, India
2 Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Campus, Pune 411 008, India
 

Globally, the sheen of coal-based energy production is slowly wearing, with few exceptions of developing novel technologies that aid in coal gasification and gas clean-up. Underground coal gasification (UCG) is one such tool that can be used for extracting energy contained in otherwise inaccessible reserves. UCG involves the injection of steam and oxidant directly in the seam of coal, which is ignited through different methods. Post-ignition, coal reacts with steam and oxygen to produce a combustible synthesis gas (syn-gas). This syn-gas can be used to generate electricity or utilized as feedstock to take different routes to manufacture chemicals. This paper seeks to briefly outline some aspects in the deployment of underground coal gasification in the Indian subcontinent, along with a discussion on the current status of research in the field. The different stages of identifying and understanding key features and potential roadblocks, based on which decisions on the implementation of large scale UCG in a potential site in India are taken, are briefly outlined. We share our thoughts and experiences on the methodology, to model and understand the process and put forth our suggestions on the path forward.

Keywords

Underground Coal Gasification, Coal Seam, Pilot Experiments, Modelling.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • World Energy Council, London, Report on World Energy Resources, 2016, pp. 61–63.

  • Manna, G. C., Chhabra, B. S., Rathore, G. S., Kumar, S. and Hada, A. S., Energy Stat., 2015.

  • Mehra, A., Farago, M. E. and Banerjee, D. K., Impact of fly ash from coal-fired power stations in Delhi, with particular reference to metal contamination. Environ. Monit. Assess., 1998, 50, 15–35.

  • Khadse, A. N., Resources and economic analyses of underground coal gasification in India. Fuel, 2015, 142, 121–128.

  • Khadse, A. N., Underground Coal Gasification: Kinetics and Process Modeling, thesis, Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, 2007.

  • Daggupati, S., Underground Coal Gasification: Experimental Studies and Computational Flow Modeling, Ph D thesis, IIT Bombay, 2010.

  • Geological Survey of India, Coal, Lignite and CBM Exploration: Standard Operational Procedure, 2010; http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/gsiDoc/pub/sop_coal_lignite_final.pdf

  • Luppen, J. A., Wilson, S. E. and Stanton, R. W., ASTM Manual on Drilling, Sampling and Analysis of Coal, 1992; https://doi.org/10.1520/MNL11-EB.

  • Shackley, S., Mander, S. and Reiche, A., Public perceptions of underground coal gasification in the United Kingdom. Energy Policy, 2006, 34, 3423–3433.

  • Pana, C., Review of Underground Coal Gasification with Reference to Alberta’s Potential. Report, Alberta Geological Survey, Energy Resources Conservation Board, 2009.

  • Mastalerz, M., Drobniak, A., Parke, M. and Rupp, J., Site evaluation of subsidence risk, hydrology and characterization of Indiana coals for underground coal gasification. Report from Centre for Coal Technology Research, Purdue University, IN, USA, 2011.

  • Pei, P. et al., Investigation of the feasibility of underground coal gasification in North Dakota, United States. Energy Convers. Manage., 2016, 113, 95–103.

  • Press Information Bureau, Policy Framework for development of Underground Coal Gasification in coal and lignite bearing areas in India. Press Information Bureau, Government of India, 2015; http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=133405.

  • Press Information Bureau – Ministry of Coal, Steps for Development of Underground Coal Gasification Technology, 2015; http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=132935.

  • Controller General, Indian Bureau of Mines. Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 (October 2012), Nagpur.

  • Duan, T. H., Lu, C. P., Xiong, S., Fu, Z. Bin and Chen, Y. Z., Pyrolysis and gasification modelling of underground coal gasification and the optimization of CO2 as a gasification agent. Fuel, 2016, 183, 557–567.

  • Gomez, A. and Mahinpey, N., Kinetic study of coal steam and CO2 gasification: a new method to reduce interparticle diffusion. Fuel, 2015, 148, 160–167.

  • Naidu, V. S., Aghalayam, P. and Jayanti, S., Evaluation of CO2 gasification kinetics for low-rank Indian coals and biomass fuels. J. Therm. Anal. Calorim., 2016, 123, 467–478.

  • Samdani, G. et al., Diffusion Modeling in TGA in Context of CO2 Gasification of Char. In Proceedings of the 2012 COMSOL Conference, 2012, pp. 1–6.

  • Petrakis, L. and Grandy, D. W., Coal analysis, characterization and petrography. J. Chem. Educ., 1980, 57, 689.

  • Xie, K. C., Structure and Reactivity of Coal: A Survey of Selected Chinese Coals, Book section, 2015, pp. 1–413; doi:10.1007/978-3-662-47337-5.

  • Mastalerz, M., Drobniak, A., Parke, M. and Rupp, J., Site evaluation of subsidence risk, hydrology and characterization of Indiana coals for underground coal gasification. Report from Centre for Coal Technology Research, Purdue University, IN, USA, 2011.

  • Upadhye, R., Friedmann, J. and Burton, E., Best Practices in Underground Coal Gasification. Report, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA, USA, 2007.

  • Underground Coal Gasification – Project management and co-ownership (Presentation) Clean Coal Limited, 2009.

  • Upadhye, R., Friedmann, J. and Burton, E., Best Practices in Underground Coal Gasification, LLNL, California, 2007.

  • Seifi, M., Simulation and Modeling of Underground Coal Gasification Using Porous Medium Approach. Ph D thesis, University of Calgary, 2013; http://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004.

  • Seifi, M., Chen, Z. and Abedi, J., Reaction rate constants in simulation of underground coal gasification using porous medium approach. Mitigation Adap. Strat. Global Change, 2016, 21(4), 645–662; https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-014-9582-3.

  • Molina, A. and Mondragón, F., Reactivity of coal gasification with steam and CO2. Fuel, 1998, 77, 1831–1839.

  • Duan, T. H., Lu, C. P., Xiong, S., Fu, Z. Bin and Chen, Y. Z., Pyrolysis and gasification modelling of underground coal gasification and the optimisation of CO2 as a gasification agent. Fuel, 2016, 183, 557–567.

  • Gomez, A. and Mahinpey, N., Kinetic study of coal steam and CO2 gasification: A new method to reduce interparticle diffusion. Fuel, 2015, 148, 160–167.

  • Naidu, V. S., Aghalayam, P. and Jayanti, S., Evaluation of CO2 gasification kinetics for low-rank Indian coals and biomass fuels. J. Therm. Anal. Calorim., 2016, 123, 467–478.

  • Samdani, G. et al., Diffusion modelling in TGA in context of CO2 gasification of char. In Proceedings of the 2012 COMSOL Conference, 2012, pp. 1–6.

  • Gregg, D. W., Underground coal gasification. AIChE J., 1978, 24, 753–781.

  • Shafirovich, E. and Varma, A., Underground coal gasification: a brief review of current status. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2009, 48, 7865–7875.

  • Bhutto, A. W., Bazmi, A. A. and Zahedi, G., Underground coal gasification: from fundamentals to applications. Prog. Energy Combust. Sci., 2013, 39, 189–214.

  • Chaulya, S. K., Singh, A. K., Misra, S. and Saikia, P., Development of Feasibility Assessment Model for Adaptation of Underground Coal Gasification Technology in North East Region of India. New Delhi, 2013.

  • Ergo Exergy-GAIL-UCG in India, 1999; http://www.ergoexergy.com/about_us_ourb_projects_gail.htm

  • Working Group on Underground Coal Gasification. Status Report on Underground Coal Gasification. Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, 2007.

  • Mandapati, R. N. et al., Experiments and kinetic modelling for CO2 gasification of Indian coal chars in the context of underground coal gasification. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2012, 51, 15041–15052.

  • Jain, A. A., Mehra, A. and Ranade, V. V., Processing of TGA data: analysis of isoconversional and model fitting methods. Fuel, 2016, 165, 490–498.

  • Ranade, V. V. and Gupta, D. F., Computational Modelling of Pulverized Coal Fired Boilers, CRC Press, 2014.

  • Bhaskaran, S. et al., Experimental studies on spalling characteristics of Indian lignite coal in context of underground coal gasification. Fuel, 2015, 154, 326–337.

  • Daggupati, S. et al., Laboratory studies on combustion cavity growth in lignite coal blocks in the context of underground coal gasification. Energy, 2010, 35, 2374–2386.

  • Prabu, V. and Jayanti, S., Simulation of cavity formation in underground coal gasification using bore hole combustion experiments. Energy, 2011, 36, 5854–5864.

  • Prabu, V. and Jayanti, S., Underground coal-air gasification based solid oxide fuel cell system. Appl. Energy, 2012, 94, 406–414; doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.01.040.

  • Daggupati, S. et al., Compartment modelling for flow characterization of underground coal gasification cavity. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2011, 50, 277–290.

  • Ranade, V. V., Development of Modeling Framework for Underground Coal Gasification, Report Submitted to GAIL, 2015.

  • The Podmoskovnaya Underground Coal Gasification Station, Report LLNL, 1963.

  • Stephens, D. R., Hill, R. W. and Borg, I. Y., Underground Coal Gasification Review. UCRL 92068 – Presented at the 18th Annual Oil Shale Symposium. Denver, Colorado, 1985.

  • Olness, D., The Angrenskaya Underground Coal Gasification Station. Report LLNL UCRL–53300, 1982.

  • Perkins, G., du Toit, E., Cochrane, G. and Bollaert, G., Overview of underground coal gasification operations at Chinchilla, Australia. Energy Sources, Part A Recover. Util. Environ. Eff., 2016, 38, 3639–3646.

  • Doucet, D., Perkins, G., Ulbrich, A. and du Toit, E., Production of power using underground coal gasification. Energy Sources, Part A Recover. Util. Environ. Eff., 2016, 38, 3653–3660.

  • Pei, P. et al., Investigation of the feasibility of underground coal gasification in North Dakota, United States. Energy Convers. Manag., 2016, 113, 95–103.

  • Praunseis, Z., Avsec, J., Pohar, A. and Medved, M., Underground coal gasification – the Velenje coal mine energy and economic calculations. Chem. Ind. Chem. Eng. Q, 2016, 42, 1–28.

  • Elahi, S. M., Geomechanical Modelling of Underground Coal Gasification, Thesis, University of Calgary, 2016.

  • Seddon, D., Lessons learned from underground coal gasification. Chem. Aust., 2016, 36–37.

  • Sajjad, M. and Rasul, M. G., Review on the existing and developing underground coal gasification techniques in abandoned coal seam gas blocks: Australia and global context. In Proceedings of the 1st International e-Conference on Energies, 2014, pp. 1–16.

  • Sharifi, M. and Young, B., Electrical resistance tomography applications to chemical engineering. Chem. Eng. Res. Des., 2013, 91, 1625–1645.

  • Mees, F., Swennen, R., Geet, M. V. and Jacobs, P., Applications of X-ray computed tomography in the geosciences. Geol. Soc. London, Spec. Publ., 2003, 215, 1–6.

  • Kumar, A., Jain, P. K. and Sharma, R. K., ONGC strive for underground coal gasification in India – past, present and future. In Proceedings of Petrotech, 2010, 1–5.

  • Shackley, S., Mander, S. and Reiche, A., Public perceptions of underground coal gasification in the United Kingdom. Energy Policy, 2006, 34, 3423–3433.

  • Ministry of earth sciences, Gas hydrate in India – 12th 5-year plan; http://dod.nic.in/programmes/gas-hydrates

  • Oil Industries Development Board, 1997; http://oidb.gov.in/WriteReadData/LINKS/ce9e68f1-928e-4c13-87c2-5250caff0012.pdf

  • Delmo Group, Delmo group Carbon Energy UCG project key seam technology – Argentina, 2014; https://delmogroup.com/claromeco-basin-ucg

  • North Eastern Coal Fields – About us, 2016; http://www.neccoal.co.in/introduction.php

  • Exergy, E. Ergo Exergy – Abhijeet Group – UCG in India, 2015; http://www.ergoexergy.com/about_us_ourb_projects_ae.html

  • Bose, P. R., Essar Oil, Lanco, Adani bid for Coal India’s underground gasification projects. Business Line, 2011.

  • Ministry of Coal, Steps for Development of Underground Coal Gasification Technology. PIB News Bulletin, 2015; http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=132935.

  • Vyas, D. U. and Singh, R. P., Worldwide developments in UCG and Indian initiative. Proc. Earth Planet. Sci., 2015, 11, 29–37.


Abstract Views: 654

PDF Views: 135




  • Deployment of Underground Coal Gasification in India

Abstract Views: 654  |  PDF Views: 135

Authors

Akshay Singan
Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411 008, India
Vivek V. Ranade
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Campus, Pune 411 008, India

Abstract


Globally, the sheen of coal-based energy production is slowly wearing, with few exceptions of developing novel technologies that aid in coal gasification and gas clean-up. Underground coal gasification (UCG) is one such tool that can be used for extracting energy contained in otherwise inaccessible reserves. UCG involves the injection of steam and oxidant directly in the seam of coal, which is ignited through different methods. Post-ignition, coal reacts with steam and oxygen to produce a combustible synthesis gas (syn-gas). This syn-gas can be used to generate electricity or utilized as feedstock to take different routes to manufacture chemicals. This paper seeks to briefly outline some aspects in the deployment of underground coal gasification in the Indian subcontinent, along with a discussion on the current status of research in the field. The different stages of identifying and understanding key features and potential roadblocks, based on which decisions on the implementation of large scale UCG in a potential site in India are taken, are briefly outlined. We share our thoughts and experiences on the methodology, to model and understand the process and put forth our suggestions on the path forward.

Keywords


Underground Coal Gasification, Coal Seam, Pilot Experiments, Modelling.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv113%2Fi02%2F218-227