Energy Center - CCTR

Gasification Kinetics of Indiana Coals in the Locations Promising for UCG Technologies

Motivation and Objectives

Our prior CCTR-funded project on underground coal gasification (UCG) has shown that this technology has great potential to grow and replace/complement traditional methods for coal mining and surface gasification.  Some basic screening criteria for selecting UCG sites in Indiana were formulated in the previous report. Using the available information on the characteristics of coal seams in Indiana, it was recommended to focus on the Springfield and Seelyville coal beds. For these coals, maps were generated that show thickness, depth and other characteristics, such as moisture content and heating value for these two coals. Analysis of the maps and additional information identified nine promising zones for UCG in Indiana (five for the Seelyville and four for the Springfield Coal). For these zones, the lists of characteristics, including the amounts of available coal, were prepared. Based on these data, preliminary  recommendations on the future selection of a suitable location for UCG operations were made.

As a follow-up of the first project described above, we have completed the second CCTR-funded project which investigates gasification kinetics of coal samples from the Seelyville and Springfield seams. This investigation is required because Indiana coals, although of similar rank, may have significantly different chemical and petrographic compositions, also accompanied by differences in porosity and permeability of the coal [3]. Knowledge of gasification kinetics and understanding of the permeability effect is necessary for the modeling and success of UCG operations. In the next section, the results obtained in the current project are described.