Investigation of Underground Coal Gasification in Laboratory Conditions: A Review of Recent Research
Ján Kačur (jan.kacur@tuke.sk),
Marek Laciak,
Milan Durdán and
Patrik Flegner
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Ján Kačur: Institute of Control and Informatization of Production Processes, Faculty BERG, Technical University of Košice, Němcovej 3, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Marek Laciak: Institute of Control and Informatization of Production Processes, Faculty BERG, Technical University of Košice, Němcovej 3, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Milan Durdán: Institute of Control and Informatization of Production Processes, Faculty BERG, Technical University of Košice, Němcovej 3, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Patrik Flegner: Institute of Control and Informatization of Production Processes, Faculty BERG, Technical University of Košice, Němcovej 3, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia
Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-55
Abstract:
The underground coal gasification (UCG) technology converts coal into product gas and provides the option of environmentally and economically attractive coal mining. Obtained syngas can be used for heating, electricity, or chemical production. Numerous laboratory coal gasification trials have been performed in the academic and industrial fields. Lab-scale tests can provide insight into the processes involved with UCG. Many tests with UCG have been performed on ex situ reactors, where different UCG techniques, the effect of gasification agents, their flow rates, pressures, and various control mechanisms to improve gasification efficiency and syngas production have been investigated. This paper provides an overview of recent research on UCG performed on a lab scale. The study focuses on UCG control variables and their optimization, the effect of gasification agents and operating pressure, and it discusses results from the gasification of various lignites and hard coals, the possibilities of steam gasification, hydrogen, and methane-oriented coal gasification, approaches in temperature modeling, changes in coal properties during gasification, and environmental risks of UCG. The review focuses on laboratory tests of UCG on ex situ reactors, results, and the possibility of knowledge transfer to in situ operation.
Keywords: underground coal gasification; UCG; laboratory experiments; syngas; UCG control; coal properties; environmental impacts; lignite gasification; high-pressure gasification; steam gasification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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