The Development of Coal Mine Methane Utilization Infrastructure within the Framework of the Concept “Coal-Energy-Information”

Arina Smirnova, Kirill Varnavskiy, Fedor Nepsha (), Roman Kostomarov and Shaojie Chen
Additional contact information
Arina Smirnova: Mining Industry Digital Transformation Lab, Mining Institute, T.F. Gorbachev Kuzbass State Technical University, 650000 Kemerovo, Russia
Kirill Varnavskiy: Mining Industry Digital Transformation Lab, Mining Institute, T.F. Gorbachev Kuzbass State Technical University, 650000 Kemerovo, Russia
Fedor Nepsha: Mining Industry Digital Transformation Lab, Mining Institute, T.F. Gorbachev Kuzbass State Technical University, 650000 Kemerovo, Russia
Roman Kostomarov: Mining Industry Digital Transformation Lab, Mining Institute, T.F. Gorbachev Kuzbass State Technical University, 650000 Kemerovo, Russia
Shaojie Chen: State Key Laboratory of Mining Disaster Prevention and Control Co-Founded by Shandong Province and The Ministry of Science and Technology, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-15

Abstract: The operation of coal mines is intricately linked with emitting a large quantity of coal mine methane, and in most cases, this methane releases into the atmosphere. In total, according to statistics, coal mining enterprises emit 8% of anthropogenic methane, determining a contribution to greenhouse gas emissions to the amount of 17%. There are various means for coal mine methane utilization. In this study, the concept “Coal-Energy-Information” is proposed. This concept implies both the construction of data processing centers on the industrial sites of coal mines and the usage of coal mine methane. Coal mine methane can be used as a primary energy source for the energy supply of data processing center consumers as well as coal mine consumers with necessary energy resources (electricity, heat, and cooling). Within the framework of the proposed concept, three options of coal mine methane utilization are considered. The first option is the use of gas genset for electrical and thermal energy generation (cogeneration) and their usage for coal mine and constructed data processing centers and consumers’ power supply. The second option is absorption refrigerator usage (with coal mine methane direct burning) for cooling the IT equipment of constructed data processing centers. The last one is the use of a gas genset and absorption refrigerator (trigeneration) for constructed data processing centers’ and coal mine consumers’ energy supplies (electricity, heat, and cooling). In conclusion, it is noted that proposed concept is closely correlated with the program for the development of the coal industry in Russia for the period up to 2035, since it allows creating a base for the implementation of innovative technologies based on digital platforms that ensure the development of coal mining technology without the constant presence of personnel in underground mining facilities.

Keywords: coal mines; data processing centers; trigeneration; coal mine methane utilization (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/23/8948/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/23/8948/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:23:p:8948-:d:985055

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().