Underground Coal Gasification as a Clean Indigenous Energy Option

Transcription

1 23rd Febuary 2010 Underground Coal Gasification as a Clean Indigenous Energy Option Kenneth Fergusson Trustee, UCG Association

2 injection The UCG Process gas discharge outgased space oxidation zone recovery zone Key Variables: 1. The Coal Nature, seam thickness, strata 2 Depth, - Hydrostatic Pressure 3. Oxidant Oxygen content distillation and predrying zone

3 100-DAY TRIAL FACILITY Surface plant 30m spacing Ignition well Production Well syngas H 2 CO CH 4 CO 2 Injection well O 2 & steam Retracting Injection +200m depth to coal 8-10m coal

4 Lisichansk Gorgas Hoe Ck IIB Angren Gorlovka Lisichansk Hanna IVA Hoe Ck I Yuzhno-abinsk Lisichansk Leninsk-Kuznets Krutova Angren Hoe Ck IIIA Gorgas Xiyang Lisichansk Mars Hanna I Gorlovka Hanna IVB Hanna IID Hanna III Gorlovka Hanna IIA Yuzhno-abinsk Hanna IIB Rawlins 1B Hanna IIC Pricetown Xiyang Podmoskovia Podmoskovia Chinchilla Gorlovka Hoe Ck IIIB Gorgas Gorlovka Mars Rawlins 1A Centralia A Suncun Rocky Mtn 1B Hoe Ck IIA Rocky Mtn 1A Alcorisa Suncun Lisichansk Gorlovka Centralia B Mars Liuzhang Xinhe Thulin Rawlins 2 Xiezhuang Liuzhang Xinhe Product gas, volume% (dry) Gas calorific value, MJ/m 3 (dry, STP) Underground Coal Gasification Examples of UCG Syngas composition 100% with AIR with OXYGEN 14 80% 60% Other Other Gases eg N 2 Carbon dioxide Hydrogen Carbon monoxide Methane Calorific value CO % H % CO CH 4 2 0% 0 World Sites

5 Vol of Natural Gas TCM World Coal Resource 6000 BT World Coal Resource for UCG Proven for Mining Coal Balance UCG addition World Resource BT Proven Reserve (2005) 909BT Est. UCG addition 600BT Australia China Russian Fed. India USA South Africa Europe (excl. Russia) Potential gas reserves from UCG (as NG) TCM 2005 Reserve of Nat Gas TCM

6 Energy in PJ UCG - Energy Recovery Comparison Energy Energy extraction Extraction by method by Method for for a Typical typical 12 Australian km 2 Deposit 12km 2 coal deposit H 2 CO Coal Coal Hydrogen CO Methane CH 4 UCG Mining CSG CH4 UCG syngas Underground Coal Seam Gas mining

7 CO 2 Capture Advantages of UCG-CCS CO 16% H2 32% CO2 35% CH4 17% Capture Advantages of UCG (in deep seams) Gasification Process - amenable to precombustion capture (CHEAPER CO 2 SEPARATION) High Pressure Process - Smaller Plant & Pressure energy for power (up to 20%) available. (Cost Savings) Oxy-fuelled Process - burning gas produces only CO2 and water (CHEAPER SEPARATION) H2/methane mixtures can be produced - advantageous in gas turbines.

8 Pilot Plant: Fischer Tropsch synthesis of clean diesel from UCG Linc Energy, Chinchilla, Queensland, Australia

9 1500 CO2 Emission gram/kwh /kW 1200/kW 1300/kW Sub-critical Average Europe Supercritical Ultra-SC IGCC 800/kW 150 MW UCG + CCGT Efficiency and Capital Cost of Various Coal Combustion Technologies CAPEX without CCS 1300/kW 150 MW UCG + Fuel Cells Proposed limit of 500g/kWh % energy cost for 90% post-combustion capture 10% energy cost for 100% pre-combustion capture 1600/kW /kW 1150/kW 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Net efficiency (LHV) % Courtesy of BCG Energy CAPEX with CCS 55%

10 Cost of Low Carbon Power Generation

11 Areas of the UK Suitable for Commercial UCG Firth of Forth North East coast Dee/Mersey/N Wales East Yorkshire South 2D Wales Mapping of Coal Area of UK "Good" UCG Resource M- tonnes Power Output over 40 years MW UCG as Nat Gas BCM Eastern/NE England 6,824 11, Lancs/Dee 4,770 14, Wales Scotland TOTAL 16,784 26,730 1,67 6 Current Coal Power Capacity ~ 28,8550MW UK Current Nat Gas Reserves 530BCM BGS study of coal resources for UCG, supported by DTI

12 Status of UCG Licensing in the UK First UCG licence application by : Thornton New Energy - for an area in the Firth of Forth - publicised in October conditional licence granted February 2009 Second UCG licence application Clean Coal Limited - for five coastal areas of England and Wales - publicised December conditional licences granted November 2009

13 Concluding Remarks Despite 50 years of trials no commercial UCG project has been demonstrated Development of new technologies and the increase in the value of energy may change this Recent progress with pilot projects showing considerable promise Current pilots could result in commercial-scale operations within five to seven years, providing greatly increased confidence in the technology Sharing knowledge and keeping more of it in the public domain could greatly enhance the chances of UCG becoming an accepted and widely applicable technology

14 UCGP now UCGA World Wide Organisation Members CARBOSULCIS

15 5th UCGP International Conference & Workshop London 23rd 24th March 2010 A global alliance of knowledge, expertise, training, networking & information for Underground Coal Gasification