Methane extraction and utilisation from abandoned coal mines - china/uk technology transfer
Авторы: D.P. Creedy and K. Garner.
Описание : перевод статьи “Methane extraction and utilisation from abandoned coal mines - china/uk technology transfer" .
Источники: [Електронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file20542.pdf
Executive summary.
Methane recovery in production mines has been
exploited for many years. An important development is the exploitation of
methane from abandoned or disused mines (AMM) in which the permeability of the
gas-bearing strata has been increased greatly as a result of mining activities.
AMM schemes aim to extract the methane left in remaining and unminable coal seams. Methane extraction and utilisation in abandoned coalmines can be a cost-effective
means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, whilst contributing to local and
regional energy requirements. In the UK, the exploitation of methane from
abandoned coalmines is becoming an established, albeit relatively small
industry and a number of successful commercial schemes have been developed to
extract and utilise AMM as a source of energy for
electricity generation and fuel supply to local industries by dedicated
pipelines. The experience gained from these schemes may provide UK industry
with opportunities to collaborate internationally in adapting and developing
AMM technology for other coal producing countries.
An opportunity exists for collaboration and technology
transfer with China where many mines, some deep, have been closed following a
major re-structuring programme by the Chinese
government to improve safety and competitiveness of the coal industry. Although
the Chinese coal mining industry has some expertise in the application of
methane drainage schemes in working mines, the extraction and utilisation of methane from abandoned mines is a new
concept. It is anticipated that there could be potential to develop AMM schemes
at some of the closed deep mines.
The overall objective of this project was therefore to
bring Chinese and UK experts together to develop collaboration into the
application of AMM recovery and utilisation from
abandoned coal mines, and to establish market potential and address measures to
promote the application of UK technologies in China, wherever appropriate. The
work involved the review of technology status in both
countries, field investigations in China to establish site selection
principles, in-house studies into AMM resource assessment methods and
investigation of utilisation options. The project
involved considerable interactions between UK and Chinese researchers. These
included in-house studies, fieldwork, informal communications, workshop and
technical visits to the UK and China by experts from both countries.
The total cost of this project (including two
extension amendments) was £330,060. It was jointly supported by the UK
Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Cleaner Coal Technology Transfer Programme, with contributions from UK industry and the
Chinese Government. The overall work was managed by the University of
Nottingham in collaboration with China International Centre for Economic and
Technical Exchanges (CICETE). Future Energy Solutions (FES) supervised the
project on behalf of the DTI. The duration of the project was originally 18
months from January 2001 to June 2002. Two extensions (granted to 30th November
2002) allowed a UK visit by a delegation from Heilongjiang Province, a workshop
in Beijing to disseminate the project results, and two additional site visits
to Hegang and Jixi to gather field data for a pre-feasibility study. This
report presents the major work carried out in this project. Further details are
available from the appended visit reports and technical reports prepared by
China Coal Information Institute (CCII), China Coal Research Institute (CCRI)
and China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT.)
1.
Project background and objectives
Until recently, the extraction and utilisation
of coalbed methane in the UK has involved gas drained
from working coalmines. This methane gas has been either piped to local
customers for direct use or consumed in small-scale power generation schemes.
These schemes were located at deep gassy coal mines practising
longwall mining methods where underground methane
drainage techniques were needed for mine safety.
Recently, the concept of extracting the gas from
abandoned mines to provide an energy source has been developed in the UK. This
is achieved by using the existing mine shafts or drifts, where these remain
open, or a filled shaft by boreholes drilled from the surface into the
abandoned workings. A number of commercial UK schemes have been developed to
extract and utilise AMM as a source of energy for
electricity generation and fuel supply to local industries.
The potential for AMM in China has been enhanced
recently, by a major programme being implemented by
the Chinese government to restructure the coal industry and relieve poverty in
coal mining areas. The Chinese government has launched plans for reducing
production capacity and closing coal mines that are resources-depleted, illegal
or cannot meet safety standards. The AMM technologies developed by UK companies
may have potential for application in some of these mines.
The overall objective of this project is to develop
collaboration with China into the application of AMM recovery and utilisation from abandoned coal mines, and to establish
market potential and address measures to promote the application of UK
technologies in China. Specifically, the project aims to:
1.
review the
status of AMM extraction and utilisation technologies
and investigate the market potential for AMM technologies in China;
2.
study mining, hydrogeological and surface conditions at selected abandoned
mine sites in China in order to demonstrate site selection principles for AMM
extraction and utilisation projects;
3.
investigate
application of AMM resource assessment methods and how these need to be adapted
for Chinese conditions;
4.
study AMM utilisation options and technologies, especially the
experience of UK companies with pipeline and small-scale power generation
schemes based on methane recovery from abandoned mines;
5.
foster collaboration between UK
and China and investigate and promote the potential of technology transfer
based upon the expertise and technologies of UK companies.
This project is supported by the UK DTI and managed by
the University of Nottingham (UoN) and China
International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE).
Project collaborators include China Coal Information
Institute (CCII), China
Coal ResearchInstitute (CCRI), China
University of Mining and Technology (CUMT) and Wardell
Armstrong.
The execution of this project has received strong
support from various organisations in China and the
UK. These organisations include Alkane
Energy Plc, Clarke Energy, Deutz Energy UK Ltd, MAN
B&W Diesel Ltd, Octagon Energy, StrataGas Plc and
Warwick Energy in the UK, and Fushun Coal Mine Administration (FCMA), Tongchuan Coal Mine Administration (TCMA), Liaoning
Provincial Planning and Development Commission, Jixi and Hegang Coal Mine
Administrations, the Planning and Development Commission of Heilongjiang
Province (PDCH), and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST).
Literature:
1.
D.P. Creedy and K. Garner: [Електронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file20542.pdf