Alieksieieva Inesa Faculty of ecology and chemical technology Speciality: Ecology in the minning Theme of master's work: Improvement of technology of damming and using methane at Kalinina mine Scientific adviser: professor, head of department "Enviroment activity" Kostenko V.K.

Summary of research and developments

The theme of Master's thesis: "Improvement of technology of damming and using of methane at Kalinina mine"

1. Grounding and relevance of the topic.

Ukraine today provides only 22.5 % of the state needs for the of natural gas consumption (consumption - 80 billion m³, extraction - 18 billion m³). Most of the gas to cover the deficit is imported from CIS countries (Russia, Turkmenistan, etc.). The most acute is the question to find and develop alternative energy sources.
  One of such alternative sources in Donetsk Basin, based on the specifics of the area, which is represented mostly by mining companies, can be considered mine methane gas.
  Coal mining in Ukraine is connected with high complexity and low levels of security, compared with the production of other types of energy, due to difficult mining and geological conditions of coal beds, and complex mining and geological conditions and gas dynamics. Methane is an indispensable companion of coal mining, whose production in our country now makes about 80 million tons per year. Estimated reserves of methane in coal-bearing deposits are 12 to 25 trillion m³ [1].
  Range from such aspect as environmental safety should be noted. The operation of the coal industry is usually accompanied by multilateral negative impact on the environment, the extent of which is directly dependent on the volume of the main production and in connection with possible increases in coal production have a tendency to further growth.
In terms of generation and emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere coal industry is one of the most air polluting ones.
Based on the fact that methane is one of the six major gases of greenhouse effect (and it is 21 times greater than CO2 per 100-year), its recycling becomes necessary in terms of the amount emitted into the atmosphere [8].

Thus, from the standpoint of environmental safety and the greenhouse effect, recycling of coal mine methane is highly relevant.
  It is important to note that methane in certain concentrations with air oxygen forms an explosive mixture and its presence is the main factor and the main cause of explosions in coal mines with serious consequences. To combat the methane in coal mines special preventive measures are taken, the most effective of which is degassing. Currently, of the total amount produced by mines, degassing extracts only 15% of the methane, from which only 7% is recycled [4].
Therefore, developing a mechanism for evaluating and selecting options of using methane has economic, environmental and social impact.

2. Aims and objectives of the study.

Objective - Improving of technology to extract methane, development and grounding of complex measures on the use of captured methane in the mine named after Kalinin.

Tasks to be solved:

1. To review the research and extraction of methane in the mine named after Kalinin

2. To undertake a review of all existing methods of degassing and methane recovery technologies

3. To choose the option of a technology to extract and use methane in the mine

4. To develop a technological scheme diversion of developed space

5. To carry out the grounding of directions, study areas and criteria for the rational use of methane as a source of raw materials for the company

6. To economically ground technological solutions for the extraction and use of methane in the mine

Object of research – ventilation and degassing facilities of mine named after Kalinin, technology of recovery and use of methane.

Subject of research – the technological processes of extraction and use of methane.

Research Methods – systematic, analytical, technical and economic calculations, the solution of situational tasks, forecasting, statistical data processing.

3. Scientific relevance of the work. The practical value of the work.

Scientific innovation – the development of technological scheme diversion of developed space in order to improve mine safety, the choice of a more rational method for extracting coal bed methane to use in cogeneration plants in the mine named after Kalinin.

Scientific novelty is disclosed in achieving of the following results:

• Justification of technological schemes for extraction of methane in the enterprise;

• carring out of choice and substantiation of directions of rational use of coal mine methane in the investigated enterprises;

• implementation of a feasibility study of using extracted from the mine methane as a raw resource and possibilities of its use.

The practical value - Practical suggestions of mine methane use; elaboration of technological schemes of utilization, which can be used to obtain economic, environmental and social effects in terms of mine named after M.I. Kalinin.

4. A review of existing research and development on the subject.

To conduct the research for the implementation of methane projects most Ukrainian mines simply do not have money, and the key here is the role of foreign investors. Some of those who first took interest in this market was a French company BETEN, in particular, which in cooperation with the firms Eco-Carbon and SDF engineers provide a research of methane utilization, and then help find an investor, installation and actually equipment of methane utilization. At the same time the first two phases of the project – preliminary and detailed mine study – is funded by the French government.
In 2007 Ukraine and France signed a bilateral agreement on promotion of carbon projects under the Kyoto Protocol. In 2008 the French government has allocated the first tranche for implementation of BETEN first methane utilization project in Ukraine - in Luhansk region.
It received approval for the project. In January 2010, all design work on Luhansk project was completed. In the near future the project must be approved by the European testing organization, and in the second quarter of 2010 it must be put into operation.
The company was unable to obtain permission for a similar project in Donetsk region. However, the French are very interested in the Ukrainian market, and they made a new attempt to gain a foothold on it in February by presenting their "Project of diversion and use of coal mine gas (methane) in the mines of Donetsk region" at held in Donetsk branch meeting.
    Currently, the implementation of methane projects in Donetsk region American, European and Asian companies are already involved. For example, the project at mine Zasyadko the Japanese company Marubeni Corporation, the Swiss VEMA SA and the Danish Global Carbon take part.
 
Large-scale production of methane is carried out in the U.S., where there is an entire industry for the extraction of gas from coal seams established and operate. Over the past 10 years production of coal methane from special wells has increased to 60 billion m³/year. This industry employs about 200 U.S. firms.

In recent years, there has begun intensive work on the extraction of methane in Australia, China, Canada, Poland, Germany and the UK.
In Australia, the technology to extract gas in the mines and outside of the mining industry were developed in parallel with the U.S., and some companies have successfully led the development of methane since the mid 1990's. Methane production is carried out by the horizontal wells drilled in seams at a distance of up to 1500 m, the gas enters the purification plant, where, in accordance with the specifications, it is dehydrated, filtered, compressed, and further by high pressure gas pipeline goes into a number of settlements.

In China, coal-bed methane resources are up to 35 trillion m³. Interest in the extraction of coal bed methane has become manifest here sience the early 1990's. Over the past 10 years, Chinese and foreign experts have drilled over 100 test wells in the coal basins in the eastern part of the country. Currently, the amount of methane production in China is about 5 billion m³.

In Canada they have begun experimental work on the extraction of methane at the site Palliser in Alberta. Canadian Gas Committee predicts that the coalbed methane, whose resources are about 8 trillion m³ (whereas conventional gas resources in the country are 5 trillion m³), will become the main type of extracted gas in some parts of Canada.

In the UK, a well-known company Coalgas Ltd carries out methane production from the two abandoned mines - "Makhram", located near city of Mansfield, and "Steetley". The company has developed an alternative method of extracting methane by pumping it through the ventilation shafts, where it comes from undeveloped coal seams [10].

Thus, the necessity, feasibility and economic feasibility of large-scale extraction of coal bed methane are confirmed by experience of several countries. According to American experts, this trend will be steadily growing, and by 2020 world production of coal bed methane will reach 100-150 billion m³/year and in the future commercial production of coal bed methane in the world can reach up to 470-600 billion m³/year which will make 15-20% of world production of natural gas [3].

The most promising in terms of production and use of methane for industrial purposes in Russia is Kuznetsk coal basin. In October 2000, Gazprom and the Administration of Kemerovo region signed an agreement on a joint project for the extraction of methane from coal seams of Kuznetsk Basin [9].
Currently, under the first phase of a pilot project in Kuzbass in Taldinskaya area there has been created and operates the experimental site consisting of four wells and the necessary engineering infrastructure.
Based on years of research by exploration and research organizations of methane-bearing of coal-bed methane resources are estimated here as 13 trillion m³ up to 1800 m deep and as 5-6 trillion m³ at 1200 m deep. The most important of them are in Erunakovsk, Tom-Usa, Tersinskom and Leninsky districts.

In the favorable situation in the field of taxation and high prices for gas by 2020 Kuzbass is able to go out on the extraction of 20 billion m³ coal-bed methane. This amount will be realized in Kemerovo, Novosibirsk and Omsk regions, as well as in Altai region. With the growth of industrial production and energy development, natural gas consumption in Kemerovo region could reach about 32 billion m³/year, the entire volume is anticipated to be covered by methane [5].

In terms of coal collateral methane Ukraine occupies the fourth place in the world - 15-20 trillion m³, of which 11 to 13 trillion m³ lies in the coal beds of Donbass. It is possible to extract up to 4 billion cubic meters of methane per year (equivalent to 3 million tons of gasoline). Most gas-bearing is the direction Krasnoarmeysk - Dobropillya. Now feasibility studies for mining coal bed methane in Donetsk region is being completed. This project is funded by the U.S. government (in this country more than 50 billion m³ of methane is produced annually).

In the world methane is extracted from underveloped coal seams, pushing it to the surface by using hydraulic fracturing technology. In Ukraine, a preliminary surface drilling has not been conducted, and to extract methane from the existing mines, which reach depths of 1.5 km, is much harder. Here a method of degassing is used.

The mine named after Zasyadko has not only realized the world's largest project for utilization of coal bed methane, but has also been a pioneer in Ukraine to sell quotas for greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2006 the company has transferred 1.46 million tons of conditional release to Japanese Marubeni, which has invested in the utilization of coal bed methane, as well as sold to funds in Austria and Japan quotas on greenhouse gas emissions for 2.5 million euros.
By 2012, the mine named after Zasyadko plans to reduce methane emissions by 3.8 million tons in CO2 eq., which will gradually allow to receive EUR60 million from the sale of quotas, reserves of methane in the mine being about 20 billion m³.

In Ukraine, methane is already being used at "Makeevugol", the mines Barakova, "Sukhodolskaya-East", "Samsonovskaya-Western", "Donbass" for their own heat and electricity.
In the early 2009, the company DTEK announced a tender selling emission quotas under the Kyoto Protocol. For the implementation of 720 thousand tons it is possible to get about 7 million euros. To reduce emissions at mine Komsomolets Donbassa two cogeneration units with a total capacity of about 3 MW were put into operation. Together with the refurbishment of two existing boilers this will allow in future to recycle up to 100% of the total coal mine methane.
The overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 under the project will be about 300 tons of CO2 (eq).

5. Own results.

The mine named after Kalinin as a result of degassing of coal seams annually receives approximately 4.5 million m³ of methane as 100% concentration. Partial use of specified amount of methane is possible by burning it in the boiler room. However, the seasonal use of methane in the boiler room does not allow to utilize it effectively.
In order to avoid release of methane into the atmosphere and increase the efficiency of its use it is suggested to install two cogeneration units with gas-piston engines and generators 1.053 kW each with voltage 6.3 kV. Calculations indicat that this plant will produce electricity of about of 16 million kW • h per year and will party provide consumers with hot water.
Basic information about a cogeneration station.

Cogeneration station (CS) represents a power plant, consisting of 2 modules, which include:
• gas piston 4-stroke 20-cylinder engine type J320 GS, manufacturer GE Jenbacher (Austria);
• electric generator of type DIG 120 g/4 rated power 1053 kW, manufacturer AVK;
• heat recovery system, supplied by engine manufacturer;
• control panel, system synchronization, protection and monitoring for each module.
The cogeneration plant is designed for the effective use of methane, degassed at mine named after Kalinina, to generate electricity and heat to consumers of the mine.
Electrical loads of mine named after Kalinina generally does not exceed 6 MW and annual electricity consumption is about 53 million kW • h/year.
The generated electrical power of a cogeneration station net of its own needs is not more than 2 MW with a planned production of electricity to 16 million kW • h/year. Ensuring the reliability of electricity of electro mines is retained from the existing power grid. Cogeneration station serves as the utilization of coal mine methane.
Connection of a cogeneration plant is proposed to be carried out to RU-6 kW compressor station and fan VC-5 with the persistence of existing entries from RU 6 kV-6 kV substation "Kalinina-nova" [11].

There are three ways of degassing: degassing of developed layer, developed space and degassing of adjacent layers (satellites). At the mine the third way of degassing is used. Wells are drilled from the mine workings behind the face. Degassing of coal seams is carried out by wells drilled from the group vent carriage on the adjacent coal seams (satellites) h11 and h11' on the upper and lower parts of the face.
In mines methane forms with the air flammable and explosive mixture. In the animated figure numbers indicate: 1 - explosive mixtures of methane and air, 2 - unrealistic mixtures in natural conditions, and 3 - non-explosive mixtures, but they can become explosive with an increase of fresh air, 4 - non-explosive mixtures.

Animated figure 1 - Schedule to the definition of explosiveness methane (number of frames - 3, the number repeated cycles - 7, size – 10.9 kb, made in Gif animator).

Degassing of workings is carried out by vacuum pumps with transportation of the extracted mixture through degassing pipeline to the surface and gas-sucking plants with isolated diversion to the outgoing flow of excavation field [6, 2].

Figure 2 - Scheme of isolated drainage system for the continuous development of the mine named after Kalinin.

   Figure 2 shows the scheme of isolated divertion system for the continuous development of the mine named after Kalinin. The extraction of methane is carried out by using centrifugal fans or air ejector through the pipes outside the excavation site, where pre-diluted to safe concentrations methane is let in total outlet air flow [7].
Thus, the proposed method of extracting coal bed methane will reduce accidents and injuries, and at the same time will increase coal production and reduce production costs.

6. Conclusion.

Industrial development and utilization of methane from coal deposits in the mine named after Kalinin will ensure economic, environmental and social effect.

The most promising direction is the use of cogeneration plants based on gas piston engines.
The realisation of project to extract methane from coal deposits will provide:
• Environmental effectiveness of methane – safe development of coal-gas deposits

• Alternative source of fuel, which would make Ukraine less dependent on imported fuel.

• Improving the environmental situation of the country by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

• Improving mine safety.

• Establishment of effective technical and technological solutions that provide the maximum reduction in methane emissions during developing of methane – safe development of coal-gas fields with energy use of methane extracted.

• The economic effect, since there is no methane emissions, utilisation of coal mine methane will reduce the cost of coal in mines, depending on the specific conditions by 3-4%.

At the moment of writing this Extract the master's work is not yet completed.
Final completion: December 2010. Full text of the work and materials on the topic can be obtained from the author or her supervisor after that date.


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