Underground Coal Gasification - Linc Energy
Underground Coal Gasification - Linc Energy
Underground Coal Gasification - Linc Energy
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<strong>Underground</strong> <strong>Coal</strong><br />
<strong>Gasification</strong><br />
And its Benefits to Society<br />
and the Environment<br />
Teachers Professional Development<br />
Program<br />
4 November 2009<br />
Matthew Buchanan<br />
Manager – Environmental Affairs<br />
<strong>Linc</strong> <strong>Energy</strong> Limited<br />
<strong>Coal</strong> <strong>Gasification</strong><br />
• Well known technology – convert a solid (coal) to a gas<br />
(synthesis gas or syngas)<br />
• <strong>Coal</strong> heated in the presence of water and pressure<br />
• It is not coal burning<br />
• Syngas is not natural gas<br />
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<strong>Coal</strong> <strong>Gasification</strong> Simplified<br />
<strong>Coal</strong> +<br />
Water +<br />
Heat +<br />
Pressure =<br />
SYNGAS<br />
C<br />
H 2 O<br />
CO + H2<br />
Syngas is versatile<br />
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As a clean coal technology<br />
• <strong>Gasification</strong> is the technology of choice for ‘clean coal’<br />
projects<br />
• US (FutureGen) and Queensland Government’s (ZeroGen)<br />
projects<br />
• Traditional gasification requires coal mining, gasification<br />
in a gasification plant, and then gas can be used<br />
• UCG eliminates the mining and surface gasification<br />
steps…………..<br />
<strong>Underground</strong> <strong>Coal</strong> <strong>Gasification</strong><br />
6<br />
3
Carbon Capture<br />
• Syngas needs ‘cleaning’ prior to further use<br />
• The gas cleaning process often creates a clean CO 2<br />
waste<br />
stream, ready for the sequestration process<br />
Environmental benefits of<br />
UCG for power generation<br />
• Efficiency improvements<br />
•<strong>Coal</strong> gasification technology is the key to all<br />
clean coal applications<br />
•UCG is the only low cost gasification option<br />
•UCG provides efficiency advantages over<br />
solid fuel steam cycle<br />
• Greenhouse Gases<br />
•25% reduction over coal/steam cycles prior<br />
to any sequestration<br />
•The most realisable clean coal technology<br />
4
UCG and GHG Emissions<br />
“UCG has the potential to be one of the lowest GHG<br />
footprint coal-based technologies, generating around 25<br />
per cent less CO2-e than modern coal-fired power<br />
stations.” BHP Newcastle Technology Centre, 2002<br />
9<br />
GTL – in simple terms<br />
5
FT Diesel – efficiency and<br />
environmental benefits<br />
… diesel engines have superior energy<br />
efficiency relative to gasoline engines<br />
Source: Beer et al, undated. CSIRO Final Report to the Australian Greenhouse Office<br />
11<br />
FT Diesel<br />
… has superior emissions properties relative to<br />
conventional diesel<br />
6
Chinchilla UCG<br />
Pilot<br />
Syngas Flare<br />
14<br />
7
Chinchilla GTL<br />
Demonstration Plant<br />
15<br />
Environmental Benefits<br />
• Relatively small footprint<br />
• No pits, overburden piles, spoil<br />
• No mining related methane release<br />
8
Soil Remains Intact<br />
…for future (or co-incident) land use<br />
Yerostigaz UCG, Uzbekistan<br />
Small Footprint<br />
9
Less Infrastructure<br />
• Fewer infrastructure<br />
requirements<br />
• No surface gasification plant<br />
or mine<br />
• No coal processing, tails, fly<br />
ash, rejects<br />
• Water Supply dams and<br />
linear infrastructure<br />
Groundwater Dewatering<br />
is Undesirable<br />
For UCG, dewatering sterilises the coal: This is<br />
opposite to all other forms of energy extraction<br />
from coal<br />
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Perceived Issues<br />
• Groundwater Use<br />
• UCG is a water user, but drawdown is minimised<br />
because water pressure is needed for process<br />
• Groundwater Chemistry Changes<br />
• Minimised by reducing gas loss<br />
• Chinchilla trials have experienced no groundwater<br />
contamination<br />
• Subsidence<br />
• UCG process requires that fractures (leading to<br />
subsidence) be minimised to prevent water ingress<br />
• Results in minimal, if any subsidence<br />
Subsidence<br />
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Social and Economic<br />
• Safety – no people underground, and a less explosive gas<br />
• <strong>Energy</strong> Security for Australia<br />
• Domestic security<br />
• Balance of trade<br />
• ‘New’ royalty stream for governments<br />
• Employment<br />
23<br />
Social and Economic<br />
• Significant value added to raw materials that are otherwise<br />
‘valueless’<br />
• New types of support industries<br />
• Decentralised energy supply reduces risk<br />
• High quality fuel would result in better urban air quality<br />
• Fuel is ‘Fleet Ready’ – no changes needed to delivery<br />
infrastructure or vehicles (including planes)<br />
24<br />
12
<strong>Linc</strong> Carbon Solutions<br />
Thank you!<br />
Matthew Buchanan<br />
Manager - Environmental Affairs<br />
Email: matthew.buchanan@lincenergy.com.au<br />
More Information<br />
Resources at:<br />
www.lincenergy.com.au<br />
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