Assessment of underground coal gasification in bituminous coals. Final report. Phase 1

Technical Report · Sun Jan 31 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5276654

The bituminous coal resources of the contiguous 48 states are catalogued according to criteria which have, or may have, importance in determining the amenability of a coal resource, the efficiency of the UCG process, and the end use of the product gas. Coal seams thicker than five feet are emphasized. Catalogs are provided for two conditions: coal seams with dips less than thirty degrees and those with dips greater than thirty degrees in the portion of the United States east of the Mississippi River. The coal seams with shallow dips are evaluated to develop a catalog of coal seams, geographic areas, and coal quantities potentially amenable to the UCG process. A number of target areas potentially suitable for underground coal gasification projects have been identified and are described at length. These target areas are not the only ones potentially amenable to UCG technology: however, they have been identified from the literature, maps, and data reviewed for each of the coal-bearing states. The quantity of in-place coal resource required to fuel a 25 MW power generation station for 20 years is calculated as 3.5 million tons. The target areas identified contain far in excess of 3.5 million tons, since the level of detail of most published data is too gross to allow reliable delineation of such a small resource area. Based upon field observation, sites having greatest potential for a UCG project were delineated in the target areas not eliminated by the field reviews. Within each target area more than one UCG project can be sited, depending on availability of coal resource and results of detailed site evaluations. Detailed drilling programs will be necessary at all sites to confirm presence of the coal resource. The criteria used for site selection are listed.

• Research Organization: Williams Bros. Engineering Co., Tulsa, OK (USA). Process Div.
• DOE Contract Number: AC21-80MC14584
• OSTI ID: 5276654
• Report Number(s): DOE/MC/14584-1193-Vol.2-Bk.1; ON: DE82014700
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
011000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
BITUMINOUS COAL
BLACK COAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL DEPOSITS
COAL GASIFICATION
COAL RESERVES
COAL SEAMS
DATA
DIMENSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASIFICATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRATA
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
IN-SITU GASIFICATION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
INCLINED STRATA
INFORMATION
MAPS
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
PETROLOGY
PROCESSING
RESERVES
RESOURCES
SITE SELECTION
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
THICKNESS
USA