Hydrologic site selection for mining of deep basin lignite in Texas. Final report
Population and industrial growth within the state of Texas during the remainder of this century and into the 21st century will result in a significant increase in the demand for energy. Because of the depletion of the state's oil and gas reserves for use in energy production and because of the universal scrubbing requirements which have removed the primary advantage of low-sulfur western coal, it is expected that Texas lignite will be the fuel preferred by many of the state's utilities and industries. Near surface lignite reserves are adequate to meet the needs of the early decades of the 21st century. Meeting the demands of the decades beyond will require the recovery of deep basin lignite or a transition to alternative energy fuels. The subject of this research is the hydrological and geomechanical feasibility and impact of open pit mining and underground coal gasification for recovery of deep basin Texas lignite. Of major concern are the quantities and uses of water from site dewatering and depressurizing operations, the stability of open pit mine slopes and how it is influenced by water, and the regional hydrologic impacts of lignite mining. A summary of the conclusions from this research follows. Water use from open pit mine dewatering and depressurizing operations is significant, though the amounts are very much site specific and dependent on the mine plan. The major variables which influence the total system discharge are the geometry of the mine cut, the required drawdown and dewatering time, aquifer hydraulic and storage parameters, and local stratigraphy. Mathematical models are presented which quantitatively show how these variables influence the water quantities. In general, the quantities of water associated with dewatering can greatly exceed those associated with depressurization of an underlying aquifer.
- Research Organization:
- Texas Univ., Austin (USA). Dept. of Civil Engineering
- OSTI ID:
- 5573604
- Report Number(s):
- TENRAC/EDF-114; ON: DE84900410
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
010404 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
012000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
AQUIFERS
BROWN COAL
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COAL DEPOSITS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FEDERAL REGION VI
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASIFICATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
IN-SITU GASIFICATION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
LIGNITE
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MINE DRAINING
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
REMOVAL
RESOURCES
SLOPE STABILITY
STABILITY
SURFACE MINING
TEXAS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
USA
WATER