Soviet underground coal gasification on the rocks

Journal Article · Mon Oct 13 04:00:00 EDT 1980 · Chem. Eng. News; (United States)

OSTI ID:6281040

According to the University of California Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, the U.S.S.R. has abandoned large-scale development plans for coal-gasification projects, due to the low heating value of the gas produced at test burns at Angren, and to the cost, estimated at 132% of the standard Lurgi value, in contrast to the cost of approx. 65% of the standard Lurgi value in U.S. experimental burns. The U.S.S.R. coal-gasification effort has been in development since 1950, with a peak production of approx. 2 billion cu m/yr in 1966. The poor test burn results might have been caused by: drilling the boreholes too close to each other, which would increase drilling costs; the loss of a large amount of heat through a porous overburden; the lack of good underground diagnostics before and during a burn; and a lack of a good laboratory support program. The gas heating value was too low to warrant transportation far from the burn site, but most suitable burn sites are in remote areas. In the U.S.S.R., natural gas and open-pit lignite mining appear to be cheaper sources of energy.

• OSTI ID: 6281040
• Journal Information: Chem. Eng. News; (United States), Journal Name: Chem. Eng. News; (United States) Vol. 58:41; ISSN CENEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
ASIA
BROWN COAL
CALORIFIC VALUE
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COAL GASIFICATION
COMBUSTION
COMBUSTION PROPERTIES
CONSTRAINTS
COST ESTIMATION
EASTERN EUROPE
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCE DEVELOPMENT
ENERGY SOURCES
EUROPE
EVALUATION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GASIFICATION
IN-SITU GASIFICATION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
LIGNITE
LURGI PROCESS
MATERIALS
MINING
NATURAL GAS
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDATION
PROCESSING
REMOTE AREAS
TESTING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
USA
USSR