Draft environmental assessment of application by ERDA for a Special Land Use Permit for use of public lands in Wyoming for in situ coal gasification experiments

Technical Report · Thu Jan 22 04:00:00 EST 1976

OSTI ID:7199036

Mead, W

The proposed experiment represents a major element in an LLL program to explore and develop a unique method of in situ coal gasification. The new method promises to provide economic access to the enormous western coal resource, while avoiding some of the principal environmental drawbacks of conventional coal-recovery methods. The LLL approach involves the creation of a zone of permeable coal--an underground packed-bed reactor-- through the use of chemical high explosives emplaced in an array of drilled holes. Oxygen and steam are supplied to the in situ reactor through an injection well and the combustible mixture of product gases is withdrawn through suitable exhaust wells. The injected oxygen allows some of the coal to burn so as to provide process heat for the desired reactions. The withdrawn product gases would be cleaned and upgraded in a surface facility to provide high-Btu pipeline-quality gas. Although the LLL in situ coal gasification technique is aimed primarily at thick, deep, western coals, many of the key features can be evaluated more economically at comparatively shallow depths, and in coal seams of only moderate thickness. The proposed Hoe Creek experiment will consist of explosively fracturing and dewatering a suitable zone of Felix No. 2 coal, followed by an underground gasification procedure lasting about 2 months and involving roughly 3000 tons of coal.The environmental effects of the proposed experiment are expected to be very small. (auth)

• Research Organization: California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 7199036
• Report Number(s): UCID-17011
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
010900 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Environmental Aspects
COAL GASIFICATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
GASIFICATION
IN-SITU GASIFICATION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
PROCESSING
RESEARCH PROGRAMS