Underground coal gasification: Its potential for long-term supply of sng. Occasional pub

Technical Report · Wed Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:7271592

Hill, V L; Burnham, K B; Barone, S P; Rosenberg, J I; Ashby, A B

The paper examines the viability of underground coal gasification (UCU) as a future source of substitute natural gas (SNG). The economics of commercial scale UCG technology at a western site is estimated and compared with aboveground gasification and also with an extrapolation of GRI's Baseline Projection for natural gas prices. Although much technical and economic uncertainty exists regarding UCG, the potential reserve base for unmineable coals is very large, about four times that of currently mineable coals. Assuming that only 10 percent of the 1.8 trillion tons of marginal U.S. coal resources may be amendable to UCG, this represents 1000 trillion cubic feet of potential SNG production. The UCG economics of the paper are based on a techno-economic study conducted by Williams Brothers Engineering Company; the cosponsors included GRI, Amoco Production Company, Hunt Oil Company, and Williams Brothers Engineering Company.

• Research Organization: Gas Research Inst., Chicago, IL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7271592
• Report Number(s): PB-94-176021/XAB; GRI--84/0254
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404* -- Coal
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Lignite
& Peat-- Economic
Industrial
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CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
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IN-SITU GASIFICATION
IN-SITU PROCESSING
MATERIALS
NATURAL GAS
PROCESSING
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES