Hydrogen Oriented Underground Gasification of Coal

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a technology with more than one century of history. Recently, it has attracted renewed interest triggered by increasing global energy security concerns and stringent environmental regulations on energy production from fossil fuels. HUGE, the Hydrogen Oriented Underground Coal Gasification for Europe project, co-financed by the European Coal and Steel Research Fund is a major clean coal technology R&D project in the European Union. HUGE raises high expectations because of the potential of its specific UCG concept to integrate large scale in situ production of hydrogen-rich gases with on site geological storage of carbon dioxide. This would allow transferring underground generated low carbon and partly purified hydrogen or synthesis gases to the surface as major product, while leaving behind the wastes generated during their conversion from coal. The project, which primarily addresses a European issue, also has a global dimension because of the environmental constraints related to the technologies involved. Major attention in the technology oriented project HUGE is paid to optimizing the integration of mature elements of coal gasification and hydro-gasification processes with heat and mass transfer phenomena taking place in geological multiphase systems of complex geometry. Because the coal to hydrogen conversion process may be carried out at high depths in the composite geological structures of coal seams, aquifers and surrounding strata, only a limited number of methods and tools are available for controlling the conversion processes. Hence, valuable expertise from in situ coal gasification, from geological carbon dioxide storage, from geothermy and from enhanced oil recovery are compiled, critically assessed and used as building blocks in designing and constructing the hydrogen oriented UCG plant. In the context of HUGE, the novel concept of geo-reactor, which stands for an underground, environmentally safe coal gasification plant intentionally integrated with geothermal heat exchange and with carbon capture and storage, is investigated for exploitation of synergies between various geological technologies.

ROGUT Jan;  STEEN Marc; 

2009-01-19

University of Pittsburgh

JRC47245

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC47245,