UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATION - THE VELENJE COAL MINE ENERGY AND ECONOMIC CALCULATIONS

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a viable possibility for the exploitation of vast coal deposits that are unreachable by conventional mining and can meet the energy, economic and environmental demands of the 21(st) century. Due to the complexity of the process, and the site-specific coal and seam properties, it is important to acknowledge all the available data and past experiences, in order to conduct a successful UCG operation. Slovenia has huge unmined reserves of coal, and therefore offers the possibility of an alternative use of this domestic primary energy source. According to the available underground coal gasification technology, the energy and economic assessment for the exploitation of coal to generate electricity and heat was made. A new procedure for the estimation of the energy efficiency of the coal gasification process, which is also used to compare the energy analyses for different examples of coal exploitation, was proposed, as well as the technological schemes and plant operating mode in Velenje, and the use of produced synthetic coal gas (syngas). The proposed location for the pilot demonstration experiment in Velenje Coal Mine was reviewed and the viability of the underground coal gasification project in Velenje was determined.