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Gold/Mining/Energy : Gasification Technologies
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From: zebra4o14/4/2009 8:43:14 PM
1 Recommendation   of 1740
 
Sasol conpletes basic designs for Secunda underground coal gasification demo plant

3rd April 2009
Coal-to-liquids (CTL) giant Sasol has completed basic engineering designs for a demonstration-scale underground coal gasification plant to be built on an otherwise stranded deep coal seam near its CTL plant in Secunda.

When commissioned, the plant will be expanding the currently envisaged UCG pilot project.

Sasol UCG business manager Johan Brand comments that UCG is generally cheaper than conventional coal mining and surface gasification methods, owing to the fact that the coal mining and gasification is carried out in one phase.

"By the time the gas is released from the well, the coal has already been beneficiated to such an extent that it can directly be used in a boiler without even treating the coal," he adds.

Also, the transportation of the gas in pipes is more efficient than by road, rail or conveyor.

UCG technology will extend the lifespan of the Secunda complex by using coal that is difficult to mine. The technology proved a 95% coal extraction, exceeding that of conventional underground mining of deep seams, which has an extraction of 37%.

Brand says that UCG provides a commercially competitive energy supply with a decreased environmental footprint.

The method reduces the potential for soil contamination because no handling and storage of large volumes of ash and slag in ash dumps is required. Also, no large tracts of land are buried under overburden rock and tailings dumps; largely eliminating possible acid mine drainage caused by reactions of the overburden rock with atmospheric water and air.

Lastly, Brand says that the mining technology provides the opportunity to extract coal that would otherwise be unminable as improved drilling techniques allow access to larger coal volumes at reduced costs

miningweekly.com
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