An exsitu underground coal gasification experiment with a siderite interlayer: course of the process, production gas, temperatures and energy efficiency

A 72-h ex situ hard coal gasification test in one large block of coal was carried out. The gasifying agent was oxygen with a constant flow rate of 4.5 m³/h. The surroundings of coal were simulated with wet sand with 11% moisture content. A 2-cm interlayer of siderite was placed in the horizontal cut of the coal block. As a result of this process, gas with an average flow rate of 12.46 m³/h was produced. No direct influence of siderite on the gasification process was observed; however, measurements of CO₂ content in the siderite interlayer before and after the process allow to determine the location of high-temperature zones in the reactor. The greatest influence on the efficiency of the gasification process was exerted by water contained in wet sand. At the high temperature that prevailed in the reactor, this water evaporated and reacted with the incandescent coal, producing hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This reaction contributes to the relatively high calorific value of the resulting process gas, averaging 9.41 MJ/kmol, and to the high energy efficiency of the whole gasification process, which amounts to approximately 70%.