UK Coal Resource for New Exploitation Technologies Final Report
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UK Coal Resource for New Exploitation Technologies Final Report Sustainable Energy & Geophysical Surveys Programme Commissioned Report CR/04/015N BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Commissioned Report CR/04/015N UK Coal Resource for New Exploitation Technologies Final Report *Jones N S, *Holloway S, +Creedy D P, +Garner K, *Smith N J P, *Browne, M.A.E. & #Durucan S. 2004. *British Geological Survey +Wardell Armstrong # Imperial College, London The National Grid and other Ordnance Survey data are used with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Ordnance Survey licence number GD 272191/1999 Key words Coal resources, UK, maps, undergound mining, opencast mining, coal mine methane, abandoned mine methane, coalbed methane, underground coal gasification, carbon dioxide sequestration. Front cover Cleat in coal Bibliographical reference Jones N S, Holloway S, Creedy D P, Garner K, Smith N J P, Browne, M.A.E. & Durucan S. 2004. UK Coal Resource for New Exploitation Technologies. Final Report. British Geological Survey Commissioned Report CR/04/015N. © NERC 2004 Keyworth, Nottingham British Geological Survey 2004 BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY The full range of Survey publications is available from the BGS Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG Sales Desks at Nottingham and Edinburgh; see contact details 0115-936 3241 Fax 0115-936 3488 below or shop online at www.thebgs.co.uk e-mail: [email protected] The London Information Office maintains a reference collection www.bgs.ac.uk of BGS publications including maps for consultation. Shop online at: www.thebgs.co.uk The Survey publishes an annual catalogue of its maps and other publications; this catalogue is available from any of the BGS Sales Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA Desks. 0131-667 1000 Fax 0131-668 2683 The British Geological Survey carries out the geological survey of e-mail: [email protected] Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the latter as an agency service for the government of Northern Ireland), and of the London Information Office at the Natural History Museum surrounding continental shelf, as well as its basic research (Earth Galleries), Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London projects. It also undertakes programmes of British technical aid in SW7 2DE geology in developing countries as arranged by the Department for International Development and other agencies. 020-7589 4090 Fax 020-7584 8270 020-7942 5344/45 email: [email protected] The British Geological Survey is a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. Forde House, Park Five Business Centre, Harrier Way, Sowton, Exeter, Devon EX2 7HU 01392-445271 Fax 01392-445371 Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, 20 College Gardens, Belfast BT9 6BS 028-9066 6595 Fax 028-9066 2835 Maclean Building, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BB 01491-838800 Fax 01491-692345 Parent Body Natural Environment Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 1EU 01793-411500 Fax 01793-411501 www.nerc.ac.uk TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................14 1 FOREWORD ..............................................................................................................................17 2 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................17 2.1 AIMS OF THE PROJECT ...........................................................................................................18 2.2 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................19 3 RANKING AND RISKING OF COAL RESOURCES...........................................................19 3.1 RANKING CRITERIA...............................................................................................................19 3.1.1 Opencast Coal Mining ..................................................................................................19 3.1.2 Underground Coal Mining ...........................................................................................20 3.1.3 Coal Mine Methane (CMM)..........................................................................................20 3.1.4 Abandoned Mine Methane (AMM) ...............................................................................20 3.1.5 Coalbed Methane from Virgin Seams (VCBM).............................................................22 3.1.6 Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) .......................................................................23 3.1.7 Carbon Dioxide Sequestration......................................................................................24 3.2 RISK AND UNCERTAINTY ......................................................................................................25 3.2.1 Risks..............................................................................................................................25 3.2.2 Key uncertainties ..........................................................................................................26 4 DATASETS USED IN THE STUDY ........................................................................................28 4.1 BOREHOLE DATABASE ..........................................................................................................28 4.2 MINE PLAN DATA .................................................................................................................28 4.3 DATASETS DERIVED FROM 1999 BGS/CA COAL RESOURCES MAP OF BRITAIN .................29 4.4 OTHER DATASETS..................................................................................................................29 4.4.1 Petroleum licence areas................................................................................................29 5 MAP PRODUCTION .................................................................................................................30 5.1 MINING TECHNOLOGIES MAP ...............................................................................................30 5.2 NEW TECHNOLOGIES MAP....................................................................................................32 5.3 MONTAGE MAP.....................................................................................................................33 6 OPENCAST COAL MINING ...................................................................................................33 7 UNDERGROUND COAL MINING .........................................................................................34 8 COAL MINE METHANE (FROM WORKING MINES)......................................................34 9 ABANDONED MINE METHANE ...........................................................................................35 9.1 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE ...................................................................................................35 9.1.1 Principle of AMM production.......................................................................................35 9.1.2 Criteria for successful AMM projects...........................................................................36 9.2 AMM RESOURCES IN THE UK ..............................................................................................36 9.2.1 Resource area mapping ................................................................................................36 9.2.2 AMM resource exploitation in the UK..........................................................................37 10 COALBED METHANE .........................................................................................................38 10.1 PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE ...................................................................................................38 10.1.1 Internal structure of coal ..............................................................................................38 1 10.1.2 Virgin coalbed methane production..............................................................................39 10.2 PROSPECTS FOR VCBM IN THE UK ......................................................................................39 10.2.1 Resource base ...............................................................................................................40 10.2.2 Exploration and production in the UK .........................................................................41 10.2.3 Economic rates of gas production in the UK................................................................41 10.2.4 Permeability of UK coal seams.....................................................................................41 10.2.5 Gas flow rates from UK coal seams .............................................................................41 10.2.6 Gas saturation in UK coal seams .................................................................................42 10.2.7 Gas pressure within UK coal seams .............................................................................42 10.2.8 Potential economies of scale.........................................................................................42 11 UNDERGROUND COAL GASIFICATION .......................................................................42 11.1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................42 11.1.1 History of UCG.............................................................................................................44