COAL MINE NATURAL GAS POWER GENERATION

COAL MINES IN THE U.S. EMIT HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF CUBIC FEET OF NATURAL GAS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE DAILY. THESE SOURCES OF NATURAL GAS TYPICALLY ARE EITHER TOO DILUTE OR TOO FAR FROM EXISTING GAS PIPELINES TO BE OF COMMERCIAL VALUE. THIS PROJECT SEEKS TO DEVELOP A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO USING THESE WASTE GAS STREAMS TO FUEL ONSITE POWER GENERATION FACILITIES. THE RESEARCH FOCUSES ON DEFINING THEQUANTITY AND QUALITY OF THE AVAILABLE GAS STREAMS AND CONSIDERING INNOVATIVE WAYS OF COMBINING THE INDIVIDUAL STREAMS TO PROVIDE AN OPTIMAL FUEL SUPPLY FOR POWER GENERATION. SINCE THE ERRATIC NATURE OF GOB GAS PRODUCTION HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE CRITICAL OBSTACLE TO COMMERCIALIZING POWER GENERATION, THIS PROJECT WILL SUPPLEMENT GOB GAS WITH OTHER GAS SOURCES FROM THE COAL MINE. CONSEQUENTLY, COALBED METHANE (CBM), GOG GAS, ABANDONED MINE EMISSIONS, AND MINE VENTILATION AIR WILL BE STUDIED. NO PUBLISHED REFERENCES HAVE BEEN MADE TO AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM TO UTILIZE SEVERAL OF THESE STREAMS IN A COMPLEMENTARY FASHION. PROJECT FIELD WORK WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED AT THE CAMBRIA NO. 33 MINE IN CAMBRIA COUNTY, PA. THIS LOCATION IS WELL SUITED FOR THE RESEARCH, SINCE IT IS ALREADY PRODUCING THREE TYPES OF GAS. (THE FOURTH TYPE, CBM, CAN CERTAINLY BE ADDED, SINCE THE COAL GAS CONTENT IS SIGNIFICANT IN THIS AREA). THE LOCATION HAS COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE APPALACHIAN BASIN.