Prospects of Coal Underground Gasification

The constant growth in the volume of fuel and energy resources is primarily due to the development and technological complexity of industrial enterprises. The fuel component in the cost of production is sometimes up to 50%. The global trend of continuously rising prices for hydrocarbon fuels is forcing consumers to turn to cheaper alternative energy sources than traditional methods of obtaining fossil fuels. Ukraine’s dependence on imported energy requires a detailed review of its fuel policy. The article analyzes and forecasts the prospects for underground coal gasification in the development of residual coal reserves at Ukrainian mines, as well as identifies promising technologies that can be used to conduct underground coal gasification processes of residual coal reserves in thin seams, identifies ways to use synthesis gas in the Ukrainian industry and create conditions for reducing the burden on the environment and improving the safety of human life in the context of restructuring the coal industry. As part of the restructuring of the coal industry in Ukraine, a significant number of coal seams have been taken off the balance sheet and are not subject to further use. It is not economically feasible to reopen coal mines that are in the process of closure (and already closed mining facilities) to develop substandard seams with a thickness of up to 0.4–0.6 m using traditional methods. The most promising solution to bring them into circulation is the implementation of underground coal gasification technology. We can summarize the following possibilities of using underground coal gasification products. The main components (mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) are used as raw materials for chemical synthesis processes. Particularly noteworthy is the production of methanol and dimethyl ether as an alternative to diesel fuel. Another area is hydrogen production (hydrogen content is 20–25%), whose consumption will increase significantly in the near future. Finally, the use of gases in metallurgical processes for the direct reduction of iron and other metals. The technologies of multi-well artificial gas production can be proposed as a starting point for the conditions of the Donetsk, Lviv-Volyn basins and the Alexandria lignite field.