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•A whole system approach to studying a low-temperature HGSHP system.•3D coupled TH model with realistic boundaries and dynamic heat pump COP.•Design of a HGSHP system to support a 5th ...generation DHC network.•Different factors on performance of the HGSHP system and ground thermal behaviour.•Ground moisture transfer, cooling process and buried depth are important.
Exploitation of shallow ground and its low-grade heat potential is fundamental to designing 5th generation district heating and cooling (DHC) networks. Horizontal ground-source heat pump (HGSHP) systems are a common way to utilize shallow geothermal energy. Realistic estimation and prediction of performance of a HGSHP system and shallow ground thermal behaviour should consider the whole system including building heating and cooling load, heat pump and ground heat exchanger, and the ground. This should be accompanied by realistic atmospheric and ground conditions. In this paper, a three-dimensional coupled thermal–hydraulic model with realistic boundary conditions adopting a whole system approach is presented. Dynamic heat pump coefficient of performance (COP) that depends on seasonal variation of heating/cooling demand and ground conditions are also considered. Model validations are conducted against experimental and analytical results in literatures. The model is applied for evaluating a HGSHP system to support development of a 5th generation DHC network on a potential site in the UK. Several influencing factors, such as ground moisture transfer, building thermal load mode, buried depth of ground loops, and initial ground temperature profile are studied to assess performance efficiency of the HGSHP system and evolution of ground thermal behaviour in response to heat extraction or rejection into the ground. The results show that 5% of the monthly total heat demand of the site could be met by the designed HGSHP system, consisting of 200 U-shaped ground loops buried at the depth of 3 m and pure water as the heat carrier. Overlooking the ground moisture transfer or hyperbolizing the ground saturation would overestimate the load-carrying capacity of the HGSHP system. The HGSHP system is more efficient with a higher heat pump COP under the heating and cooling mode than under the heating-only mode. Predicted performance of the HGSHP system improves with buried depth of the ground loops. The results also show that a 1 ℃ increase in the undisturbed ground temperature could suffice up to 8% of the monthly total heat demand of the site.
An experimental campaign on the methane-oriented underground coal gasification (UCG) process was carried out in a large-scale laboratory installation. Two different types of coal were used for the ...oxygen/steam blown experiments, i.e., “Six Feet” semi-anthracite (Wales) and “Wesoła” hard coal (Poland). Four multi-day gasification tests (96 h continuous processes) were conducted in artificially created coal seams under two distinct pressure regimes-20 and 40 bar. The experiments demonstrated that the methane yields are significantly dependent on both the properties of coal (coal rank) and the pressure regime. The average CH4 concentration for “Six Feet” semi-anthracite was 15.8%vol. at 20 bar and 19.1%vol. at 40 bar. During the gasification of “Wesoła” coal, the methane concentrations were 10.9%vol. and 14.8%vol. at 20 and 40 bar, respectively. The “Six Feet” coal gasification was characterized by much higher energy efficiency than gasification of the “Wesoła” coal and for both tested coals, the efficiency increased with gasification pressure. The maximum energy efficiency of 71.6% was obtained for “Six Feet” coal at 40 bar. A positive effect of the increase in gasification pressure on the stabilization of the quantitative parameters of UCG gas was demonstrated.
This publication discusses the experiments and findings of project ROCCS (Establishing a Research Observatory to Unlock European Coal Seams for Carbon Dioxide Storage), which aimed to investigate the ...potential for carbon dioxide storage in coal seams. The project involved large-scale ex situ laboratory tests, where CO2 was injected into an experimental coal seam using a high-pressure reactor at the Central Mining Institute in Poland. The reactor simulated underground conditions, and the experimental coal seam measured 3.05 m in length with a cross-section of 0.4 × 0.4 m. Parameters such as gas flow, temperatures, and pressures were monitored during the experiments. In the study conducted, the sorption capacity of coal from the Polish mine “Piast-Ziemowit” for CO2, at a sorption pressure of 30 bar, was determined to be 4.8% by weight relative to the raw coal mass. The data collected from these ex situ tests can support the design of a potential commercial-scale CO2 storage installation.
This study, conducted as part of the ROCCS project, investigates the potential of coal seams for CO2 sequestration through in situ tests. The in situ tests, performed at Experimental Mine Barbara in ...Mikołów, Poland, involved injecting CO2 through a horizontal well into a coal seam, with variable well lengths and injection parameters. The experiments included monitoring for CO2 leakage and migration within the coal seam. The objective was to examine the correlation between the CO2 injection rate and the coal–CO2 contact area, monitoring for any potential leakage. The total mass of CO2 injected was about 7700 kg. Significant leakage, probably due to the formation of preferential pathways, prevented pressure buildup in the injection well. The results provide insights into challenges regarding CO2 injection into coal seams, with implications for the design of commercial-scale CO2 storage installations.
Mn-Ce-Ti catalysts were prepared by different precursors (including manganese nitrate, manganese acetate, and manganese chloride) and used for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with ammonia. ...The relationships among the structure, physicochemical properties, and catalytic activity were explored by N
2
adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), H
2
-temperature programmed reduction (H
2
-TPR), NH
3
-temperature programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microprobe (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques. The results show that the different Mn precursors play important roles in the catalytic activity. The Mn-Ce-Ti(N) catalyst synthesized by manganese nitrate precursor exhibits the best catalytic activity, while the Mn-Ce-Ti(C) and Mn-Ce-Ti(Cl) catalyst prepared by manganese acetate and manganese chloride, respectively, exhibit relatively low catalytic activity. The manganese nitrate precursor could promote the specific surface area and redox ability, enhance the amounts of Brønsted and Lewis acid sites, and enrich the surface active species such as Mn
4+
, Ce
3+
and surface chemisorbed oxygen of the catalyst, all of which will contribute to the SCR performance. Moreover, the Mn-Ce-Ti(N) catalyst possesses highly dispersed and uniform surface active species, which will result in the optimal physicochemical properties and superior catalytic performance.
The final disposal of high-level nuclear waste in many countries is preferred to be in deep geological repositories. Compacted bentonites are proposed for use as the buffer surrounding the waste ...canisters which may be subjected to both thermal and hydraulic loadings. A significant increase in the temperature is anticipated within the buffer, particularly during the early phase of the repository lifetime. In this study, several non-isothermal and non-isothermal hydraulic tests were carried on compacted MX80 bentonite. Compacted bentonite specimens (water content = 15.2%, dry density = 1.65 Mg/m3) were subjected to a temperature of either 85 or 150 °C at one end, whereas the temperature at the opposite end was maintained at 25 °C. During the non-isothermal hydraulic tests, water was supplied from the opposite end of the heat source. The temperature and relative humidity were monitored along predetermined depths of the specimens. The profiles of water content, dry density, and degree of saturation were established after termination of the tests. The test results showed that thermal gradients caused redistribution of the water content, whereas thermo-hydraulic gradients caused both redistribution and an increase in the water content within compacted bentonites, both leading to development of axial stress of various magnitudes. The applied water injection pressures (5 and 600 kPa) and temperature gradients appeared to have very minimal impact on the magnitude of axial stress developed. The thickness of thermal insulation layer surrounding the testing devices was found to influence the temperature and relative humidity profiles thereby impacting the redistribution of water content within compacted bentonites. Under the influence of both the applied thermal and thermo-hydraulic gradients, the dry density of the bentonite specimens increased near the heat source, whereas it decreased at the opposite end. The test results emphasized the influence of elevated temperatures (up to 150 °C) on the thermo-hydro-mechanical response of compacted bentonites in the nuclear waste repository settings.
This paper presents an analysis of contaminants generated from large-scale, laboratory-based, underground coal gasification (UCG) experiments using a high-rank coal from the South Wales Coalfield. ...The experiments were performed at atmospheric and elevated pressures (30 bar) by varying the oxidants’ composition. The experiments were designed to predict the amount of produced water and contaminants generated at each stage of the operating conditions. The mass balance of water supplied and produced in the experiments was accounted for. Chemical analyses of produced water, char and ash contents were performed to quantify the inorganic and organic chemical parameters. Most of the contaminant concentrations in the produced water from the 30-bar pressure experiment were lower than the concentrations generated from the atmospheric pressure experiment. The measured concentrations of the inorganic chemical species and the inorganic parameters of the coal seam water from the South Wales Coalfield were used in theoretical calculations to predict the dominant equilibrium species concentrations in a hypothetical scenario of effluent contaminated groundwater. The biodegradation of organic contaminants such as phenol, benzene and sorbed fractions of inorganic contaminants from the produced water on iron oxide in the ash residue was predicted using existing biotransformation kinetics and surface complexation models, respectively. The biodegradation of phenol and benzene would be a slow process even at optimum conditions and the iron oxide left in the cavity can act as a sorbent for a few inorganic species. The evidence from the present study suggests future work towards (i) developing an appropriate water treatment process during gas cleaning, (ii) operational procedure (pressure and proportions of oxidant) and (iii) developing UCG-specific experimental prediction of contaminant transportation and transformation kinetics.
Graphical abstract
This paper deals with the characterisation of inorganic constitutions generated at various operating conditions in the context of underground coal gasification (UCG). The ex situ small-scale ...experiments were conducted with coal specimens of different rank, from the South Wales Coalfield, Wales, UK, and Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland. The experiments were conducted at various gaseous oxidant ratios (water: oxygen = 1:1 and 2:1), pressures (20 bar and 36 bar) and temperatures (650°C, 750°C and 850°C). Increasing the amount of water in the oxidants proportionately decreased the cationic elements but increased the concentrations of anionic species. The temperature played minor impact, while the high-pressure experiments at temperature optimum to produce methane-rich syngas (750°C) showed significant reduction in cationic element generation. However, both coal specimens produced high amount of anionic species (F, Cl, SO
4
and NO
3
). The “Hard” bituminous coal from Poland produced less gasification residues and condensates than the South Wales anthracitic coal due to its higher reactivity. The inorganic composition found in the solid residue was used in the theoretical calculation to predict the dissolved product concentrations when the solid residue interacts with deep coal seam water in the event of UCG cavity flooding. It was evident from the solubility products of the Cr, Ni and Zn that changes in the groundwater geochemistry occur; hence, their transportation in the subsurface must be studied further.
This paper presents the results of an extensive experimental analysis aimed at establishing the effects of subcritical and supercritical CO2 sorption on deformation and failure of coals. Two ...high-rank anthracitic coals from the South Wales coalfield, obtained from different locations and depths of 150 m and 550 m, are employed for that purpose. The investigations include i) determination of unconfined compressive strengths and elastic moduli of the cores both non-saturated and saturated with CO2 at 2.1 MPa, 4.3 MPa and 8.5 MPa, ii) assessing the dependence of the parameters obtained on CO2 pressure, iii) analysing the effect of CO2 saturation on failure patterns of the samples tested and iv) determination of the particle size distribution after the failure of the samples. Based on the results of twenty coal specimens tested, it is demonstrated that CO2 sorption reduces the uniaxial compressive strengths and elastic moduli by between 29% and 83% for the range of pressures studied. The reductions observed increase gradually up to 4.3 MPa and then reach a plateau. By accommodating the effect of effective stress on compressive strength values, it is shown that chemical weakening of high rank coals is mostly associated with sorption of subcritical CO2, with negligible impact of supercritical CO2 on further parameter reduction. Inspection of failure patterns during uniaxial compression suggests that non-saturated coal specimens fail through axial splitting with rapid crack propagation and high outburst of coal pieces while the failure of cores subjected to CO2 injection occurs through multiple fractures with negligible material outburst. The post-failure analysis demonstrates that CO2 treated samples disintegrate on smaller particles than non-saturated specimens, as up to 5.6 more CO2 saturated coal pieces passed through the sieves considered in this study than non-saturated pieces. It is claimed that this study presents novel insights into the geomechanical response of high rank anthracitic coals to high pressure CO2 injection.
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•Two sets of anthracite coal samples are saturated with sub- and super-critical CO2.•Coals are obtained from different depths and locations in South Wales, UK.•In total, twenty samples are tested for uniaxial compression and sieve analysis.•Reduction of UCS and E between 29% and 83% is a function of CO2 saturation pressure.•CO2-saturated coals disintegrate on smaller particles than non-saturated coals.
This work presents the state-of-the-art review of investigations related to the adsorption process, adsorption models, experimental adsorption results, and influencing factors, considering the main ...contaminants produced by underground coal gasification (UCG) technology as adsorbates and the various rocks and soils surrounding the UCG cavity as adsorbents. Based on the literature reviewed, it is found that claystone, coal, coal char, shale, and clay materials present a good prospect for effective phenol adsorption; coal, coal char, shale, and clay materials can also remove benzene and some heavy metals from aqueous solutions. However, their performance varies under the effect of the influencing factors, such as the initial concentration of adsorbates in solution, the pH of the solution, the temperature and contact time controlled in the adsorption process, and the adsorbent dosage. A preliminary assessment of the potential of rocks and soils to act as natural buffers in UCG application is provided. The impact of UCG process on the adsorption of contaminants on the surrounding strata together with the major challenges and future perspectives are highlighted and outlined, to identify knowledge deficiencies regarding the retardation of UCG contaminants using the natural buffers. The prospect of surrounding strata as natural buffers can benefit the site selection, design, and commercialization of UCG.
•The contaminants produced by underground coal gasification are reviewed.•An assessment of geological strata as potential adsorbents has been carried out.•The main influencing factors of the adsorption process are presented.•The impact of underground coal gasification on the adsorption process is discussed.
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