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UCG - Underground Coal Gasification &
CSG - Coal Seam Gas

What is Gasification?
Gasification is the conversion of coal to a gas (called synthesis gas or syngas) through a series of reactions involving heat, pressure, coal and water.
What is Underground Coal Gasification?
Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is the process of gasifying coal in-situ, that is, where it lies under the ground.
What is Coal Seam Gas?
CSG is the pumping of water under pressure within coal seams deep below the earth's surface. Due to the hole to the surface or the pumping of small amounts of water from the coalbed, both gas and 'produced water' escape to the surface through tubes to be collected. Unlike natural gas from conventional reservoirs, coal seam gascontains very little heavier hydrocarbons such as propane or butane, and no natural gas condensate. It often contains up to a few percent carbon dioxide.

Chinchilla Demonstration - UCG (2:11 mins.) Underground coal gasification (UCG) is an in-situ gasification process carried out in non-mined coal seams using injection of oxidants, and bringing the product gas to surface through production wells drilled from the surface. Linc Energy (Queensland) in this video demonstrate how they extract the gas from coal without having to remove the coal from the earth.

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Linc Economic Report - includes GTL (0:45 mins.) What is Gas to Liquids?
Gas to Liquids (GTL) is the term used to describe the chemical conversion of a gas into synthetic crude (syncrude) by the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis process. The syncrude is then refined by traditional methods to produce ultra-clean liquid transport fuels.

For further explanation of this technique and - click here.

ABC TV's Catalyst - Coal Gas video (11:38 mins.) For decades, scientists have worked to develop technologies that can unlock the energy from coal while reducing the risks of digging it up and burning it.
This video also available to be viewed direct from the ABC - Coal Gas video compares CSG and UCG.

Arrow Energy - Water purification (1:37 mins.) A byproduct of Coal Seam Gas (CSG), saline water, has concerned farmers as to the level of salt that is being dammed adjacent to these wells. In this video Arrow Energy explain what they are researching to alleviate this fear.

Information sheets:
The UCG process.
UCG explained - click here for the facts.
The chemistry of Gas to Liquid - includes equations.

Australian Companies working in these fields:
UCG - Carbon Energy - video illustrations available
UCG - Lincs Energy - videos and worksheets available
CSG - Arrow Energy - location maps of exploration

 
updated October 9, 2013
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