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Exploiting Coal by Burning It Underground

Bloomberg Businessweek -- Imagine if the world’s most abundant fossil fuel could be tapped without moving mountains, delivered without trucks or trains, and burned without emitting greenhouse gases. Actually, the technology to make this possible has been around for more than a century. Underground coal gasification (UCG) was pioneered by Sir William Siemens in the 1860s to light the streets of London.

Despite its early boosters, the technology never caught on in the U.S.—mostly because it cost too much. Now the improvements in seismic mapping and drilling that have lit a fire under the U.S. fracking boom could also spur the development of a domestic coal gas industry, proponents say. “The shale gas revolution is opening doors for the coal gas revolution,” says Richard Morse, director of coal and carbon research

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Submitted Aug 31, 2012 By: DellDude2

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LetemEatCake Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:5,595 Points:1,202,085 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2012 11:09:22 PM Ignore LetemEatCake Report Abuse No way!
calypso93 Champion Author Scranton Posts:11,188 Points:1,291,710 Joined:Mar 2004	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2012 6:30:24 AM Ignore calypso93 Report Abuse Geez, why not use the Centralia fire instead of starting a new one?
tomok Champion Author Portland Posts:32,934 Points:2,342,585 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2012 3:17:38 AM Ignore tomok Report Abuse There are out of control coal fires burning underground right now. How will those coal fires be extinguished or controlled? All they have been able to do is keep the area evacuated and under surveillance. They do not know what is happening underground, how big the fire is, how much it is spreading or when a surface area will cave in. There is no way to smother it because the area is so big and it has too many holes to the surface supplying air to the underground fire. Purposely burning coal underground for gasification (UCG) or other uses will require tremendous safety, environmental and engineering controls that it may not be feasible. I will pass on this 'Exploiting Coal by Burning it Underground!' Whatever the size or shape of the vehicle, Produce and ‘Drive’ vehicles with high MPG, are very safe, reliable, have a ‘reasonable’ cost and a good ‘value’ for the money. The price of fuel at the pump is too high! 12/22/2012!
rollercoaster All-Star Author Hartford Posts:502 Points:567,660 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2012 2:02:05 AM Ignore rollercoaster Report Abuse hmm!!!
nru Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:1,726 Points:980,300 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2012 12:28:36 AM Ignore nru Report Abuse party time
58salty Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:6,594 Points:626,865 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Sep 1, 2012 12:24:13 AM Ignore 58salty Report Abuse OK
LetemEatCake Champion Author Oklahoma City Posts:5,595 Points:1,202,085 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:45:15 PM Ignore LetemEatCake Report Abuse Export it....more money to be made and I don't have to breath the crap from Generation plants who are not up to date!
WipeoutKing Rookie Author Calgary Posts:19 Points:456,230 Joined:Feb 2004	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:23:32 PM Ignore WipeoutKing Report Abuse Sounds good until the produced CO2 (and some of the toxic heavy metal and hydrocarbon compounds) starts to seep to the surface. Theoretically, some very deep coal deposits with good cap rock will not leak and have potential. However there will be economic pressure to develop deposits that eventually will leak. They may look alright to regulatory authorities at first and permits will be granted, but then cracks will open up in cap rock above a reservoir full of CO2 under pressure when the ground subsides after the coal is burned or when the next major earthquake occurs. [Edited by: WipeoutKing at 9/1/2012 12:25:16 AM EST]
Mustache_33 All-Star Author Toronto Posts:900 Points:181,455 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:15:04 PM Ignore Mustache_33 Report Abuse hmm
Fitwit Champion Author Stockton Posts:6,382 Points:1,352,705 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:15:03 PM Ignore Fitwit Report Abuse No comment.
mpg611 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:2,316 Points:566,770 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:12:23 PM Ignore mpg611 Report Abuse Thats a dumb idea in so many different ways. Safety for one.
CivicMA Champion Author Boston Posts:1,882 Points:532,270 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:11:13 PM Ignore CivicMA Report Abuse . . . and when the fire goes out of control?? No thanks.
stratlinetime Champion Author Kalamazoo Posts:2,266 Points:560,910 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:09:24 PM Ignore stratlinetime Report Abuse Ok
ManOfLeisureII Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:1,859 Points:451,975 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:07:27 PM Ignore ManOfLeisureII Report Abuse Centrallia for sure. Another crap idea from people who should know better.
12766 Champion Author New York Posts:2,428 Points:1,480,390 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:06:41 PM Ignore 12766 Report Abuse OK
Daveyfudd All-Star Author Jackson Posts:896 Points:608,235 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:05:08 PM Ignore Daveyfudd Report Abuse I lived in Pennsylvania for 38 years and the first thing that comes to mind is the underground coal fire in Centralia, PA. They had absolutely no control over that fire ever. The fire still burns uncontrolled today and all the people got for their troubles was a small bailout and the town was abandoned. I want to know how these underground fires will be controlled and whats to stop such fires from spreading underground to other coal veins we don't want burned underground? So, call me a bit cynical and somewhat skeptical..
jem069 Champion Author Detroit Posts:2,523 Points:684,155 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:03:57 PM Ignore jem069 Report Abuse Ok
PrinceLH Champion Author Ontario Posts:2,677 Points:535,120 Joined:Jun 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:03:18 PM Ignore PrinceLH Report Abuse Hummmmmmmmmmmm................
rahcat Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:2,453 Points:660,025 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:03:00 PM Ignore rahcat Report Abuse No thanks
Bugs2010 Champion Author Dallas Posts:3,401 Points:936,480 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:02:15 PM Ignore Bugs2010 Report Abuse There is an excellent book that recounts the Centralia story, entitled "Unseen Danger" by David DeKok.
BayleeBuggy Champion Author Toronto Posts:21,541 Points:3,065,195 Joined:Aug 2004	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:01:46 PM Ignore BayleeBuggy Report Abuse We have actually visited Centralia. Anyone who thinks this is a good idea should be forced to live there for a while. Here is the link about all the fires burning right now: Underground coal fires.
regout Champion Author Quebec Posts:2,935 Points:828,705 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 11:01:33 PM Ignore regout Report Abuse Hot place.
1fulltank Champion Author Buffalo Posts:7,888 Points:1,541,385 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:59:35 PM Ignore 1fulltank Report Abuse Old article.
Godozo All-Star Author Gary Posts:651 Points:555,440 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:56:08 PM Ignore Godozo Report Abuse Don't trust it. After all, how can you control something you can't even see? We already have trouble controlling wildfires, what would control a wildfire set underground?
Dsin44 Champion Author Abbotsford Posts:1,270 Points:271,670 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:52:42 PM Ignore Dsin44 Report Abuse scarey stuff
joeschmo12 Champion Author New York Posts:1,001 Points:302,465 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:51:03 PM Ignore joeschmo12 Report Abuse we're so deprived
serrog Champion Author Nova Scotia Posts:5,549 Points:1,509,205 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:47:47 PM Ignore serrog Report Abuse In cars?????
DriverofRed Champion Author Calgary Posts:2,158 Points:408,860 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:47:08 PM Ignore DriverofRed Report Abuse k
NHLiveFree Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:11,070 Points:1,619,180 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:46:39 PM Ignore NHLiveFree Report Abuse again: The hopes and pipe dreams of the Koch boys and Big Coal. Underground coal burning has been in the USA with very high visibility since at least 1962 and the infamous Centralia, PA coal fire that still burns today and has left Centralia an uninhabitable ghost town! Here is more on the numerous underground coal fires that continue to burn uncontrolably from a 2010 Time news article. This is the true story the Koch Bros. will never speak of from their incredible summer estates in the Hamptons and Nantucket! "Three blistering fires are blazing through Wyoming's scenic Powder River Basin, but firefighters aren't paying any attention. Other than a faint hint of acrid odors and a single ribbon of smoke rising from a tiny crack beyond the nearby Tongue River, a long look across the region's serene grassland shows no sign of trouble. That's what makes the three infernos, and the toxins they spew, so sinister. Their flames are concealed deep underground, in coal seams and oxygen-rich fissures, which makes containment near impossible. Shielded from fire hoses and aerial assaults, the flames are chewing through coal seams 20 feet thick, spanning 22 acres. They're also belching greenhouse gases and contaminants, contributing to an out-of-sight, out-of-mind environmental hazard that extends far beyond Wyoming's borders. "Every coal basin in the world has fires sending up organic compounds that are not good for you," says Mark Engle, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who studies the Powder River Basin, "but unless you live close to them you probably never see them." See TIME's photoessay "Wildfires Burn Across California." A surprising number of us live close to them. According to a review by the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining Enforcement and Reclamation, more than 100 fires are burning beneath nine states, most of them in Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Utah and West Virginia. But geologists say many fires go unreported, driving the actual number of them closer to 200 across 21 states. Most have burned for years, if not decades. Pennsylvania's three dozen underground fires include America's most notorious subterranean blaze, a 48-year-old fire in Centralia, whose noxious emissions sickened residents and eventually prompted the federal government in the late 1980s and early '90s to evict homeowners and pay them a collective $40 million for what is now a virtual ghost town. Internationally, thousands of underground coal fires are burning on every continent except Antarctica." http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2006195,00.html Be careful what you wish for!!!
1Casey Champion Author Albany Posts:6,518 Points:1,789,785 Joined:Jun 2004	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:46:26 PM Ignore 1Casey Report Abuse more research
WIPACKERFAN Champion Author Chicago Posts:8,789 Points:1,840,525 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:45:44 PM Ignore WIPACKERFAN Report Abuse Interesting concept. Let's take a look at it.
miiike572 All-Star Author Phoenix Posts:797 Points:523,295 Joined:Apr 2009	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:44:30 PM Ignore miiike572 Report Abuse this could be a good thing.
fenster66 Champion Author Pittsburgh Posts:3,330 Points:670,090 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:42:04 PM Ignore fenster66 Report Abuse sounds interesting...
Tekkersmom57 Champion Author Syracuse Posts:1,859 Points:697,640 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:33:52 PM Ignore Tekkersmom57 Report Abuse Sounds like another possible alternative.
mstearno Champion Author Dayton Posts:8,048 Points:1,728,210 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:32:17 PM Ignore mstearno Report Abuse what does nobama say to that?
mickemt Champion Author Buffalo Posts:18,171 Points:3,458,890 Joined:May 2003	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:32:14 PM Ignore mickemt Report Abuse Ever hear of mine subsidence? When you burn out the coal, there is nothing supporting the weakened rock layers overhead.
Blue48 Champion Author Illinois Posts:7,290 Points:1,634,920 Joined:Feb 2007	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:29:45 PM Ignore Blue48 Report Abuse COOL!
mgune9 All-Star Author Dallas Posts:914 Points:200,395 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:28:44 PM Ignore mgune9 Report Abuse sounds like good news for areas with coal reserves
pgerassi Champion Author Milwaukee Posts:10,882 Points:2,128,750 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:26:57 PM Ignore pgerassi Report Abuse OK
Jeffro61 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:2,252 Points:2,281,870 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:26:54 PM Ignore Jeffro61 Report Abuse Ok
streetcars Champion Author Toledo Posts:12,249 Points:2,603,715 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:26:27 PM Ignore streetcars Report Abuse Ok.
me2002 All-Star Author Toledo Posts:763 Points:319,205 Joined:Dec 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:23:34 PM Ignore me2002 Report Abuse Interesting
goldrose1 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:10,926 Points:1,922,555 Joined:Feb 2005	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:21:46 PM Ignore goldrose1 Report Abuse Does this mean US Coal companies will stop destroying mountains? Filling in valleys with waste? Hope so!
knot2swift Champion Author Calgary Posts:4,374 Points:695,250 Joined:Nov 2009	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:21:35 PM Ignore knot2swift Report Abuse Scrubbers...jrsva...Scrubbers. Again Americans are so stupid, they'll have to buy the technology from Europe. I think Europe will be the first to make it possible. All they have is Coal. [Edited by: knot2swift at 8/31/2012 11:23:49 PM EST]
manbig13 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:1,431 Points:556,725 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:20:05 PM Ignore manbig13 Report Abuse ok
humancry Champion Author Michigan Posts:4,618 Points:1,002,455 Joined:Nov 2006	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:17:39 PM Ignore humancry Report Abuse ok
itsjustme719 All-Star Author Hamilton Posts:611 Points:596,950 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:16:25 PM Ignore itsjustme719 Report Abuse Okay.
jrsva Champion Author Virginia Posts:9,835 Points:1,610,075 Joined:Jan 2006	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:14:07 PM Ignore jrsva Report Abuse “But if it was pulverised into almost a gas, it would burn completely and cleanly as well above ground.” Not quite. Coal is now burned in power plants as a fine powder, blown into the combustion chamber. It leaves behind a toxic fly ash and emits huge amounts of pollution into the atmosphere.
abcdMA Champion Author Worcester Posts:7,907 Points:1,571,955 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:13:53 PM Ignore abcdMA Report Abuse efficient?
SavALot Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:8,459 Points:1,708,460 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Aug 31, 2012 10:12:52 PM Ignore SavALot Report Abuse Safe and clean?