Coal Mine Ventilation Air Methane (VAM)
Project Development
and Mitigation Options
Jayne Somers, Ph.D., P.E.
US Environmental Protection Agency
13th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium
Sudbury, Canada
June 14, 2010
Presentation Overview
Background on VAM Emissions
U.S.VAM Data Summary
Mitigation Technologies
Oxidation: Catalytic and Thermal
Gas Turbines
Hybrid Waste Coal/VAM Rotary Kiln
Global Recovery & Utilization of CMM
• Degasification systems
 CMM drainage at active underground coal mines:
14 countries
• CMM recovery and utilization projects
 At active and/or abandoned (closed) coal mines:
13 countries
• 227 total CMM projects worldwide, 36 proposed or in
development
 Avoided methane emissions: > 3.8 billion cubic meters
annually (> 54 MMTCO2E / yr)
Background on VAM
 Mine safety regulations require gassy underground
coal mines to assure that methane concentrations in
the mine workings are maintained at safe levels
- Well below the lower explosive limit (5% in air)
 Mines employ large scale ventilation systems to
vent methane to the atmosphere
- Pre-mine drainage can supplement ventilation
Background on VAM
Ventilation air methane (VAM) is largest source of
coal mine methane (CMM) emissions
- 54% of all U.S. CMM emissions in 2005
Capturing and using VAM is challenging
- Large airflows: 100,000 to 1 million cfm (47 - 470 m3/s)
- Low concentrations: range 0.1 to 1.0%, often 0.3 to 0.5%
Variable, both flow and concentration
Harnessing U.S. Ventilation Air Methane (VAM)
3,500
3,000
2,500
Ventilation air
emissions (vented
to atmosphere)
CMM Recovered
and Used
(Avoided
emissions
500
20
00
19
99
19
98
19
97
19
96
19
95
19
94
19
93
19
92
19
91
-
20
03
1,000
CMM Drainage
(vented to
atmosphere)
20
02
1,500
20
01
2,000
19
90
Coal Mine Methane (million cubic meters)
 Largest source of coal mine methane
 Low methane concentrations (<1%)
 Technologies emerging to harness ventilation air methane
- As primary fuel
- As secondary fuel
Summary of U.S. MSHA VAM Data
Mines >0.3% methane
Quarterly sampling 2008-2009
39 mines with 78 exhausts
0.3 – 1.26% CH4
Global VAM emissions (2002)
Emissions
Country
• China
% world
38.7
(Bm3)
6.7
• United States 2.6
15.0
• Ukraine
2.2
12.7
• Russia
0.7
4.0
• Australia 0.7
• Total World 17.3
4.0
Harnessing Ventilation Air Methane (VAM) (cont’d)
 As Supplemental Fuel at Appin-Tower Collieries
(Australia)
 Installed in 1995
 54 x 1 MW IC engines produce power from gob
gas
 VAM used as feed air:
- supplied 7% of energy
VAM Oxidation Technologies
Thermal Flow Reversal Reactors (TFRR)
 Commercial project: MEGTEC Systems
http://www.megtec.com
 Pilot project : Biothermica
http://www.biothermica.com
VAM Oxidation Technologies
 Durr
Systems (Wisconsin, USA)
Gulf Coast Environmental (Texas, USA)
Sheng Dong Group (China)
Catalytic Oxidizer: CH4Min Prototype
CANMET Energy Centre (Canada)
http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/se/etb/cetc/cetc01/htmldocs/home_e.htm
• licensed by Sindicatum Carbon Capitol (SCC Americas)
Flow-reversal Oxidation Technology
Schematic of an Oxidizer
Valve 2
Heat Exchange Medium
Valve 1
Heat
Exchanger
Air & CH4
Valve 1
Air & C02,
H20 & Heat*
Heat Exchange Medium
Valve 2
Valve #1 open =
Valve #2 open =
*Heat recovery piping not shown
MEGTEC Systems - VOCSIDIZER
MEGTEC VOCSIDIZER
 2007: Oxidation & electricity generation, West Cliff
Colliery, Australia
 2007: Oxidation only – Abandoned Windsor Mine
(CONSOL Energy, West Liberty, West Virginia)
 2008: Oxidation & hot water, Zhengzhou, Henan,
China
 2010: Oxidation & hot water, Datong, Chongqing,
China
WestVAMP
West Cliff Ventilation Air Methane Project
•Startup: April 2007
•Capacity: 250,000 m3/hour (150,000 scfm) of mine exhaust air
•VAM concentration: 0.9 percent
•Generation unit: steam turbine
•Electricity output: 6 MW
•Four (4) VOCSIDIZER units (capturing 20% of VAM output)
•Ongoing project with two revenue sources
- Electricity (over 80GWh generated)
- Carbon credits from New South Wales trading scheme
(over 500,000 traded)
WestVAMP
Zhengzhou, Henan, China
First VAM project approved by UNFCCC under
the CDM Mechanism
Single VOCSIDIZER unit
0.3% - 0.7% CH4 concentration range
CONSOL Windsor Mine Demonstration
Using diluted, drained CMM to simulate VAM
Single MEGTEC VOCSIDIZER unit
Operated unattended with a VAM
concentration of 0.6 percent
Project partly funded by USEPA & USDOE
Goals were to verify:
- Ability to maintain VAM oxidation
- System safety
- Operability and maintenance with field conditions
- Capacity: 30,000 scfm of simulated VAM
CONSOL Windsor Mine Demonstration
Biothermica – VAMOX™
Jim Walter Resources
Brookwood, Alabama, USA
Active Mine No. 7
2008: MSHA approval received
Typical VAMOX™ System
27,000 carbon credits in first year of operation
Listed with the Climate Action Reserve (CAR)
•
Jim Walters Resources VAM Demonstration
Single Biothermica VAMOX unit
Capacity: 30,000 cfm
VAM concentration: 0.9 percent
Greenhouse gas emission mitigation:
>35,000 tonnes of CO2e per year
Revenues: Carbon emission reductions
Projected lifetime: > 4 years
CONSOL McElroy Mine VAM Project
 Marshall County, West Virginia
 Verdeo Group is financing
Registered with Climate Action Reserve
 Planned operation: mid-2011
Gas Turbines
Lean fuel gas turbine
http://www.em.csiro.au/sust_mining/sustainable_projects.htm#vamcat
Microturbines:
- Ingersol Rand Energy Systems
http://energy.ingersollrand.com/index_en.aspx
- FlexEnergy
http://www.flexenergy.com/contactus.html
CONSOL CMM-Fired Microturbine
In early 2007, CONSOL Energy – in partnership
with Ingersoll Rand Energy Systems – successfully
demonstrated electricity generation by a microturbine
fueled by unprocessed CMM at Bailey mine in
Pennsylvania.
The unit underwent a one-year operational phase.
The 70 kW microturbine expected to generate
approximately 500 MWh of electricity while
consuming approximately 8 MMCF of methane that
would have otherwise been emitted to the
atmosphere.
Hybrid Coal Mine Gas Technology (HCGT)
Combusts waste coal and VAM in a
rotary kiln
Generates thermal energy for electricity
or steam
Three 10 MW power plants were
planned in India over the next five years
 EESTECH
and Aryan Clean Coal Technologies joint venture
http://www.eestechinc.com/index.php?page=16
Technology Deployment Benefits
•Ability to mitigate the largest source of coal mine
emissions worldwide
•Capability to capture and beneficially use VAM’s dilute
energy content
•Adds to energy security by beneficially using a currently
wasted energy source
•Multiple vendors should lead to cost competition that
will drive down project capital costs
• Attractive payback times (3 - 6 years) can be achieved
at VAM concentrations > 0.6 percent and carbon
emission reduction sale prices ≥ $10.00 per tonne CO2e
Technology Deployment Challenges
• Newer technology; field experience limited to a few
countries
• Most VAM concentrations exiting the mine are
below 1 percent
• May need supplemental methane (drained gas) to
raise VAM inlet concentrations to near 1 percent
Conclusions
 Flow-reversal oxidation of VAM with
power generation is a proven technology
 Field installations of various
technologies are multiplying
 Potential global market for VAM-topower applications is large
 Emerging cost competitiveness should
enhance project economics
USEPA Coalbed Methane Outreach Program (CMOP)

Voluntary climate change program since 1994
 Promote the profitable recovery and use of coal
mine methane (CMM)
 Support CMM project development
 International Methane to Markets Partnership
Methane to Markets Partnership
• Encourages development of cost-effective methane recovery and use
opportunities in
– coal mines
– landfills
– oil and gas systems and
– agriculture (manure waste management)
• Private companies, multilateral development banks and other relevant
organizations participate by joining the Project Network – over 900
organizations now participating
• 34 Partner Governments
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Bulgaria*
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Dominican Republic
European Comm.
Ecuador
Finland
Georgia
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Korea
Mexico
Mongolia
Nigeria
Pakistan
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Russia
Thailand
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United States
Vietnam
For more information, please contact us!
Jayne Somers
USEPA Climate Change Division
somers.jayne@epa.gov
202-343-9896
www.epa.gov/coalbed