ECOLE DES MINES DE DOUAI
---------------------
FOGUE (Richard)
BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY
Deposits and development of mine gases
(Gisements et valorisation des gaz de mines)
2010 Class
academic year 2009/2010
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To Mr Roger DHENAIN, deputy head of division of natural, hydraulics and mines
risks at DREAL/Douai; for his availability, contribution and gifts;
To Mr Alex GUEZ, graduate from Ecole des Mines / Douai; for his pertinent
contribution.
To Mrs Pascale HANOCQ, “Pôle après mines Est”, DREAL Lorraine for her
availability.
To Mr. Robert MAZZOLENI, DREAL Lorraine for the links given.
To Mrs Virginie DEBRABANT, in charge of the library at LEWARDE’s historical
mining centre, for the additional documents lists.
To Mr Raymond Durack, Head of the foreign language department at ECOLE DES
MINES DE DOUAI for his important contribution.
To Mr Sébastien CAILLAT, Associate professor at the Industrial Energy
Engineering Department of ECOLE DES MINES DE DOUAI, tutor of the report.His
advices, permanent follow up are appreciated.
To my spouse and my children.
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CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................... 2
RESUME.............................................................................. 4
ABSTRACT .......................................................................... 5
INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 7
I.
LEGISLATIVE BODIES .................................................... 9
I-1 Code Minier........................................................................................... 9
I-2 Public services involved ................................................................... 10
II.
UNDERGROUND PRODUCTS ......................................... 13
II-1 General points ................................................................................... 13
1. Chemistry............................................................................................13
2. Geology...............................................................................................15
II-2 Minerals.............................................................................................. 16
II-3 Mines Gas .......................................................................................... 16
1) Carbon dioxide ...................................................................................16
2) Carbon monoxide...............................................................................18
3) Coal gas (grisou)[28]..........................................................................19
III. MINING INDUSTRIES ................................................... 29
III-1 Mines ................................................................................................. 29
III-2 Mines gas .......................................................................................... 30
III-3 Industries ......................................................................................... 32
CONCLUSION .................................................................... 33
REFERENCES .................................................................... 35
ANNEXES .......................................................................... 39
3
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RESUME
Pour traiter du gisement et de la valorisation des gaz de mines, nous avons examiné deux aspects
préliminaires :
-
législatifs et réglementaires : cet aspect a permis d’ausculter les textes applicables (code
minier) et les services compétents (Ministère de l’Industrie, BEPH, DREAL en France) ;
-
chimique et géologique : la chimie a permis de parler de la minéralogie et la géologie, du
processus de mise en place (sédimentation).
Ayant fixé ce cadre de travail, nous avons parlé des produits du sous-sol, puisque le gaz est extrait
du sous-sol. Les différents minerais ayant été élucidé dans l’aspect législatif(code minier) et
chimique, nous nous sommes concentrés sur les différents gaz de mines :
-
le dioxyde de carbone : il se trouve dans la plupart des gisements gazeux naturels et sert
principalement pour lutter contre les incendies et aider au traitement des eaux ;
-
le monoxyde de carbone : il est très toxique et constitue le premier danger des travaux
miniers ; il est utilisé dans les industries chimiques et dans la métallurgie ;
-
le grisou : mélange de dioxyde de carbone, de méthane (composant prédominant), d’azote
et d’autres gaz en faible proportion. Ses gisements sont étendus dans le monde entier et
se trouvent dans les anciennes mines de charbon ou vierges. Le méthane sert comme gaz
de ville, dans le chauffage de fours ou comme gaz moteur.
Nous avons également traité l’aspect industriel et commercial. Nous avons élucidé les
investissements nécessaires, la production et la vente ainsi que la procédure aboutissant à
l’exploitation. Nous avons achevé le sujet en parlant de quelques industries mondiales.
Key Words
-
Carbon dioxide
-
CMM
-
Methane
-
Carbon monoxide
-
Grisou
-
Discharging height
-
CBM[2]
-
Shaft
4
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ABSTRACT
To talk of the deposits and development of mines gas, we’ve examined two preliminary aspects :
-
legislative bodies: It’s helped us to go through the administrative documents governing the
domain(Code Minier) and the main services involved (Ministry of Industry, BEPH, DREAL
concerning France);
-
chemistry and geology: the chemistry was useful for the mineralogical aspect and the
geology has helped to see the process of putting in place(sedimentation)
Having set this framework, we’ve talked of underground products, since mines gas is extracted
from the subsoil. The various minerals being presented in the legislative bodies and in the
chemistry developments, we’ve focus on the different mines gas:
-
carbon dioxide: Which is found in natural gas storages and helps for quenching and
drinkable water supplies;
-
carbon monoxide: Which is a very dangerous gas and is the main enemy of mining; This
gas is useful in metallurgy and chemical industries;
-
grisou: which is a mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane (major
component), nitrogen and other gases in small ratio. Its deposits are found worldwide and
mainly in closed mines and non-exploited coal mines. Methane is used as city gas, to heat
ovens and as engine gas.
We’ve also talked of mining industries and businesses. We’ve seen the investments necessary,
production, trade and the procedure leading to exploitation. We’ve ended the topic with an
overview of worldwide mining industries.
MOTS MATIERES
-
Dioxyde de carbone
CBM
-
Monoxyde de
-
CMM
- Methane
carbone
-
Grisou
- Hauteur de décharge
-
- Puits
5
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6
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INTRODUCTION
The concept of sustainable development is still relevant today. It appears in many
speeches and in school programmes. The principle is to facilitate the life of current human
being without compromising the one of coming generations.
Among this is energy production and distribution. Many sources have been explored up till
now. From Coal, petrol and water, we are moving towards alternative energy resources
such as solar energy, wind and gas. In gas domain, natural gas is progressively combined
to mine gas.
We have been assigned to make a report on the deposit and development of mines gas
within the context of our Engineering studies in ECOLE DES MINES DE DOUAI in France,
school year 2009-2010 as the topic of our bibliographic study.
To come in this topic, we look at the legislative bodies governing mines in France and the
public services involved. Then we develop underground products, the area where this gas
comes from to understand the mineral composition and the putting in place process. It is
followed by the identification of some gases, their characteristics, deposits and
developments.
Having done that, we explore mining industries to help one understanding how to build
such an industry, to produce and to sell products. We also make some statement on
market share and the general environment in the world.
The report ends by a conclusion which gives our own opinion on the subject and
comments on our work schedule. There are also some documents annex to the report.
7
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I. LEGISLATIVE BODIES
I-1 Code Minier
The main legislative body used is the “code minier” of the French republic.
This document describes mines as a shelter of mineral material existing on or inside the
earth (book I, title I).
Among them are:
1) coal1, brown coal, fossil fuel(except peat), asphalt, liquid or gaseous
hydrocarbons, graphite, diamond;
2) sodium and potassium salts in a solid or solution state(except those in salt
waters);
3) alum, sulphates (except alkaline-earth metals sulphates);
4) bauxite, blue-john;
5) iron, cobalt, nickel, chromium, manganese, vanadium, titanium, zirconia,
molybdenum, tungsten, hafnium, rhenium;
6) copper, lead, zinc, cadmium, germanium, tin, indium;
7) cerium, scandium and other elements of the scare lands;
8) niobium, tantalum,;
9) mercury, silver, gold, platinum, metals of platinum mines;
10) helium, lithium, rubidium, cesium, radium, thorium, uranium and other radioactive
elements;
11) sulfur, selenium, tellurium;
12) arsenic, antimony, bismuth;
13) carbon dioxide (except those in natural waters);
14) phosphates;
15) beryllium, gallium, thalium.[17]
The research works to discover a shelter of mineral(book I, Title II) must be carried out by:
-
Either the owner of the land or with his authorization after declaration to the
Senior Divisional Officer(SDO);
1
The minerals that can produce gas are in bold
9
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Or with the authorization of the Minister in charge of mines;
-
Or with an exclusive research permit.
The exploitation of a shelter of mineral (book I title III) can take place only after a
concession or by the State.
The application must be sent to the minister in charge of mines through the DREAL2 (
France).
Before beginning works, The SDO must give an authorization. The application for the
beginning of works(exploitation) is also sent through the DREAL.[1]
I-2 Public services involved
16) Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Land Settlement
It’s a recent Ministry which has taken over the duties of the Ministry of Economy,
Industry and Employment. It has a General Directorate of Energy and Raw Materials,
which comprises a Directorate of Mineral and Energetic Resources. [21]
17) BEPH(Bureau of Exploration and Production of Hydrocarbons)
As part of the Sub-department of supply in Hydrocarbons, this bureau is in charge of
management, development and promotion of French mines properties comprising
hydrocarbons. In collaboration with other services in the Ministry, it gives its opinion on the
applications for research or exploitation of mine resources.[23]
18) DREAL(Regional Directorate of Environment, Land Settlement and Housing)
The DREAL is a regional unified service of the Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable
Development and Land Settlement.
The DREAL of Nord Pas-De-Calais region (France) was created by the Decree n° 2009235 of the 27th of February 2009.
It is in charge of the execution of the state policy in the region such as:
2
-
Supervision of sustainable Development works ;
-
Representation of the Ministry ;
-
Improvement of housing standards
Regional Directorate of Environment, Land Settlement and Housing
10
- 11 And a technical support to the SDO.
It is the result of the mixing of the former DIREN, DRE, DRIRE; 9 DREALs have been
created in 2009.
It has 6 technical services attached to the Regional Director among which the service of
risks divided into 3 divisions. The division of natural, hydraulic and mines risks is the one in
charge of our field of study.[20]
This description is summarised in the following chart.
11
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Fig 1 : DREAL Nord-Pas de Calais’s Organigramm
12
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II. UNDERGROUND PRODUCTS
II-1 General points
The underground products can be described using chemistry or geology. These two
sciences are similar, but touch two different aspects of the substances.
1. Chemistry
The substance exists in three different forms:
-
simple bodies : a simple body is made up of one independent atomic
species(Neon, Argon, …) or in the form of molecule(H2, 02, O3 , S8, …).
-
pure bodies
:a pure body or a chemical species is made up of one sort of
element or molecule. Comparatively to the category described below, the
elements
are
not
independent.
They
can
be
solid
(carbon(C),
Calcium(Ca),Cobalt(Co)) , liquid (Sodium(Na)), gas (bromine(Br))
-
Compiled bodies: It is the natural form of the substance, mixture of different
chemical species (H2O, CH4, SiO2, CO2, CO).
The number of the chemical elements is not unknown. The classification board of Prof
MOKEUR has listed 115 chemical species. They can be solid , liquid, gas (see in the
following figure n°2).
Solid: 72 elements such as Lithium(Li), Berilium(Be), Silicon(Si), Magnesium(Mg),
Calcium(Ca), Manganese(Mn), Chrome(Cr), Cobalt(Co), Nickel(Ni), Copper(Cu), Zinc(Zn),
Silver(Ag), Tin(Sn), Tungsten(W),Gold(Au), Lead(Pb), Uranium(U).
Liquid: Sodium(Na), Potassium(K), Mercury(Hg),Phosphorus(P).
Gas: Hydrogen(H), Nitrogen(N), Oxygen(O), Fluorine(F), Chlorine(Cl), Bromine(Br), rare
gas. [18]
So with chemistry, we can describe substances on and under the earth. So are
mines and gas. Mineralogical chemistry is more appropriate in this case; whereas organic
chemistry deals with hydrocarbons where we can find gas.
With geology, we can go further in order to discover the genesis, the behaviour and
the deposits of all these products.
13
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Fig 2:Periodic table of elements
14
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2. Geology
Described as the study of the earth, geology is also one of the paths to reach mines. It
considers the earth crust as constituted of rocks formed by an assembling of minerals,
characterised by:
-
Its mineralogical composition, which characterises the nature of the mineral
substances,
-
Its texture which shows the process of the putting in place of the rock : magmatic,
metamorphic, sedimentary.
Chemical composition of the earth
Average earth crust
Average earth
Weight(%)
Volume(%)
weight(%)
O
46.6
93.8
29.5%
Si
27.7
0.9
15.2%
Al
8.1
0.5
1.1%
Fe
5.0
0.4
34.6%
Ca
3.6
1.0
1.1%
Na
2.8
1.3
0.6%
K
2.6
1.8
0.1%
Mg
2.1
0.3
12.7%
98.5
100
94.9%
Tabl 1:chemical composition of the earth[34]
Three chemical species are so identified by the geologists as the most abundant: Oxygen
(O):46.6% in weight, Silicon (Si):27.7% in weight, Aluminium (Al):8.1% in weight.
The main minerals are(The minerals that can produce gas are in bold):
-
olivine: SiO44- plus a cation
-
amphibole / pyroxene: (SiO3)n2n- / (Si4O11)n6n-
-
micas(biotite/muscovite): some Si are replaced by Al
-
clays: some Si are replaced by Al
-
feldspath: SiO2
-
quartz: SiO2
-
calcite: CaCO3
-
dolomite: CaMg(CO3)2
15
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gypsum: CaSO4,2H2O
-
pyrite: FeS2
Geology is useful to describe rocks, used in civil engineering as pits, because most
of the minerals seen below are solid (consolidated). Unconsolidated rocks are: clays and
sands (geotechnics). It helps also to describe the process of the putting in place of the
mines: sedimentary, metamorphic.
Most of the minerals described are composed of more than one sort of chemical
element. They don’t belong to the domain of rare minerals. Some of them potentially can
produce gas, carbon dioxide (calcite, dolomite, sandstone).
Hydrocarbons are excluded because they are fossil biomasses and the methods of
production are drilling. [12]
We can consider, after using geology and chemistry, that a mine is the place where
minerals are being exploited. Gas is found inside some.
II-2 Minerals
A mineral is a crystalline chemical substance , with a defined chemical composition,
found at the surface or inside the earth, put in place by sedimentation or metamorphism. It
is most of the time solid. The method of exploitation is mining.
The most available were described in the first point of this report(legislative bodies).
The minerals that can produce gas are in bold. We describe them in the next section.
II-3 Mines Gas
There are three different types of mines gas:
-
Carbon dioxide;
-
Carbon monoxide;
-
coal gas(grisou)
1) Carbon dioxide
The carbon dioxide (CO2) or gas carbon or carbon anhydride is the main greenhouse
effect gas. It is colourless and odourless.
Chemically, it is composed of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms.
16
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Carbon dioxide
Fig 3:Carbon dioxide molecule
It’s existence was proved by Flamand Jean-Baptiste Van Helmont and Antoine
Lavoisier demonstrated that it was the product of the combustion of carbon and
dioxide. This reaction occurs mainly in the coal mines.
Sleipner oilfield (south-west of Norway), exploited by Statoil3 produces natural gas
and condensat (light kerosene) from sandstone situated at 2,500 km beneath the seabed.
This natural gas is composed of 9 % of carbon dioxide.The company produces one
million tones per year. It belongs to the family of hydrocarbons.[13]
StatHydro is a world leader in carbon dioxide storage, which is becoming a business
concept. Other fields of this company are:
-
SnØhvit (berents sea in Norway))
-
Mongstad (near Bergen, Norway)
-
In Salah (Algerian sahara)
In the industry, the carbon dioxide can be used as gas for:
-
quenching: datacenters (rooms containing computer machines servers), libraries
are equipped with fire engines containing carbon dioxide which flows in the room to stop
flaming.
-
Carbonated soft drink(beverage):carbon dioxide is one of the sparking chemical
components of those drinks;
-
Acquariophilly:in aquariums and ponds, carbon dioxide is used to improve the
growing of plants;
-
Drinkable water supplies:it is used combined to the carbonates to raise the
hardness of water in aggressive waters and solubility of water;
3
Link: statoil.com
17
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Beer pumps :in contact with the atmosphere, carbon dioxide avoids its oxidation
and extends its duration; [29]
The deposits are not specific and they are found in natural gas exploitation.
2) Carbon monoxide
2.1) Chemical and physical aspects
Carbon monoxide (CO) is colourless and odourless. It’s a very dangerous gas and can
cause death. It’s an industrial gas. It is composed of one carbon atom and one oxygen
atom.
fig 4 :Carbon monoxide molecule
It is the result of incomplete burning of carbon materials or minerals, because of the
lack of oxygen. [29]
In this case, carbon monoxide is preferentially created instead of carbon dioxide.
2.2) development
It is used in chemical industries, in metallurgy and as fuel.
- chemical industries
a) to produce methyl alcohol;
CO + 2H2
CH3OH
b) to produce aldehydes;
c) to produce acetic, formic and acrylic acids;
-
Metallurgy
Carbon monoxide is used as reducing agent for the regeneration of catalysts such as
nickel with Mond’s method.
-
Fuel
It is store as compressed gas and sold in steel containers.[22]
2.3) security
The intoxication by carbon monoxide represents 6000 to 8000 cases per year in
France . Among them, 90 (2006) to 300 deaths.
18
- 19 It is the ultimate cause of death intoxication in France. It is due to a bad use of
heating (coal, gas) or thermal engines.
The main syndromes are: headaches, dizziness, nausea. After a long period of
inhalation, neurological and sensorial signs are seen: excitement, restlessness,
Louis-Bar syndrome, confusion, and worse loss of memory.
The labels used are followed:
poisonous
extremly flammable
2.3) Rules
Hygiene and labour security: general rules of chemical risks prevention, ventilation
and cleaning up of places, prevention of fire, limit exposition values, professional
diseases, special medical watching, classification and labelling, external works;
Protection of environment: sorted facilities to protect the environment;
Protection of the population
Transport: in land, air and maritime transports, the product must be declared.
Also, this gas is found in natural gas deposits.
3) Coal gas (grisou)[28]
3.1) General points
Coal had been developed to supply energy to industries and households. Though it has
stopped, another energy source has appeared: coal gas. It is the gas found in former coal
mines (CMM : Coal Mine Methane) or natural coals(CBM : Coal Bed Methane). [4]
The coal mine is a succession of vegetable sediments. Coal gas has the same
origin as the result of physical and chemical reactions on the coal. The total quantity
produced is estimated at 200m3 / ton of coal. Since most of this gas has flown away, the
theoretical quantity retrievable is estimated at 3m3 / ton of coal.
The world storage is as follows, at the end of year 2005, per continent:
Continent
1
2
3
4
5
Africa
Northern America
Southern America
Eurasia
Oceania
TOTAL
lignite
Storage (x109 tons)
coal
Total
%
0
138
12
175
104
429
51
116
8
112
193
480
51
254
20
287
297
909
6%
28%
2%
32%
33%
100%
Tab 2:World storage of coal gas [13](AIE 2006)
19
- 20 Oceania (Australia) has the most important storage (33%) followed by Eurasia
(Europe and Asia) which is one per cent down.
The major producers are (2005):
Country
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
South Africa
United States of America
Colombia
Poland
Russia
Kazakhstan
India
China
Indonesia
Australia
TOTAL
production (x106 tons)
240
951
61
98
222
79
398
2226
140
301
4716
5%
20%
1%
2%
5%
2%
8%
47%
3%
6%
100%
Tab 3:World production of coal [13](AIE 2006)
We see that Oceania has the most important storage and a small production. China
is the most important producer with 47% of the world production.
In France, there are two main regions that produce coal: Nord Pas-De-Calais and Lorraine
(dropped because of ground water elevation).
Coal gas is a mixture of different gases . The composition is as follows:
Gas Type
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
CH4 (methane)
CO2
N2
Alcans
Rare gases
CO
H2
water
TOTAL
Percentage(%)
50 - 66
11 - 17
23 - 34
<1
< 0.2
< 5 ppm
trace
4
variable
100%
Tab 4:composition of grisou [4] (GAZONOR)
From this table, we see that the main coal mine gas is methane ( CH4) with a ratio of
50-66 per cent. Nitrogen ( N2) follows with a fair percentage. The carbon dioxide (CO2)
comes in 3rd position. The other gases are in small quantities. [15]
It is a hydrocarbon such as natural gas and oil, so submitted to the same
administrative rules.
Gas can also be obtained from coal by artificial gasification. Three main methods are
used : a) reaction with oxygen and steam ( coal is transformed into CH4 ,CO ,H2 ); b)
4
Depending on the grounwater elevation
20
- 21 pyrolysis (coal is transformed into CH4, H2 by heat).It took place industrially in gas
producers before 1950 and stopped with the discovery of natural gas.[7]
The access to the shelter is provided by shaft. It can be horizontal or vertical. In this
case, the discharging height of gas or water is well done. [8]
3.2) Deposits
From the previous point, we can estimate the word reserves as follows:
Continent
1
2
3
4
5
Africa
Northern America
Southern America
Eurasia
Oceania
TOTAL
Coal
Storage
(x109 tons)
Estimated
gas storage
(x109 m3)
51
254
20
287
297
909
153
762
60
861
891
2727
6%
28%
2%
32%
33%
100%
Tab 5:Estimation of coal mines gas storage
Oceania hast the most important storage estimated at 33% of the world storage. This
world storage stands at 2 727 x109 m3 .
The main areas are:
Australia : Bowen Basin ( Fairview, Scotia, Spring, Gully), Queensland
Surat Basin (Berwyndale, Windibri, Kogan, Daandine), Tipton West
Canada: Telkwa coalfield, British Columbia
Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, Alberta
United States: Black Warrior Basin ( Alabama), Cahaba Basin,
Cherokee Basin ( Kansas), Slater Dome Basin ( Wyoming and Colorado),
Powder River Basin ( Montana), Raton Basin ( Colorado and Mexico),
San Juan Basin ( Colorado and New Mexico).[27]
Those places are located on the map below.
21
- 22 -
Source: montana.edu
Fig 5:A map of American coal gas production [26]
From this map, we can see that the production of coal gas concerns most of the States
and is not concentrated in a particular zone.
Japan : Akabira (central Hokkaido, northern Japan). Coal had been produced in this area
With some shafts at Daiichi, Ihiko, Sanko, Kita, Ichiko, Niko.
It’s an old mining area where works started in 1939 and the production lasted for
55 years. It was closed in 1994. [16]
This region is located on the map below.
source : private
Fig 6:Location of Akabira coal mine
Ishikari , situated in Hokkaido, north of Sapporo.
22
- 23 -
In Europe , the main company in charge of mines gas is EGL. It’s an Australian firm.
It’s network is represented on the following graph.
fig 7 :A map of European coal gas production(EGL: European Gas Limited web site)
Research is going on in France (Lorraine, southern Lorraine, Lons Le Saunier,
Saint-Etienne, Gardanne) , in Belgium (Benelux), in Italy (Tuscany) undertaken by EGL
concerning CBM. This company is working on 240 billion m3 of contengent ressources.
The maps of the various zones is given in the annex.
Lorraine (see the location in annex)
Contingent Resources as at October 2008 :
Billions of Cubic Metres
* (Bm
Lorraine
Lorraine
Sud
3
Billions of Cubic Feet
Petajoules
* (Bcf)
(PJ)
C1 + C2 + C3
54
1899
2010
C1 + C2 + C3
50
1782
1890
104
3681
3900
TOTAL
* contained methane
Tab 6:CBM storage in Lorraine
23
- 24 Lons le saunier:
An in-situ tonnage of 370 million tonnes of coal over a central area of 32 km2 was
estimated by Charbonnages de France. Research is going on concerning CBM.
Gardanne:
Gas in Place Resources as at October 2007 (CBM)
Billions of Cubic
Metres * (Bm3
Billions of Cubic
Feet * (Bcf)
Petajoules
2.8
99.1
105.1
Gardanne
(PJ)
Tab 7:CBM storage in Gardanne
The estimates were carried out by independent Deutsche Montan Technologie
GmbH of Essen, Germany on behalf of European Gas. The 3D modeling was made using
PETREL 2007tm software.
Saint – Etienne :
Based on the company’s reservoir study and using the available information a cavity
volume of 58.7 million m3 was determined (CMM).
Tuscany:
All three areas are prospective for CBM.
Benelux joint venture (Hainaut): only application
Subsequent to the end of the year 2008, the Benelux JV applied to the Wallonia
Government for a hydrocarbon permit “Hainaut” covering 443 km2. The application covers
the immediate southern extension of the Wallonia Coal Basin and historical coal mining
region. The Basin is the eastern extension of the Nord Pas de Calais Basin in France in
which the Company’s Gazonor project is situated.[24]
Meanwhile, CMM is being exploited at Désirée (Désirée, La Naville) and
Poissonniere (Avion, Divion) in France.[4]
Reserves CMM
The following table summarises the proven (1P), probable (2P) and possible (3P) CMM
reserves for the Gazonor project.
24
- 25 Billions of Cubic
Metres * (Bm3)
Billions of Cubic
Feet * (Bcf)
Petajoules
(PJ)
Gazonor
1P
1.3
46
49
Gazonor
2P
3.7
131
140
Gazonor
3P
10.1
357
380
*contained methane Tab 8 :Gazonor’s reserves of CMM
Gazonor project is then estimated at 15.1 billions of cubic meters.
Resources CBM
The following table summarises the CBM contingent resources for the Gazonor project.
Gazonor
C1 + C2 + C3
*contained methane
Billions of Cubic
Metres * (Bm3
Billions of Cubic
Feet * (Bcf)
Petajoules
136
4800
5090
(PJ)
Tab 9 :Gazonor’s reserves of CBM
3.3) Development
The development of mines gas obeys to two situations:
- economics: research and exploitation of non conventional hydrocarbons by oil
companies;
- historic : decompression of former coal mines by coal companies;
GAZONOR S.A, a French company is currently exploiting CMM in Nord-Pas-De Calais
Region (see the reserves above). The site of DIVION has provided gas to COKES DE
DROCOURT S.A and now to S.A.V. The site of AVION connects its gas to GRTgas
network. The site of DESIREE provides its gas to SURSCHISTE S.A.
In general, mines gas are used as: city gas, heating of oven, chemistry, engine gas,
thermal.[11]
a) city gas
Mines gas can be collected and distributed in cities. Its calorific value (heat) is higher than
the one of city gas.
CH4 + 2O2
CO2 + 2H2O + ∆H (heat)
Its cracking is therefore necessary to decrease this power to 4250 kcal/ Nm3 before use.
25
- 26 -
b) heating of ovens
Methane is also preferable to city gas in the heating of ovens because it doesn’t contain
sulphur. Such as cooking of porcelain in ceramic industries and coke ovens.
c) chemistry
In chemical industries, methane can be used as raw material. This includes the production
of carbon black, hydrogen, ammonia, acetylene, chlorine derivatives, nitric acid, methyl
alcohol, formalin.
d) engine gas
Engine gas for compressors: The maintenance is cheaper and the efficiency is better
when methane gas is used. There are two-stroke engines with injection and scanning and
four-stroke engines;
Engine gas for vehicles: During the second war, due to the lack of fuel, methane gas was
used as fuel for some engines.The gas was compressed to 300kg (gas’s weight in a bottle
of 12 m3)and put inside bottles (see photo 2 in annex).
Engine gas for alternators : sometimes, engines with two fuel types are used to activate
alternators. The composition is 95% of methane and 5% of heavy oil. It is compressed to
210 kpa (gas’s pressure) before entering inside valves.
Turbine gas: methane can activate an alternator of 1.35 MW (maximum power). When
there is no more methane, oil takes over in 4s. The advantages of such engines are: low
maintenance, low oil consumption, small volume for the engine, low noise and vibrations,
few spare parts (see photo 1 in annex).
e) Thermal
Mines gas are commonly used in boilers these days. Because it’s a clean gas, it does not
require much personnel in boiler-room and does not need too much maintenance. The
consumption stands at 35 to 150 l/s.
3.3) Research
Research is important in CMM for many reasons:
-
to prevent global warming due to the release of gas in the atmosphere;
-
for the development of mine gas industries and the supply of alternative energy
ressources;
-
for the security of the inhabitants.[15]
26
- 27 In a coal mine field, gas is stored to the coal by adsorption. After exploitation of coal, holes
are created and there is a desorption of gas which has as effect to balance the pressure
inside the holes.
In Japan, some research has been done carried out by the Sumitomo Coal Mining Co.,
Ltd. on the sequestration of CO2 and the release of CH4. They demonstrated that, the rate
of sequestration to coal was going up while the concentration of CO2 in the gas injected
was going down.
In France, INERIS also carried out some studies on the CH4 exploitation by injection of air.
The physical laws used are: “Loi de Langmuir” (desorption), “loi de Fick” (scattering) ,
« Loi de Darcy » (gas flowing).
27
- 28 -
28
- 29 -
III.MINING INDUSTRIES
III-1 Mines
The exploration(research), extraction/transformation, transportation and marketing of mine
require the creation of industries.Refineries are not involved. The process is described in
the following lines, as done in France.
To start up, one must first of all apply for a research permit. This step needs only human
resources as geologists. Two or three months later, the application is considered
acceptable or rejected according to the competition with other companies.[6]
The instruction follows and then the administration issues the research permit decision.
This step can take three other months. It is valid for five years during which the holder
concludes its research.
If the research is successful, the holder asks for a concession. If no, He can apply for the
prorogation of the research permit.
After the concession decision, The financing documents are produced (feasibility
studies) in other to ask for loans. This means that the storage has been estimated after
exploration and the exploitation delay fixed.
Works begin by the transportation facilities such as roads, buildings, railways.
At the next stage there is the supply of production machines (continuous miners, drills,
trucks). Workers are recruited alongside the procedure according to the needs. The
exploitation (concession) lasts for twenty five years. It’s also possible to ask for a
prorogation. The main equipments are:
-
shaft: vertical or horizontal access to the underground working area;
-
head frame: serves to lift and transfer ore;
-
cage: elevator that lowers and bring up mine personnel;
-
stope: the area where ore is being or has been removed;
-
continuous miner: the machine which cuts and breaks up mineral deposits;
-
jumbo: machine with many drills ,used to drill holes into the mineral deposit;
-
stabilization: system used in a mine to prevent rock-slide or cave-in;
-
slump: a pit at the bottom of the shaft to collect water.
29
- 30 -
III-2 Mines gas
The process of exploiting
mines gas involves some of the mine industries. Such as
research permit, instruction of the dossier, research permit decision, concession and
feasibility studies. The difference come from the equipments.
1) Exploration
During exploration, gas detection devices are used. One is known as “grisoumètre”. In
this category, “Le nouveau grisoumètre Verneuil” was designed by CERCHAR in France.
The principle is based on the stability of Wheastone bridge. In the absence of methane,
there is equilibrium. In contact with methane, there is catalytic combustion of methane in
contact with the platinum filament inserted in one of the branches of the bridge.[14]
Other detection devices can be obtained from OLDHAM, a European manufacturer.[19]
2) Extraction
During extraction, air is sucked up through drillings and gas is collected through
shafts.The equipment is airtight (pipes). These pipes are pushed in with sounders.
After extraction, the gas is treated on site. This treatment involves:
-
drying: removing water from the mixture of gas;
-
filtration: removing dust and particles;
-
smelling: giving the gas a characteristic smell and to avoid likings (THT:
TetraHydroThyophène);
-
compression: to bring the pressure at a lower level.
There is a control room where parameters are taken. Such as temperature, mixture rate,
pressure. The gas is then bottled or transported through pipelines.
3) Business aspects
We’ll base our arguments on the “La Naville” sounding station in France, owned by
CHARBONNAGES DE FRANCE and on GAZONOR.
30
- 31 -
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
TOTAL
38 000
13 000
313 000
51 000
24 334 404
39 505 229
53 587 171
415 000
117 426 804
Investments on 4 sounders
(euros)
Production (KWh)
Development (euros)
94 761
172 121
352 198
619 079
113 122
22 463
101 453
237 039
Expenses(with paying off of
financing), in euros
Balance, euros (6 years)
+381 626
Tab 10 : Balance sheet of
la Naville sounding station
(Source: Les techniques de l’Industrie
Minérale(1982) [10])
[10]
Within 6 years, the balance of the company has become positive. The investment is
considered as benefit.
GAZONOR SA is a company of EGL SAS (at 100% of shares), itself one of the EGL
(European Gas Limited) branches, has been producing gas since 1992, after the
disappearance of HBNPDC (Hauts bassin Nord-Pas de Calais). It was created in 1991. Its
main objective was to exploit mine gas stations, transportation network and the trading of
mines gas.[5]
The production and development is as follows, from 2004 to 2006:
Investments
on
2004
2005
2006
35 000
34 900
25 400
2007
2008
4
sounders (euros)
Production (KWh)
DESIREE
Development (KWh)
Production (KWh)
POISONNIERE
640
376 500
425 400
437 300
Development (KWh)
55 209
3
Tab 10: Production and development of Desiree and Poisonniere; (1m =6,6Wh) sources : BMI-BEPH jan 2009 & BE
AIRELE Nov 2007
[4]
The table shows that the development is far less important than the production.
GAZONOR, with 8 463m3 of gas development in France in Dec 2008, has 10% of market
share. The main producer is TOTAL E&P France with 79 221 m3 within this period.[6]
31
- 32 -
III-3 Industries
Mining industries provide components that are essential in every day life such as
appliances, electronic equipments, cars, construction materials, computers. Some mining
companies acting worldwide are:
BHP BILLITON /
Aluminium
th
6
Iron ore
Energy Coal
st
1
Base
metals:
Copper, Zinc
rd
World rank
products; Manganese
st
3 ,1
[30]
(Australia)
VALE (Brazil)
Diamonds&speciality
Aluminium
Iron ore
Coal
copper
Manganese,
Nickel,
Potassium, Kaolin
[31]
RIO TINTO
Aluminium/
(England-
Alumina
Iron ore
Coal
Copper
Bauxite,
Borates,
diamonds, gold, silver,
Australia)
gypsum, molybdenum,
salt,
sulphuric
acid,
talc, titanium dioxide,
Uranium…
[32]
ANGLO
AMERICAN
(England)
Platinum
(39%)
st
1
Coal
th
6
(South
South
Africa,
Construction materials
(45%)
(TARMAC)
st
1
America,
Canada,Australia)
EGL/GAZONOR
Diamonds
[33]
Methane gas
(Australia)
Other world wide companies are: Xstrata, Norilsk, Southern Copper, Anglo Plat.
32
- 33 -
CONCLUSION
We have seen that a mine is a shelter of mineral material existing on or inside the
earth. In France, mining is under the authority of the Ministry of Ecology, Energy,
Sustainable Development and Land Settlement. One specific service is the Bureau of
Exploration and Production of Hydrocarbons. The “code Minier “ is the main legislative
document in this field.
Also, we’ve seen that the substance exists in three different forms: simple bodies, pure
bodies and compiled bodies . This definition has helped to list some chemical elements
and minerals. Using geology, it is known that these minerals are put in place by
sedimentation .
Some mines gas have been described such as: carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide
(found mainly in natural gases) and grisou found in coal mines.
Some developments of carbon dioxide are: quenching, acquariophyly. Though carbon
monoxide is a dangerous gas , it is used in metallurgy and in chemical industries.
The most important is grisou, which exists in coal mines (exploited or not). It’s main
producer is EGL which is an Australian firm.This gas helps as city or engine gas, heating
of ovens among others.
We’ve elaborated a work schedule for the report (see annex). The key points
are:identification of useful documents, inquiries in Douai neighbourhood, request for
complementary documents, analysis, synthesis and writing of the report.The request for
complementary documents was send with a delay due to to the enormous time the
inquiries needed. Analysis, Synthesis and writing of the report were done simultaneously
and we’ve succeeded to hand the work on time.
Having come to the end of this report, we can say that:
-
research and investments can be concentrated in “grisou” according to the world
wide deposits:2 727x109m3;
-
closed coal mines must be developed in regard to security and environment
aspects;
33
- 34 -
England, Australia and Brazil have leaded mining industries.
34
- 35 -
REFERENCES
Individuals
[1]. Mr. Roger DHENAIN .-Deputy Chief of division of natural, hydraulic and mines risks
DREAL/ NORD PAS-DE-CALAIS .- Debriefing meeting, 9th of march
2009,2 :00pm/DREAL
[2]. Mr Alex GUEZ.- Reservoir Engineer, Responsable Production France – IIM,
Ministère de l’Ecologie, de l’Energie, du Développement Durable et de
l’Aménagement du Térritoire , DGEC/DE/SD2, Bureau (2A) Exploration-Production
des Hydrocarbures.-private communication
Documents
[3]. CCE :Commission des Communautés Européennes.- L’action Ergonomique dans
les Mines.-Luxembourg :ISBN, 1994 .-311 p.
[4]. Bureau d’Etudes AIRELE..- Demande de permis exclusif de recherches sur le
valenciennois :présentation de GAZONOR, du Projet/notice d’impact.- 2007, 4-23.
[5]. Bureau d’Etudes AIRELE..- Permis exclusif de recherches SUD-MIDI :présentation
de GAZONOR, du Projet/notice d’impact.- Août 2008, pp 7- 8.
[6]. Bureau Exploration-Production des Hydrocarbures.- Bulletin Mensuel
d’Information.- Paris, n°25, Janvier 2007,27 p.
[7]. POKRYSZKA Z, VELLY N.- Etude des Réservoirs de Méthamine et Désirée-La
Navillet.- Verneuil-en-Halte.- INERIS, septembre 2001.- 36 p.
[8]. DIDIER C..- Guide Méthodologique pour l’arrêt des exploitations minières
souteraines.- Verneuil-en-Halte.- INERIS, Avril 2001, 130 p.
[9]. CODETEC.- Cahiers de l’utilisation du charbon / Codetec, Cerchar.- Paris :
Ed.Technip, 1982-1990.-13 vol . : ill. en noir, couv.ill.en coul. ;17x24 cm
- 6 : La gazéification des combustibles solides.-79p. Don Francis Vendellos
[10]. DECHERF (Jean).- Exploitation de gaz méthane provenant des mines de houilles
fermées / Jean Decherf, G.Dracon (in :Industrie Minérale : les techniques, mars
1982, pp.168-190 ;
[11]. Commission des Communautés Européennes. Direction Charbon.- Captage de
grisou [manuel] ; préf.de Karlheinz Reichert.-Essen :Verlag Glûckauf, 1980.425p. :ill.,graph.,tabl. ;15x21cm ISBN :3-7739-0255-7 Dn Francis Vendellos.
35
- 36 [12]. Bauquis (Pierre-René),Bauquis(Emmanuelle).-Pétrole et gaz naturel. avec la
collaboration de paul-François Trioux, Préface de Hubert Reeves.- ISBN 2-91472945-6.- Hirlé, Strasbourg Technip, paris, 155p. 16 dec 2005 ;
[13]. Barré (Bertrand).- Atlas des Energies : quels choix pour quel développement ?.ISBN 978-2-7467-1025-2.- Autrement paris.- 80p 25x19 cm, 4 oct 2007
[14]. A. Monomakhoff.- Le nouveau grisoumètre "Verneuil 54" .- Revue de l'industrie
minérale.- avril 1957, vol. 39, n° 4.
Articles from periodical newspapers and legislative bodies
[15]. INERIS : Institut National de l’Environnement Industriel et des Risques..Modelisation du captage de gaz après arrêt de l’exploitation du charbon.- Rapport
annuel et scientifique, 1999, pp 75-79.
[16]. SHIGERU S, MASAMI Y, HIROSHI N..- Methane Gaz Power Generation and CO2
Sequestration at closed Coal Mines.- Coal&Safety, 2001, 19, 30-42
[17]. Code minier.- French Republic
[18]. CALVET R., MIGNANO L..- Chemistry.- Lesson.- Douai : National Advanced
School of Industrial Technics and Mines(FCDD), 2006 .-3 docs.
web Sites
Détecteurs de gaz pour mines souterraines
[19]. Oldham.- Détection de gaz, de flammes et du biogaz.- (page view on the 20th of
April 2009).- …[en ligne]. http://www.groupoldham.com
institutions
[20]. DRIRE : Direction Régionale de l’Industrie, de la Recherche et de
l’Environnement Région Nord-Pas-de-Calais.- (page view on the 20th of April
2009).- Sous-sol, mines et carrières [en ligne]. http://www.nord-pas-decalais.drire.gouv.fr/
[21]. Ministère de l’économie, de l’Industrie et de l’emploi.- (page view on the 20th of
April 2009) .- Les ressources Pétrolières et gazières du sous-sol français[on line].
http://www.industrie.gouv.fr/energie/petrole/se_pet_a6.htm
[22]. INRS : Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité.- (page view on the 20th of
April 2009).- Base de données; Fiches toxicologiques [on line]. http://www.inrs.fr/
CMM( Coal Mine Methane) / CBM(Coal Bed Methane)
36
- 37 [23]. BEPH: Bureau Exploration-Production des Hydrocarbures: .- (page view on the
20th of April 2009) .- La france dans le monde.- [on line]. http://www.beph.net
[24]. EGL: European Gas Limited.- (page view on the 5th of May 2009).- [on line].
http://www.europeangas.fr/
[25]. Methane to Market.- (page view on the 19th of May 2009).-Underground Coal
Mine Methane Recovry and Use Opportunities.- [on line]
http://www.methanetomarkets.org/resources/factsheets/coalmine_eng.pdf
[26]. MSU Bozeman.- (page view on the 19th of May 2009).- The Department of Land
Ressources and Environnmental sciences, Water Quality&Irrigation Management.[on line]
http://waterquality.montana.edu/docs/methane/cbmfaq.shtml#how_do_they_estimat
e_the_amount_of_methane_gas;
[27]. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc .- (page view on the 20th of April 2009) .- Coalbed
methane [on line]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalbed_methane
[28]. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc .- (page view on the 20th of April 2009) .- Grisou [on
line]. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grisou
[29]. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc .- (page view on the 6th of june 2009) .- dioxyde de
carbone [on line]. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaz_carbonique and
oxyde_de_carbone.
[30]. BHP BILLITON .- (page view on the 11th of July 2009) .- Our Businesses.- [on
line].- http://www.bhpbilliton.com/bb/investorsMedia.jsp
[31]. VALE .- (page view on the 11th of July 2009) .- [on line].http://www.vale.com/vale_us/
[32]. RIO TINTO.- (page view on the 11th of July 2009) .- Minerals and metals for the
world .- [on line].- http://www.riotinto.com/index_whatweproduce.asp
[33]. ANGLO AMERICAN.- (page view on the 11th of July 2009) .- [on line].http://www.angloamerican.co.uk/aa/about/operate/
lessons
[34]. GEM : Groupe des écoles des Mines.-OGC.M.FI3.1 : igéol (cours de géologie en
ligne).- (page view on the 4th of june 2009) .- composition chimique de la terre.- [on
line]. http://diamoodle.ensmdouai.fr/moodle/mod/scorm/player.php?a=55&currentorg=&scoid=3025
37
- 38 -
38
- 39 -
ANNEXES
39
- 40 -
Fig 7:EGL’s mines gas deposit in Italy. (EGL: European Gas Limited web site)
40
- 41 -
Fig 8 :EGL’s mines gas deposit in Gardanne(France) (EGL: European Gas Limited
web site)
Fig 9 :EGL’s mines gas deposit in the Nord Pas-De-Calais Region(France) (EGL: European
Gas Limited web site)
41
- 42 -
Fig 10 :EGL’s mines gas deposit in Lons Le Saunier(France)
(EGL: European Gas Limited web site)
42
- 43 -
Fig 11 :EGL’s mines gas deposit in Lorraine(France)
(EGL: European Gas Limited web site)
43
- 44 -
Fig 12 :EGL’s mines gas deposit in Saint-Etienne(France)
(EGL: European Gas Limited web site)
44
- 45 -
MINES DE DOUAI
BIBLIOGRAPHIC STUDY
deposits and development of mines gaz
WORK SCHEDULE
week
20/07/2009
13/07/2009
06/07/2009
29/06/2009
22/06/2009
15/06/2009
08/06/2009
01/06/2009
25/05/2009
18/05/2009
11/05/2009
04/05/2009
Autor: Richard FOGUE
Tutor: Sebastien CAILLAT
27/04/2009
10
20/04/2009
9
13/04/2009
8
06/04/2009
7
30/03/2009
6
23/03/2009
5
16/03/2009
4
09/03/2009
1
02/03/2009
3
Visit of some book shops (3);
Identification of useful documents in CEDOC;
Inquiries in Douai neighbourhood ;
request for additional documents;
Analysis of the documents;
Synthesis;
Writing of the report.
reproduction
submission
presentation
23/02/2009
2
March
April
May
June
July
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
45
- 46 -
Photo 1 : electric generators operating with coal gas[25] (Methane to Market web site)
Photo 2 : vehicle fuel in Ukraine(Methane to Market web site)
46
- 47 -
Photo 3 : LEWARDE closed Coal Mine( France): the place has changed into tourism and
mine history(library)
47