The University of Queensland
 
Mechanical Engineering Mechanical Engineering
 
Major Participants
Dr Alexander Klimenko
Dr Bo Feng
Prof Hal Gurgenci
Prof Suresh Bhatia
Prof Michael Blinderman
Dr Matthew Cleary
Mr Dmitry Saulov
Mr Paul Bedi
Mr Chetan Chodankar

UCG Research Project

Energy and combustion have been one of the focus research topics in Mechanical Engineering for a number of years. This research has resulted in the formulation of several novel approaches to the modelling of reacting flows that are now used worldwide. With ever-increasing prices of energy resources in mind, the energy research interests of our group are extended to explore alternative practical ways of energy production.
The objectives of this project involve both development of fundamental modelling techniques and their application for characterisation of specific UCG processes, with an emphasis on assisting UCG technology to substitute for conventional energy sources.

The project is being undertaken in cooperation with LINC Energy the owner of the Chinchilla Project, the largest UCG operation in the Western world to date. Linc Energy has recently been reported    to launch a new program targeting production of synthetic "green diesel" fuel based on UCG facility at Chinchilla

One of the project participants represents Ergo Exergy Technologies Inc (Canada) which leads the application of the Exergy UCG technology ( εUCGTM) worldwide.
 

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is an exciting novel technology that is both economically sustainable and, compared to conventional use of other fossil fuels, environmentally friendly. With the current situation of depleting oil and gas reserves, UCG seems to be the only cost-competitive practical alternative that can effectively utilize  abundant coal reserves and provide the world with much needed energy and raw materials for chemical syntheses.

As illustrated in the figure, UCG is a gasification process carried on in non-mined coal seams using injection and production wells drilled from the surface, which enables the coal to be converted into product gas. The process is flexible in operation, and is capable of producing commercial quantities of gas to be used as a chemical feedstock or as fuel for power generation.

 
Contact: klimenko@mech.uq.edu.au