R&D Centers and Schools for Carbon Management and Sustainable - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• B. KUMAR

Visiting Consultant, RE-SOIL

CERS, Bharathidasan University Tiruchirapalli-620 023 INDIA

(Former Sct. G & Head, Surface Geochemical Prospecting and Carbon Sequestration, NGRI, Hyderabad ,India)

• Ph. 91- 9849934935 (Mob.)

91-40-27175910 (Res.) E-mail: baleshk@yahoo.com

R&D Centers and Schools for Carbon Management and Sustainable Energy Future: India’s Perspective

What is Carbon Management ?

• Carbon management is a new world wide R & D initiative for

capture and storage of CO2 to mitigate global climate change and is one of greatest environmental challenges the world community is facing. The capture of CO2 from point sources and storing it in geological formations such as depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs for oil/gas recovery, coal beds, deep saline aquifers and basalt formations are the most viable

• ptions.
• Fossil fuel based thermal power stations are the largest point

sources of CO2 emissions and are considered to be a major driver of global environmental change.

India’s Fossil fuel energy scenario is mostly driven by coal, oil and gas.

Source: Planning Commission of India

India’s Energy Scenario

Coal (52%) Oil & Gas (11%) Hydro (25%) Nuclear (3%)

Renewable (9%)

India’s Power Scenario

Nuclear + Renewable (2%) Coal (51%) Oil (36%) Hydro(2%) Gas (9%)

Source: OIL, Infraline

World primary energy consumption

Primary energy consumption per capita

Category Basin Basinal Area

(upto 200m (Sq.Km.x 103) isobath)

I Cambay 53 Assam Shelf 56 Bombay Offshore 116 Krishna Godavari 52 Cauvery 55 Assam-Arakan 60 Rajasthan 126 II Kutch 48 Andaman-Nicobar 47 III Himalayan Foreland 30 Ganga 186 Vindhyan 162 Saurashtra 80 Kerala-Konkan-L.dweep 94 Mahanadi 69 Bengal 89 IV Karewa 4 Spiti-Zanskar 22 Satpura-Rewa-Damodar 46 Narmada 17 Deccan Syneclise 273 Bhima-Kaladgi 9 Cuddapah 39 Pranhita-Godavari 15 Bastar 5 Chattisgarh 32 Total 1,785 Deep Waters Kori-Comorin 850 E Narcodam 1,350

Source: DGH

SEDIMENTARY BASIN MAP OF INDIA

India’s Hydrocarbon Resources, Reserves & Production

• India’s total hydrocarbon resources, including

deep waters, are estimated to be approximately 28 billion tonnes oil & oil-equivalent gas.

• As on April 2008, the ultimate reserves of oil &
• il-equivalent gas are 3.37 billion tonnes.
• The oil and gas production is estimated to be

34.13 (MMT) and 32.40 (OEG, MMT), respectively.

247847 37797 117090 92960 Total 27813 4554 11876 11383 West Bengal 1062 296 766 Uttar Pradesh 60984 14847 30976 15161 Orissa 20 15 1 4 Nagaland 459 301 41 117 Meghalaya 8582 1620 2309 4653 Maharashtra 19232 2904 8815 7513 Madhya Pradesh 72204 6348 30439 35417 Jharkhand 39975 4411 26191 9373 Chhattisgarh 160 160 Bihar 340 34 27 279 Assam 90 19 40 31 Arunachal Pradesh 16926 2584 6079 8263 Andhra Pradesh Total Inferred Indicated Proved Coal Resources in Million Tonnes State 247847 37797 117090 92960 Total 27813 4554 11876 11383 West Bengal 1062 296 766 Uttar Pradesh 60984 14847 30976 15161 Orissa 20 15 1 4 Nagaland 459 301 41 117 Meghalaya 8582 1620 2309 4653 Maharashtra 19232 2904 8815 7513 Madhya Pradesh 72204 6348 30439 35417 Jharkhand 39975 4411 26191 9373 Chhattisgarh 160 160 Bihar 340 34 27 279 Assam 90 19 40 31 Arunachal Pradesh 16926 2584 6079 8263 Andhra Pradesh Total Inferred Indicated Proved Coal Resources in Million Tonnes State 247847 37797 117090 92960 Total 907 369 106 432 Tertiary Coals 246940 37428 116984 92528 Gondwana Coals Total Inferred Indicated Proved Formation 247847 37797 117090 92960 Total 907 369 106 432 Tertiary Coals 246940 37428 116984 92528 Gondwana Coals Total Inferred Indicated Proved Formation

India's Coal Reserves

R&D Centres for Carbon Management in India

Government Sector

• - Department of Science & Technology (DST)
• - Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH)
• - Indian Institute of Petroleum(IIP), Dehradun
• - National Chemical Laboratory(NCL), Pune
• - National Environmental Engineering Research

Institute( NEERI) , Nagpur

• - National Geophysical Research Institute

(NGRI) , Hyderabad

• - National Institute of Oceanography(NIO), Goa

Public / Private Sector

• Gujarat Energy Research & Management Institute

(GERMI),Gandhinagar

• Integrated Research and Action for Development

(IRADE), New Delhi

• Oil & Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC)
• National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC)
• Shell India, Bangalore
• Tata Energy Research Institute(TERI), New Delhi
• Carbon Minus

Schools for Carbon Management & Energy Research in India

• - Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
• - Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

R & D Activities on Carbon Capture in India

• - NEERI has developed and patented molecular sieve (Zeolite-5A) from fly ash

technology which can be used for selective adsorption of CO2 using Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology. Research efforts have also been initiated for the production of Zeolite based photo-catalyst to convert CO2 into value products like alcohols etc. and use of Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) for acceleration of CO2 conversion into bicarbonate ion in aquatic medium.

• - IIP has developed PSA technology comprising of a four step PSA cycle to

capture the CO2 at 30-35° and pressures of 2.5-5.2 bars using commercially available adsorbent (F-300 activated carbon) and feed of 8-12% CO2 in nitrogen. The technology has been successful to bring down the CO2 level to 0-1.5% from 8-12 vol. %. The future studies shall focus on optimization of new PSA cycles for high purity CO2 production, development of adsorbents for CO2 capture at high temperatures and use of actual flue gas.

• - NEERI an NIO are augmenting technology for Iron Fertilization,

which implies the introduction of iron to the upper ocean to increase productivity of marine food chain which in turn increases CO2 sequestration from the atmosphere into the

• ceans. Marine plankton growth is enhanced by physically

distributing the iron particles in nutrient rich but iron deficient

• cean water using suitable delivering systems based on

biomaterials.

• - NEERI is working on Biomimetic Sequestration, a particular

aspect of biological process for resolving a specific non biological problem. The Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) is used as a catalyst for the conversion of CO2 into bicarbonates and later to carbonates or amino acids.

R & D Activities on Carbon Capture in India

R&D Activities on Carbon Storage in India

• - Geological Carbon Dioxide Storage in Basalt Formations
• f India ( NGRI, DST & TERI)
• - Carbon Dioxide Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers (DST)
• - CO2 – EOR (ONGC)

Objective Evaluation of Basalt Formations of India for environmentally safe and irreversible long time storage of CO2.

Geological CO2 Sequestration in Basalt Formations of India

Ø Deccan Basalts cover an area of 500x103 sq.

• km. and form one of the largest flood

eruptions in the world. Ø Composed of typically 48 flows. Ø The thickness of basalts varies from few hundreds of meters to > 1.5 km. Ø Basalts provide solid cap rocks and thus high level of integrity for CO2 storage. Ø Basalts react with CO2 and convert the CO2 into the mineral carbonates that means high level of security. Ø Intertrappeans between basalt flows provide major porosity and permeability along with vescicular, brecciated zones with in the flows. Ø Tectonically the traps are considered to be stable. Ø Geophysical studies have revealed presence

• f thick Mesozoic and Gondwana sediments

below the Deccan Traps.

Why are Indian Basalts attractive proposition for CO2 sequestration ?

Ø The most common flow type of the Deccan Trap and Columbia River Basalt is the Pahoeho sheet flows. Due to the lesser viscosity and less strain it forms large horizontal sheets. Ø Both Deccan Flood Basalts and Columbia River Basalts are tholeiitic (cinopyroxene and plagioclase) in nature and the eruptions are of fissure type. Ø Both are continental basalts. Columbia River Basalt is fully continental and Deccan Traps are partly continental.

Ø Both the basaltic flows have traveled as much as 300 to 500 km from their sources.

Ø Chemical composition of both the basalts are similar .

Deccan basalts vs Columbia River basalts

Induction Time for Calcite Precipitation

• Lab. scale &

geo-chemical modeling studies by PNNL, USA CO2(g) CO2(aq) CO2(aq) + H2O HCO3

• + H+

(Ca,Mg,Fe)x SiyOx+2y +2xH+ +(2y-x)H2O x(Ca,Mg,Fe)2+ + yH4SiO4(aq) (Ca,Mg,Fe)2+ + HCO3- (Ca,Mg,Fe)CO3 + H+

Calcite deposition on basalt

• Basalt is rich in Ca, Mg & Fe Silicates
• Mineralisation reaction rate is fast on geological time scale
• Mineralisation is appeared to be controlled by mixing

behaviour of CO2 and not by kinetics of the reactions

Depth, (m) T, °C

tp, d

800 35 964 900 38 822 1000 42 678 1100 48 534 1200 56 397 1300 67 275

Mineralization reactions in basalt formations

• Saline aquifers at depths of ≥ 800 m provide a suitable alternative for the

storage of CO2.

• The high porosity and permeability of the aquifer sands along with low

porosity cap rocks such as shales provide favorable conditions for CO2 storage.

• The CO2 can be stored in the miscible and/or mineral phase.
• With time, CO2 gets dissolved in the brines and reacts with the pore fluids/

minerals to form geologically stable carbonates.

ICOSAR Bulletin, Vol. 2

Studies in India

• The Department of Science & Technology , India has

initiated studies aiming at identification of deep underground saline aquifers and their suitability for CO2 sequestration in Sedimentary basins of India namely Ganga, Rajasthan and Vindhyan basins.

• The Central Ground Water Board and Geological Survey of

India have established the presence of saline aquifers up to depths of ≥ 300m below ground level in the Ganga basin.

• Deep Resistivity studies carried out at 9 sites around New

Delhi have shown the presence of saline aquifers at depths of 800m and beyond, around Palwal and Tumsara.

CO2 Storage in Deep Saline Aquifers

• In India, the Oil &

Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) has proposed CO2-EOR for Ankleshwar Oil Field in Western India.

• The CO2 is planned to

be injected @ 600,000m3/d and is sourced from ONGC gas processing complex at Hazira.

• The experimental and

modeling studies have indicated an incremental oil recovery

• f ~ 4 % over the

project life of 35 years besides the potential to sequester 5 to 10 million tons of CO2

CO2 Injector

CO2 Pipeline from Hazira Plant First row of oil Producer. To be closed after reaching GOR of 500 v/v Second row of oil Producer. To be continued on production till GOR reaches 500 v/v CO2 moves through formation mobilizing residual oil by swelling, vaporization and reduction in residual oil saturation

Ankleshwar Sands S3+4 : 69.33 MMt Waterflood Recovery : 54% Envisaged Tertiary Recovery : 5-7%

Carbon ¡Management ¡in ¡ONGC

• Mandate: ¡

– Develop ¡Green ¡House ¡Gases ¡(GHG) ¡inventory ¡ accoun>ng ¡and ¡informa>on ¡system ¡ – Iden>fy ¡and ¡develop ¡GHG ¡programs ¡and ¡projects ¡ ¡ – Monitor ¡the ¡exis>ng/ongoing ¡registered ¡CDM ¡projects ¡ – Carbon ¡disclosure ¡in ¡the ¡company ¡balance ¡sheet ¡ – Develop ¡climate ¡protec>on ¡strategy ¡and ¡policy ¡ – Strategic ¡management ¡of ¡climate ¡change ¡and ¡business ¡

• pportunity ¡thereof ¡

– Develop ¡sustainability ¡repor>ng ¡

¡[Source ¡– ¡ONGC] ¡

Carbon ¡Management ¡in ¡ONGC

• Ac>vi>es ¡

– Developed ¡corporate ¡policy ¡on ¡climate ¡change ¡ and ¡sustainability ¡ – Development ¡of ¡CDM ¡projects ¡ – GHG ¡mi>ga>on ¡programs ¡for ¡ONGC ¡ – GHG ¡accoun>ng ¡for ¡ONGC ¡facili>es ¡ – Joined ¡carbon ¡disclosure ¡projects ¡ – Sustainability ¡repor>ng ¡in ¡progress ¡ – M2M ¡(Methane ¡to ¡Markets) ¡program ¡ – R&D ¡on ¡mi>ga>on ¡ensued ¡

• ¡ONGC ¡path ¡towards ¡carbon ¡neutrality ¡

¡

Carbon ¡Management ¡in ¡ONGC

¡ ¡

¡

NTPC ¡Ini>a>ves

• NTPC ¡is ¡ac>vely ¡engaged ¡in ¡various ¡global ¡efforts ¡to ¡mi>gate ¡

GHG ¡emissions ¡by ¡par>cipa>ng ¡in ¡forums ¡like ¡CSLF, ¡IEA-­‑ETP ¡ workshops, ¡Indo-­‑EU ¡and ¡Indo-­‑German, ¡Indo-­‑UK ¡ collabora>ons ¡etc. ¡

• Genera>on ¡Capacity ¡Expansion ¡is ¡complemented ¡by ¡

Emission ¡Mi>ga>on ¡Endeavors: ¡

– Sustained ¡effort ¡to ¡enhance ¡plant ¡efficiency ¡ – Suitable ¡realignment ¡of ¡fuel ¡mix ¡

• ¡Adop>on ¡of ¡advanced ¡cleaner ¡and ¡greener ¡technologies ¡

– New ¡NTPC ¡power ¡projects ¡to ¡have ¡online ¡CO2(%) ¡monitoring ¡

¡[Source ¡– ¡NTPC]

Efficiency Improvement Efforts in NTPC ¡

NETRA ¡ (NTPC ¡Energy ¡ Technology ¡ Research ¡ ¡ Alliance) ¡

• ¡NTPC ¡has ¡set ¡aside ¡1% ¡profits ¡for ¡R&D ¡including ¡Green ¡Power ¡ ¡

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡Development ¡

• ¡Separate ¡setup ¡for ¡development ¡of ¡Clean ¡Coal ¡Technology ¡
• ¡Development ¡of ¡IGCC ¡as ¡suited ¡to ¡ ¡Indian ¡Coal ¡
• ¡Development ¡of ¡micro ¡marine ¡algae ¡(consumes ¡30 ¡>mes ¡more ¡

¡ ¡ ¡CO2 ¡than ¡other ¡plants ¡like ¡Jathropha, ¡Ratanjot ¡etc.), ¡Pilot ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡Project ¡to ¡be ¡taken ¡up ¡at ¡Simhadri ¡

• ¡Studies ¡awarded ¡for ¡assessment ¡of ¡technologies ¡for ¡CO2 ¡ ¡

¡ ¡ ¡Capture, ¡assessment ¡of ¡technologies ¡including ¡site ¡for ¡CO2 ¡Storage ¡

• ¡Solar ¡thermal ¡based ¡air ¡condi>oning ¡project ¡

Pursuing ¡Renewable ¡and ¡Technology ¡development

¡

• Environmental ¡Issues ¡/ ¡Climate ¡Change. ¡
• UNFCCC ¡/ ¡Kyoto ¡Protocol ¡
• CDM ¡Modali>es ¡& ¡Procedures ¡
• Approved ¡CDM ¡Methodologies ¡
• CDM ¡Project ¡Design ¡Document ¡(PDD) ¡
• CDM ¡Valida>on ¡& ¡Verifica>on ¡Procedures ¡
• Sustainable ¡Development ¡Criteria ¡
• Case ¡Studies, ¡Audit ¡Skills, ¡Exercises ¡and ¡Workshops ¡
• CDM ¡Project ¡Cycle ¡
• Carbon ¡Finance ¡&Trading ¡ ¡
• Interna>onal ¡Commodity ¡Marke>ng ¡
• Online ¡Commodity ¡Trading ¡of ¡Carbon ¡
• Regula>on ¡of ¡Carbon ¡Trading ¡& ¡FMC ¡
• Both ¡Compliance ¡and ¡Volunteer ¡Markets ¡

¡ TRAINING ¡CONTENTS ¡

Mission ¡

Develop ¡sustainable ¡energy ¡systems ¡and ¡solu>ons ¡for ¡the ¡future. ¡ ¡ ¡

Method ¡ ¡

Organizing ¡training ¡program ¡in ¡the ¡field ¡of ¡energy ¡efficiency, ¡energy ¡conserva>on ¡ ¡ and ¡renewable ¡energy. ¡ ¡ ¡ DESE ¡has ¡started ¡an ¡integrated ¡M.Sc.-­‑ ¡Ph.D. ¡program ¡in ¡Energy ¡from ¡2007 ¡ ¡ and ¡a ¡Dual ¡Degree ¡B.Tech ¡(Energy ¡Engineering) ¡and ¡ ¡ ¡ M.Tech. ¡(Energy ¡Systems ¡Engineering) ¡program ¡in ¡2008. ¡ ¡

Department ¡of ¡Energy ¡Science ¡& ¡Engineering ¡(DESE) ¡ Indian ¡Ins>tute ¡of ¡Technology ¡Bombay

¡ COURSE ¡CONTENTS ¡ ¡ ¡

• Fundamentals ¡of ¡Energy ¡Engineering ¡
• Energy ¡Audi>ng ¡
• Energy ¡Efficiency ¡in ¡Motor ¡drive ¡Systems ¡
• Cogenera>on ¡
• Efficiency ¡in ¡Boilers ¡and ¡Steam ¡Systems ¡
• Energy ¡Economics ¡
• Overview ¡of ¡India’s ¡Energy ¡Scene ¡
• Efficiency ¡in ¡Pumping ¡Systems ¡
• Pinch ¡Analysis ¡
• Energy ¡and ¡Environment ¡
• Waste ¡Heat ¡Recovery ¡
• Benchmarking ¡Energy ¡Performance ¡
• Energy ¡and ¡Climate, ¡CDM, ¡Carbon ¡Credits ¡

Con>nuing ¡Educa>on ¡Program ¡on ¡ ENERGY ¡MANAGEMENT ¡

Department ¡of ¡Energy ¡Science ¡& ¡Engineering ¡(DESE) ¡ ¡ Indian ¡Ins>tute ¡of ¡Technology ¡Bombay

India’s Initiatives towards Exploration of Unconventional Fossil Fuel:

• Oil Shale
• Shale Gas
• Underground Coal Gasification
• Coal Bed Methane
• Gas Hydrates

• Oil shale

(~15 billion tons of in place oil)

• Shale gas ( ? )
• Underground coal gasification

(Est. resources ~ 15.5 tcm of natural gas)

• Coal bed methane

(Est. resources ~20 tcf)

• Gas hydrates

(Est. resources ~2000 tcf)

Estimated Resources of India’s Unconventional Fossil Fuels

OIL SHALE OCCURRENCE IN INDIA

• Carbonaceous shale of Oligocene age occurs in

association with Tertiary Coal in north east India, Assam and neighboring areas of Arunachal Pradesh

• The coal-shale unit occurs as outcrops towards

south of the oilfields in a region called the Belt of Schuppen

• The presence of coal and organic rich shale has

been recorded in the subsurface from wells drilled for oil

• The coal-shale unit was probably deposited in a

regressive phase in backwater lagoons or brackish water swamps on a prograding delta complex

Salient features of oil shales of North East India

Ø Studies of shale samples from Upper Assam Valley resulted in a total hydrocarbon potential of 81 mg/g and compares favorably with yields from other oil shale elsewhere in the world. Ø North-East India is endowed with rich deposits of coal found in the Barail Formation of Tertiary age. Ø Carbonaceous shale occurs interbedded with the coal and constitute the principal source rocks for hydrocarbons. These formations outcrop on the surface towards the south

• f the oil fields in a region called the Belt of Schuppen.

Ø Oil shales are part of the Barail and Disang formations of northeast India. They are present over the area covered by Naga and Patkai hill ranges. Ø The calculated in-place shale oil reserve is greater that 15 billion tonnes.

Geological map of Northeastern part of Assam-Arakan Basin

(modified from Naidu and Panda, 1997; and Mallick and others, 1997

Oil and gas fields and identified prospects in Assam geologic province

• Oil shale deposits usually include certain amounts
• f carbonates. Due to the decomposition of

carbonates, oil shales evolve several times more CO2 during shale oil production than the same amount of petroleum does. This could be a serious issue from the view point of global warming.

• Deep Coal seams of North East India, that are not

commercially viable for coal production, could be used for permanent underground storage of CO2 evolved from shale oil production

• CO2 released from oil shale can be used for

Enhanced oil recovery in depleted oil fields of North East India.

Carbon management for oil shale of NE India

• Shale gas is term applied to gas adsorbed in the micro-pores

and micro-fractures of shale rocks. The gas is usually of thermogenic origin but in some biogenic sources have been reported.

• Shale gas exploration in India is relatively new but rapidly

gaining momentum, as India has huge shale deposits. The shales in Vindhyan, Gondwana, Cambay, Rajasthan and other sedimentary basins have been/are being examined. The initial results are encouraging and on par with US shale plays.

• The shale gas production pressures are generally low but long

production periods compensate for this as more volume is recovered.

What is Shale Gas?

• Shales have low permeability (~ 2 md ) and gas does not flow easily through

this rock. However, in the 1990s a new drilling technology emerged. A tight shale deposit could be cracked open by injecting water into wells at high

• pressure. When the water injection stopped, the cracks closed again. But then

technologist hit on the idea of pumping water mixed with sand. The sand kept cracks partially open when water injection stopped, increasing permeability and gas flow.

• A sedimentary rock deposit has a limited depth but very wide area (sometimes

hundreds of square miles). Traditional vertical drilling into a deposit 20 meters thick can yield gas production from a zone of just 20 meters. But new techniques have facilitated horizontal drilling. This makes possible horizontal wells running hundreds of meters long through shale strata, greatly increasing the production zone of each well. Horizontal drilling plus hydraulic fracturing have revolutionized the economics of shale gas in the US, and made it a developing industry.

Shale Gas Production Methodology:

R&D Status of Shale Gas Exploration in India

• ONGC has tied with Schlumberger to explore

shale gas in Gondwana and Cambay basins, India.

• The target areas in Gondwana are organic rich

shale horizons associated with unmineable coal seams.

• In Cambay basin, the Tarapur and Cambay shale

formations are being explored for shale gas potential.

Generalized geological map of Cambay basin

After DGH, India

ONGC ventures into shale gas exploration

• ONGC has drilled its first shale gas well in Damodar

Valley, West Bengal through Permian Shale about 700 meters thick. The well is targeted to a depth of 2000

• meters. ONGC plans to drill three more wells in the Valley

by March 2012.

• Damodar Valley is a coal field area and the first well there

was drilled near Durgapur in Ranigunj coal field of Damodar Valley.

Stratigraphic section

Ranigunj Coal Fields

An in-situ physico-chemical process for converting un-minable coal or lignite into a combustible product gas (fuel gas).

• The product gas is a mixture of hydrogen, carbon

monoxide, methane, carbon dioxide & higher hydrocarbons.

• Calorific value of product gas is in the range of 700 to

1200 KCal/Nm3 for gasification with air injection.

Product Gas of UCG

What is Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)?

UCG Process

UCG Process

• Drilling two boreholes (>100 m deep) in the coal seam,
• ne injection well and one producer well, placed

adjacently.

• Linking the bore holes
• Igniting the coal seams down hole
• An underground gasifier is made up of a number of

underground reactors with largely independent outputs

• The gas streams from different reactors can be mixed as

required to ensure consistency of overall gas quality

• The outputs of reactors can be varied in order to
• ptimize coal extraction and gas supply from the gasifier

UCG Process

• Ground water influx into the gasifier creates an

effective "steam jacket" around the reactor making the heat loss in situ tolerably small.

• Optimal pressure in the underground gasifier promotes

ground water flow into the cavity, thus confining the chemical process to the limits of the gasifier and preventing contamination in the area.

• Product gases are recovered in the producer well.
• Drilling and connecting additional injection and

production wells can readily expand the initial gasification reaction.

Typically, coals of low rank e.g. lignite and sub-bituminous are the easiest to gasify, hence better suited for UCG. Underground Coal Gasification offers a potential means of extracting energy from deposits, which will not be amenable to conventional mining. India is endowed with vast coal and lignite resources of around 248 and 36 billion Tonnes, respectively. A major portion of these resources occur at depths that are too great for conventional mining or constrained by other factors. In view of the above, a non-conventional technology such as UCG has opened up new avenues for harnessing the vast potential of these resources, thus enhancing the energy security of the country.

Why UCG?

• India has very large deposits of deep seated coal and

lignite which are unmineable using conventional mining methods.

• The revised reserves of coal are 253,359 million tonnes

(GSI, report) and the estimated recoverable reserves are ~95,866 million tonnes, i.e 37.8%.

• Indian lignite resources are 37,154 million tonnes

(GSI,report). The estimated recoverable reserves are ~ 4,260 million tonnes, i.e 11.5%.

UCG Potential In India

UCG potential in India

• The Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd. (NLC), which has Government approval

for starting a UCG Project in lignite deposits of Rajasthan, is looking for a suitable technical partner for UCG.

• Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has been exploring possibilities for

developing UCG projects in India.

• ONGC, while drilling in search of hydrocarbons, discovered large reserves of

coal at depths greater than 600 m. These are finds are in Gujarat and West Bengal and have been estimated to contain more than 350bt of coal deposit.

• In Gujarat alone, these coal reserves have been estimated to be around 70 bt

in Mehsana-Ahmedabad block and 60 bt in Patan-Tharad block.

• The energy estimated for Mehsana – Ahmedabad block alone, is equivalent to

about 15,000 bcm of natural gas.

• The ONGC is conducting a pilot test in Mehsana area at an estimated cost of

Rs 9.60 crores.

• An Information Well – UCG-1 – was drilled as early as in 1986 to a depth of

1005m at the selected site.

UCG IN INDIA

ESTIMATED RESERVES FROM WEC 2008

DGH, Annual Report, 2006-07

Coal Bed Methane, Estimated resources for India ~ 20 tcf

DGH, Annual Report, 2006-07

Coal beds typically contain large amounts of methane rich gas that is adsorbed onto the surface of the coal. The injected CO2 efficiently displaces methane as it has greater affinity to the coal than methane.

CO2 enhanced coal bed methane production

Enhanced Coal bed Methane Recovery (ECBM)

Location in the Eastern Offshore, superimposed on Gas Hydrate stability thickness map along the Indian margin, from where the gas hydrate samples have been recovered (after Sain & Gupta, 2008).

Estimated Resources of Gas Hydrate : ~ 2000 tcf

(after Holder et.al., 1984)

Possible production methods for Gas Hydrates

CO2Sequestration in Methane Hydrates

Ø Methane Hydrates are class of solids in which methane molecules occupy cages made up of hydrogen- bonded water molecules. Ø CO2 can also be stored as hydrates with simultaneous conversion of in situ methane hydrates into natural gas. Ø At temperatures below 10°C, there is a pressure range in which methane hydrate is unstable while CO2 hydrate is stable. Ø The heat released from the formation of CO2 gas hydrate is greater than that needed for CH4 hydrate dissociation: CH4(H2O)n ⇒ CH4 + nH2O; Hf = 54.49 KJ/mole CO2(H2O)n ⇒ CO2 + nH2O ; Hf = 57.98 KJ/mole where n is the hydration number for CH4 hydrate and CO2

hydrate

Ø n is dependent on pressure, temperature and the composition of the gas in the gas phase which implies that under certain pressure and temperature conditions, the replacement of CH4 in the hydrate with CO2 is thermodynamically possible. After Gas Technology Institute, USA

Conclusions

• India has established R&D centers and schools for carbon

management and has also taken significant initiatives towards exploration of unconventional fossil fuels. However to meet the challenges of increasing energy demand and sustainability, the integrated research and development institutes/centers and schools for ‘Unconventional Fossil Fuel Development and Carbon Management’ have to be established by Government/ Public/Private partnership and International collaboration.

• The funding mechanism for these technological and intellectual

nucleus can be met by cess on coal (~ Rs. 50 per ton) and 0.5% cess on each unit price of fossil fuel based electric power generated.

• International funding from developed economies may also be

requested.