Gasification is the chemical process of converting a solid or liquid fuel into a combustible gas, which can subsequently be used to produce heat or generate power. Underground coal gasification is a gasification process applied to non-mined (or previously difficult to excavate) coal seams, using injection and production wells drilled from the surface, which enables the coal to be converted in situ (on site, instead of being removed to the surface first) into product gas. These product gases are transported to the surface for processing and utilization (and in this process, the coal gas is separated from the carbon dioxide or CO2). Initially this large-scale method of coal conversion was problematic because transmitting the gases to and from the combustion zone was unreliable and costly.
There are several advantages to UCG, often referred to as an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), over conventional coal extraction techniques. The process is proving to be safer, simpler, cleaner, and more versatile in its extraction methods. It doubles (and may even triple) making available coal resources available to refinement, as much of previously unminable coal (such as coal beds found near earthquake faults or volcanic intrusions, or coal beds too deep for safe conventional mining) are now open to possible extraction. Moreover, there is little to no ash or slag (residue from the mining process) removal or handling needed as most of this inert material remains behind in the underground cavities. Another advantage is that the transport of the gas is done by pipeline, not by railcar. Furthermore, coal gasification power plants cleanse as much as 99 percent of the pollutant-forming impurities from coal-derived gases.
In addition, the coal gases, cleaned of their impurities, are fired in a gas turbine to generate one source of electricity. The hot exhaust of the gas turbine is then used to generate steam for a more conventional steam turbine-generator. This dual source of electric power, called a combined cycle, converts much more of coal's inherent energy value into usable electricity, thus boosting the efficiency of coal gasification power plants by 50 percent or more.
The job of a Coal Gasification Engineer is to aid in the design, construction, and operation of an integrated gasification project. During the operation, they oversee the drilling of the injection wells into the identified hydrocarbon (coal) field into which the air or oxygen is forcibly introduced into the targeted coal seam. They also oversee the operation of the production wells and pipelines through which the resultant coal gas is brought to the surface and relayed to gas cleaning plants, where the impurities inherent in coal are cleansed, and the unwanted carbon dioxide (CO2) is removed. Then, the resultant coal gas can be sent to processing plants. Thus, one of the major environmental advantages of coal gasification is the opportunity to remove impurities such as sulfur, mercury, and soot before burning the fuel to create energy within electric power generators.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report of 2006–2007, annual earnings in May 2004 for mining engineers (of which Coal Gasification Engineers are a specific discipline) ranged from a low of US Dollars 39,700 to a high of US Dollars 103,790, with an average of US Dollars 64,690.
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