Western Institute of Mining and Minerals (WIMM)

William Smith Building, Keele University and via Zoom

Presented by Brian Dobbin
The talk is about the drainage and utilisation Coal Mine Methane (CMM, following the closure of a mine. When the mine is in production, methane would be released from the coal and the strata above and below the seam as it was de-stressed and from the fractured coal as it was mined. Once the mine has closed, methane desorption takes over and becomes the main release of methane in to the mine atmosphere. Following the closure of the mine and assuming the shafts have been left open and capped with vent tubes through them, the existing methane drainage plant can be reconnected to the mine, and if suction is now applied to the mine, the reduction in pore pressure on the coal causes more methane to be released. With some slight modifications to the existing methane drainage systems, they have been used to supply fuel (methane / firedamp) to spark ignition combustion gas engines driving 1415kW alternators. Brian will talk a little on the history of methane drainage in the mines and how Harworth Power developed the existing methane plant at Harworth Colliery and the installation of the new methane plants at Stillingfleet and Kellingley.

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