ECONOMICAL ANALYSIS OF METHANE UTILIZATION OPTIONS ON COAL MINES

摘要

For the implementation of modern CH_4 reducing technologies it is important to design and introduce effective methodology of economic efficiency estimation of coal mine methane utilization options for industrial and domestic purposes. The International Coal and Methane Research Center -Uglemetan has applied the technique of economical analyses of alternative options of the coal mine methane utilization including assessment of coalmine methane resources for defining available volume of the gas on the place and estimation of economic efficiency of different technical options of coalmine methane utilization. The first part of the methodology is based on calculation of methane resources concentrated in the coal seams. Whereas the geological data does not always include sufficient volume of the gas content data, the suggested technique employs modern mathematical methods of interpolation for restoring the gap in geological information. This part of methodology allows assessing geological resources of methane either in virgin coal seams or those incorporated within the mining block. The second part of technique is based on estimation of economic efficiency of different variants of coalmine methane utilization whilst taking into account a conjuncture of energy prices, capital and operational expenses required for the implementation of technology. Application of the offered approach for the economical analysis of methane utilization options is considered on the example of two specific underground coal mines of Kuznetsk coal basin - main coal production area of Russia.