The paper describes the results of research on the applicability of the ground penetrating radar (GPR) method for remote sensing and monitoring of the underground coal gasification (UCG) processes. The gasification of coal in a bed entails various technological problems and poses risks to the environment. Therefore, in parallel with research on coal gasification technologies, it is necessary to develop techniques for remote sensing of the process environment. One such technique may be the radar method, which allows imaging of regions of mass loss (voids, fissures) in coal during and after carrying out a gasification process in the bed. The paper describes two research experiments. The first one was carried out on a large-scale model constructed on the surface. It simulated a coal seam in natural geological conditions. A second experiment was performed in a shallow coal deposit maintained in a disused mine and kept accessible for research purposes. Tests performed in the laboratory and in situ conditions showed that the method provides valuable data for assessing and monitoring gasification surfaces in the UCG processes. The advantage of the GPR method is its high resolution and the possibility of determining the spatial shape of various zones and forms created in the coal by the gasification process.
Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) involves the recovery of energy from a coal deposit via the use of controlled combustion. A reactor equipped with apparatus enabling the analysis of temperature profiles and gas composition was constructed for the simulation of underground conditions, both with respect to the coal seam and the surrounding stratum characteristics. A three day experiment was performed in which large blocks of lignite were gasified, with an average gasification rate of 5 kg/h. The ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) reflection method was used to monitor the process and observe physical and structural changes taking place within the gasification zone; radar images of the different stages of the process were then recorded and analysed. The experiment demonstrated the potential for successful application of radar techniques in the observation and monitoring of the coal gasification process in a natural environment. Whereas the gasification of coal in shallow seams could be monitored by surface measurements, that of deep seams in operating coal mines or coal deposits could be monitored by measurements made from galleries or boreholes.
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