U.S. Abandoned Coal Mine Methane Recovery Project ...

U.S. EPA

Coalbed Methane

OUTREACH PROGRAM

U.S. Abandoned Coal Mine Methane Recovery Project Opportunities

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency July 10, 2008 EPA430-R-08-002

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This draft was prepared under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Contract EP-W-05-063 by Raven Ridge Resources, Incorporated.

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Frequently Used Terms .................................................................................................. 4 Frequently Used Abbreviations ..................................................................................... 5 Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ 6 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 7 2. Abandoned Mine Projects ........................................................................................ 10

Grayson Hill Energy Project................................................................................................... 11 Kings Station Mine Project..................................................................................................... 15 DTE Methane Resources Project........................................................................................... 17 3. Potential Abandoned Mine Project Sites ................................................................ 20 Piceance Basin Mines............................................................................................................. 22

Sanborn Creek .................................................................................................................... 23 Hawk's Nest......................................................................................................................... 25 Bowie No. 1.......................................................................................................................... 28 Uinta Basin Mines ................................................................................................................... 31 Willow Creek........................................................................................................................ 32 Kenilworth ........................................................................................................................... 34 Illinois Basin Mines ................................................................................................................. 37 Jefferson County Group..................................................................................................... 38

Orient 3...................................................................................................................... 38 Orient 6...................................................................................................................... 40 Nasson 20 ................................................................................................................. 42 Macoupin County Group .................................................................................................... 45 Little Dog................................................................................................................... 45 Superior 1 ................................................................................................................. 47 Superior 2 ................................................................................................................. 49 Superior 3 ................................................................................................................. 51 Superior 4 ................................................................................................................. 53 Baker .................................................................................................................................... 56 References..................................................................................................................... 59

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Frequently Used Terms

Abandoned mine methane: Methane that continues to be released from the coal bearing strata once a mine is closed and sealed. Coalbed methane: Methane that resides within coal seams. Coal mine methane: As coal mining proceeds, methane contained in the coal and surrounding strata may be released. This methane is referred to as coal mine methane since its liberation resulted from mining activity. Degasification system: A system that facilitates the removal of methane gas from a mine by ventilation and/or by drainage. However, the term is most commonly used to refer to removal of methane by drainage technology. Drainage system: A system that drains methane from coal seams and/or surrounding rock strata. These systems include vertical pre-mine wells, gob wells and in-mine boreholes. Ventilation system: A system that is used to control the concentration of methane within mine working areas. Ventilation systems consist of powerful fans that move large volumes of air through the mine workings to dilute methane concentrations. Methane drained: The amount of methane removed via a drainage system. Methane liberated: The total amount of methane that is released, or liberated, from the coal and surrounding rock strata during the mining process. This total is determined by summing the volume of methane emitted from the ventilation system and the volume of methane that is drained. Methane recovered: The amount of methane that is captured through methane drainage systems and is synonymous with "methane drained." Methane used: The amount of methane put to productive use (.e.g., natural gas pipeline injection, fuel for power generation, etc) Methane emissions: This is the total amount of methane that is not used and therefore emitted to the atmosphere. Methane emissions are calculated by subtracting the amount of methane used from the amount of methane liberated (emissions = liberated ? recovered/used).

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Frequently Used Abbreviations

AMM b

Abandoned Mine Methane Billion (109)

Btu

British Thermal Unit

cf

Cubic Feet

CH4 CBM

Methane Coalbed Methane

CMM

Coal Mine Methane

CO2 EPA

Carbon Dioxide Environmental Protection Agency

GWP

Global Warming Potential

IPCC m (or M) mm (or MM)

International Panel on Climate Change Thousand (103) Million (106)

MSHA

Mine Safety and Health Administration

MW

Megawatt

NA

Not Available

t

ton (short tons are used throughout this report)

Tg

Teragrams

Tg CO2 Eq.

Teragrams CO2 Equivalent

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Executive Summary

EPA has been focusing attention on methane emissions from abandoned underground coal mines for several years. For example, in 2004, EPA published an emissions methodology inventory for abandoned mine methane. This publication characterizes abandoned coal mines as a source of methane, presents a technical methodology to estimate methane emissions from abandoned mines in the United States, and lists roughly four hundred, (400) abandoned mines in the United States that were considered "gassy" at the time of closure. This publication has been well-received as a primer on the abandoned mine methane (AMM) sector. CMOP has also engaged in other efforts to better characterize and understand AMM emissions and opportunities, including follow-up work to research potential abandoned mine sites. CMOP also developed a generalized, universal AMM emissions estimation methodology that has been incorporated as part of the 2006 Emissions Inventory Guidelines for the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This report furthers interest in the AMM sector by developing an inventory of current and potential methane recovery projects at abandoned coal mine sites. The report identifies and explores the details of three abandoned mine methane projects in the Illinois Basin as successful examples.

A number of constraints were encountered in collecting data for this report. Due to today's climate related to homeland security in the United States, pipeline maps and information were not available for a public report of this nature. This prohibits specific pipeline data from being published at this time.

For mines abandoned in or after 1972, data are readily available, including comprehensive active mine emissions data, date of abandonment, number of gassy mines, mine status, and even coal production on a state and county basis. In contrast, most of the information needed to calculate emissions from abandoned mines is largely unknown for mines closed before 1972 as data is not available from MSHA. Emissions from the pre-1972 mines are characterized using the methodology described in USEPA (2004) on a regional, not individual mine basis. This prevented reporting on individual production and emissions from mines abandoned before 1972 as part of the profiling done in this report.

In addition to missing emissions and production data for mines abandoned before 1972, coal ownership and mine operators when active for mines abandoned before this time is not always readily available. Coal ownership information can be obtained where it was recorded by the county in which the mine is located for tax purposes. In some instances, coal ownership in more densely populated areas or with mines closed prior to the 1960s was not recorded. It is assumed that the coal rights have been released back to the multiple surface owners and are exempt from taxes, therefore no longer recorded. In order to obtain coal and surface ownership information, visits to county offices in the key counties of interest will be required.

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1. Introduction

All underground and surface coal mining liberates methane (CH4) as part of the normal mining operations. The amount of CH4 liberated depends on the amount that resides in the coal ("in situ") and surrounding strata when mining occurs. The in-situ CH4 content depends upon the amount of CH4 created during the coal formation (i.e., coalification) process, and the geologic characteristics of the coal seams. During coalification, more deeply buried deposits tend to generate more CH4 and retain more of the gas after uplift to minable depths. Deep underground coal seams generally have higher CH4 contents than shallow coal seams or surface deposits.

Underground coal mines contribute the largest share of CH4 emissions, with active underground mines the leading source of underground emissions. However, mines also continue to release CH4 after closure. As mines mature and coal seams are mined through, mines close and are abandoned. Many are sealed and some flood through intrusion of groundwater or surface water into the void. Shafts or portals are generally filled with gravel and capped with a concrete seal, while vent pipes and boreholes are plugged in a manner similar to oil and gas wells. Some abandoned mines are vented to the atmosphere to prevent the buildup of CH4 that may find its way to surface structures through overburden fractures. As work stops within the mines, the CH4 liberation decreases but it does not stop completely. Following an initial decline, abandoned mines can liberate CH4 at a near-steady rate over an extended period of time, or, if flooded, produce gas for only a few years. The gas can migrate to the surface through the conduits described above, particularly if they have not been sealed adequately. In addition, diffuse emissions can occur when CH4 migrates to the surface through cracks and fissures in the strata overlying the coal mine. The following factors influence abandoned mine emissions:

? Time since abandonment; ? Gas content and adsorption characteristics of coal; ? CH4 flow capacity of the mine; ? Mine flooding; ? Presence of vent holes; and ? Mine seals.

Gross abandoned mine CH4 emissions ranged from 6.0 to 9.0 Tg CO2 Eq. from 1990 through 2004, varying, in general, by approximately 1 to 18 percent from year to year. Fluctuations were due mainly to the number of mines closed during a given year as well as the magnitude of the emissions from those mines when active. Abandoned mine emissions peaked in 1996 (9.0 Tg CO2 Eq.) due to the large number of mine closures from 1994 to 1996 (70 gassy mines closed during the three-year period). In spite of this rapid rise, abandoned mine emissions have been generally on the decline since 1996. There were fewer than thirteen gassy mine closures during each of the years from 1998 through 2004, with only one closure in 2004. By 2004, abandoned mine emissions were reduced to 5.7 Tg CO2 Eq. See Figure 1-1.

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Figure 1-1: Methane Emissions from Abandoned Mines Over Time in Tg CO2 Equivalent

Methane Emissions (Tg CO2 Eq)

9.00 8.00 7.00

6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00

2.00 1.00 0.00

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Year

At present, recovery occurs at 44 abandoned mines in the U.S. Table 1-1 shows the coal basin and states where abandoned mine recovery projects are occurring. Of these projects, all but two are pipeline injection projects. The remaining two projects are direct sales projects. Section 2.0 of this report highlights three abandoned mine methane recovery projects in the Illinois Basin.

Table 1-1: Breakdown of AMM Projects by Coal Basin and State

Coal Basin

State

Number of Abandoned Mines

with Recovery

Central Appalachian

Virginia

5

Northern Appalachian Ohio

2

Northern Appalachian Pennsylvania

1

Northern Appalachian West Virginia

6

Raton

Colorado

1

Illinois

Illinois

27

Illinois

Indiana

1

Warrior

Alabama

1

Total

44

In addition to profiling three successful abandoned mine methane projects; the report identifies 14 mines as potential candidates for projects. Table 1-2 summarizes the mines profiled by coal basin and state.

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