METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

Part I - Technologies:

A) Methane Combustion
TECHNOLOGY CONTACTS
i. Gas Engines Internal combustion engines suitable for
CMM include: Caterpillar, GE Jenbacher,
Waukesha, Deutz, MAN, plus others
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (Power
Systems Headquarters)
http://www.mhi.co.jp
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co
Ltd (Power Plant Division)
http://www.ihi.co.jp
Mitsui Engineering and Ship building Co
Ltd (Power Systems Sales Department)
http://www.mes.co.jp
DESCRIPTION
Caterpillar has introduced a larger, more efficient model that is
suitable for CMM, landfill methane, natural gas. The CAT ™
G3520 Gas Engine produces 1600kW with an efficiency of about
40% and NOx ratings as low as 0.5 g/bhp-hr.
Minimum methane concentration for gas engines may be as low
as 25%.
World's highest generation efficiency level gas engines.
Investigating the application of CMM and VAM.
High efficiency gas engines for CMM and VAM
High efficiency gas engines for CMM and VAM

ii. Gas Turbines, including
microturbines
Several manufacturers make gas turbines A wide variety of gas turbines may be fuelled with CMM. For
and microturbines to run on VAM: Solar best results, methane concentration should be maintained above
(division of Caterpillar), ALSTOM Power, 35% with minimal variability.
General Electric, Turbo Power (United
Technologies), Rolls Royce, Hitachi,
Capstone, Ingersoll-Rand, etc

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (gas turbine High efficiency gas turbine for CMM and VAM
business centre)
http://khi.co.jp/gasturbine/

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION
iii. Co-firing boiler for CMM
and coal
TECHNOLOGY
There are six basic processes
that may be used to reject
nitrogen, the major contaminant
for CMM upgrading:
i. Solvent Absorption
ii. Pressure Swing Adsorption
– (PSA)
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co
Ltd
(Power Plant Division)
http://www.ihi.co.jp
B) Drainage Gas Purification for Pipeline/Town Gas
CONTACTS
Advanced Extraction Technology
Tom Gaskin, VP Technology
T. (281) 447-0571
E-mail: tomg@aet.com
http://www.aet.com/home.htm
Gas Separation Technologies, LLC
Major Seery, President
T. (303) 430-1430
mseery@gassep.com
http://www.gassep.com
Northwest Fuel Development, Inc.
2
Co-firing boiler for CMM and coal / low grade coal.
DESCRIPTION
Sometimes referred to as Selective Absorption, this process uses
specific solvents that have different absorption capacities with
respect to different gas species. For CMM, a solvent selectively
absorbs methane while rejecting a nitrogen-rich stream in a
refrigerated environment. The petroleum industry commonly uses
selective absorption to enrich gas streams. AET has no experience
with CMM.
In most PSA nitrogen rejection systems, wide-pore carbon
molecular sieves selectively adsorb nitrogen and methane at
different rates in an equilibrium condition. In a CMM stream
containing a mixture of air (nitrogen and oxygen) and methane,
methane is preferentially adsorbed during each pressurization
cycle. The process recycles methane-rich gas so that methane
proportions increase with each cycle. PSA recovers up to 95
percent of available methane and may operate on a continuous
 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION
iii. Molecular Gate
iv. Cryogenic Separation –
Peet Sööt, PhD, President
T. (503) 699-9836
nwfuel@northwestfuel.com
http://www.northwestfuel.com
Engelhard Corporation
Michael Mitariten
Iselin, NJ 08830-0770
T. (732) 205-5000
Michael.Mitariten@engelhard.com
www.engelhard.com
BCCK Engineering, Inc.
R. Clark Butts, P.E., President
Greg Hall, Sales Manager
Midland, TX 79705
Tel: (915) 685-6095
Greg Hall: greghall@bcck.com
3
basis with minimal on-site attention. PSA systems have excellent
turndown capability so they are able to operate effectively with
gas flowing at a fraction of rated capacity. Gas Separation
Technologies uses zeolite instead of wide-pore carbon molecular
sieve adsorbents. Neither vendor has built a full-scale facility.
This process removes nitrogen and other contaminants from the
methane, whereas other processes remove the methane from the
nitrogen. For safety reasons, most of the oxygen must be removed
upstream of the molecular gate system. The process uses a new
type of molecular sieve that has the unique ability to adjust pore
size openings within an accuracy of 0.1 angstrom. For CMM, the
sieve pore size is set smaller than the molecular diameter of
methane and larger than the molecular diameters or nitrogen,
oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water. This permits the nitrogen and
other contaminants to enter the pore and be adsorbed while
excluding the methane, which passes through the fixed bed of
adsorbent at essentially the same pressure as the feed.
The molecular gate process employs a PSA operation by
“swinging” the adsorbent bed pressure from a high-pressure feed
step that adsorbs the contaminants to a low-pressure regeneration
step to remove the previously adsorbed contaminants. Engelhard
has installed three full-scale plants operating on methane from
abandoned mines.
The cryogenic process uses a series of heat exchangers to liquefy
the high-pressure feed gas stream. The mixture is then flashed and
a nitrogen-rich stream vents from a distillation separator, leaving
the methane-rich stream. To avoid the danger of explosion within
the plant, designers locate the deoxygenation system at the plant
inlet. Cryogenic plants have the highest methane recovery rate
 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION
v. Membrane Separation
vi. Centrifugal Separation
C) Ventilation Air Methane Mitigation and Utilisation via Thermal Oxidation.
TECHNOLOGY
i. PF Power Stations
www.bcck.com (i.e., about 98 percent) of any of the technologies. Large-scale
cryogenic plants have become a standard and economic solution
for upgrading below-specification gas from natural gas fields, but
they tend to be much less cost-effective at sizes below 5 mmscfd.
BCCK has installed three full-sized plants that upgrade CMM to
pipeline quality gas.
Membrane Technology and Research (with The process uses membranes to selectively pass methane, ethane,
ABB) and higher hydrocarbons while retaining nitrogen. A simple one-
stage membrane unit would be appropriate for feed gas containing
about 6 to 8 percent nitrogen, but more commonly (where nitrogen
concentrations are higher) a two-stage membrane system would be
required. USEPA has received little information on this
technology.
Bose Research and Development The Bose System's Centrifugal Separation process is based on the
www.reducingglobalwarming.com molecular weight difference of the gas species contained in the
CMM/AMM gases recovered. The Bose System has shown gas
separation efficiencies of 70-75% in the automobile exhaust
application.
CONTACTS DESCRIPTION
Power Coal If ventilation air can be delivered to a large fuel consumer, such as
(The proposed project to link underground a coal-fired power station boiler, it can readily replace ambient air
mines to a power station ceased) for all or part of the combustion air requirements. However, in
general, power stations are not convenient to all gassy mines and
this limits the suitability of this technique.
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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

ii. Hybrid Waste Coal/Methane ComEnergy CSIRO has been developing a coal mine waste methane/coal
(VAM) Combustion in Kiln Phone 61-7-3878 7622 utilisation technology, with the aim of not only mitigating mine
Email Info@ComEnergy.com.au methane and waste coal, but to also of recovering energy for
www.comenergy.com.au power generation. The VAM/coal mixture burns in a rotary kiln,
and the sensible heat from the products of combustion is captured
in an air-to-air heat exchanger. Clean, pressurized, heated air
expands in a gas turbine, which operates an electric generator.

iii. Hybrid Waste Coal Methane A proposed concept, no real development Fluidised beds suspend solid fuels on upward blowing jets of air
Combustion in Fluidised on this yet. during the combustion process. The result is a turbulent mixing of
Bed gas and solids. The tumbling action, much like a bubbling fluid,
provides for high chemical reaction rates and heat transfer.

iv. Thermal Flow Reversal 1. MEGTEC Systems Ventilation air enters reactor and flows in one direction into a
Reactor (TFRR), also Richard Mattus preheated ceramic bed that increases its temperature to above the
Flameless Thermal RMATTUS@MEGTEC.SE ignition point of methane (i.e., 1,832oF or 1,000oC). Oxidation of
Oxidation (FTO) and Goteborg, Sweden the VAM takes place in the bed, and the hot products of oxidation
Regenerative Thermal T. 46 31 65 7800 continue through the bed, losing heat to the far side of the bed in
Oxidation (RTO) http://www.megtec.com the process. When the far side of the bed is sufficiently hot, the
reactor automatically reverses the direction of ventilation airflow
2. Biothermica, Montréal, Québec H2L 1J6 to maintain the thermal environment necessary to continue the
T. 514.488.3881 auto-oxidation process in the oxidizer core. The installations of the
biothermica@biothermica.com flameless and NOx free VOCSIDIZER process from MEGTEC
has been demonstrated at four coal mine sites in Europe, Australia
and in the USA. Some MEGTEC demonstrations include energy
recovery.

v. Recuperative lean-burn gas EDL. The development ceased. EDL technology is a recuperative gas turbine, which uses heat
turbine from the combustion process to preheat the air containing methane
to the auto-ignition temperature (in the range of 700-1000 degrees

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

Celsius), with the combusted gas being used to drive a turbine.

D) Ventilation Air Methane Mitigation and Utilisation via Catalytic Oxidation

TECHNOLOGY
i. Catalytic Monolith Reactor
CONTACTS
For VAM mitigation purpose
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organization (CSIRO)
Exploration and Mining
www.csiro.com.au
DESCRIPTION
Catalytic monolith reactor technology uses a honeycomb type
monolithic reactor which is a type of reactor in common use due to
its outstanding characteristics of very low pressure drop at high
mass flows, high geometrical area, and high mechanical strength.
Monoliths consist of a structure of parallel channels with walls
coated by a porous support containing catalytically active
particles.

ii. Catalytic lean-burn gas
turbines
1. VAMCAT by CSIRO
2. Ingersoll-Rand Microturbine
3. FlexEnergy Microturbine
There are several lean–burn gas turbines being developed in the
world. These include CSIRO lean-burn catalytic turbine,
Ingersoll-Rand microturbine, and the FlexEnergy Microturbine.
In general, the catalytic turbine intakes a very lean fuel/air
mixture, and compresses it, and combusts it in a catalytic
combustor. The turbine operates at low temperatures, so does not
use combustion air for dilution and internal cooling, thus allowing
the air intake to contain methane.

iii. Catalytic lean-burn gas Dr. Shi Su CSIRO, with the support of the Australian Greenhouse Office and
turbine Shi.su@csiro.au China’s Shanghai Jiaotong University and Huainan Coal Mining
VAMCAT by CSIRO CSIRO Exploration and Mining Group will construct the first VAMCAT pilot-scale demonstration
Queensland Centre for Advanced unit at a coal mine in China.
Technologies
Technology Court

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

Pullenvale QLD 4069

Australia

iv. Catalytic lean-burn gas
microturbine by Ingersoll-
Rand
Ingersoll-Rand Energy Systems
Davidson, NC, USA
T. 704 896 4358
E-mail: Patrick_rienks@irco.com
Ingersoll-Rand (IR) has developed a microturbine that will run on
1.0% ventilation air methane (VAM), and as low as 0.86%. It is a
lean-fuel version of PowerWorks Microturbine System. The
current prototype is rated at 70 kW and is designed for remote
outdoor installations.

v. Catalytic lean-burn gas
microturbine by FlexEnergy
Edan Prabhu, President The FlexEnergy Microturbine, adapted from the commercially
FlexEnergy available Capstone microturbine, is designed to accept a wide
22922 Tiagua range of fuels, including VAM. A FlexEnergy unit can achieve
Mission Viejo, CA 92692, USA full power with fuel as low as 1.3% methane (~ 13 Btu/ft3)
T. 949 380-4899 delivered at atmospheric pressure. Even lower concentrations may
E-Mail: edanprabhu@cox.net be used, but will not generate full power. The fuel/air mixture is
compressed and then oxidized in a catalytic combustor. The hot
compressed gases expand in the turbine to power the 30 kW
generator. The compressor and combustor are contained within a
compact turbine module.

FlexEnergy is seeking sites for demonstration projects on ultra-

low Btu fuels including VAM. The company intends to develop
the system to run on lower Btu fuels (target 1.0% methane
concentration). Development of larger units (60 kW and 200 kW)
is under consideration as well.

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION
vi. Catalytic Flow Reversal
Reactor (CFRR)
TECHNOLOGY
i. Concentration
ii. Gas upgrading system
CH4MIN System by CANMET
Hristo Sapoundjiev
T. 450 652 5789
Varennes, Quebec, Canada
http://cedrl.mets.nrcan.gc.ca
E) Enriching Dilute Methane
CONTACTS
CSIRO and Australian Coal Association
Research Program
Bose Research and Development Inc
www.reducingglobalwarming.com
Gas and Power Investment Co Ltd
(Energy and Business Development
8
The CFRR has the same basic design and operation as the TFRR,
except that oxidation takes place in the presence of a catalyst at
temperatures well below the 1000oC needed for the TFRR. As yet
there is no design to use the energy released. The system has been
demonstrated at small scale in the CANMET laboratory.
DESCRIPTION
Concentrators have been applied to several industries to capture
volatile organic compounds. A concentrator of this type could be
used to enrich methane in mine ventilation air to levels that meet
the requirements of lean-burn methane utilisation technologies,
such as catalytic and recuperative gas turbines. This involves
taking the 0.1-0.9 % methane stream and increasing the methane
to a concentration of greater than 20 %.
This technology is currently under development by CSIRO and
ACARP.
A battery of Bose System Gas Turbines (US Patent Pending No.
11/394,576) using compressed VAM from active coal mines can
be shown to centrifugally separate the methane from 0.1 – 0.9%
VAM to a concentration of greater than 20%, for use in micro
turbines.
The unit increasing concentration of methane for CMM and VAM
 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

Department)
http://gasandpower.co.jp
hamaguti@gasandpower.co.jp

F) Measuring and Monitoring Methane

TECHNOLOGY CONTACTS DESCRIPTION
i. Gas simulation software Japan Coal Energy Centre (Resources (1) PC based simulation software for emission and recovery of
(1) MGF – 3D Development Department) coal mine methane developed by JCOAL
(2) COSFLOW http://www.jcoal.or.jp (2) Computer simulation software for emission and recovery of
(3) KAZEMARU (1) tomita@jcoal.or.jp coalmine methane developed by CSIRO and JCOAL
(2) Matsuyama@jcoal.or.jp (3) PC based simulation system to analyse mine ventilation
(3) li@jcoal.or.jp network, developed by JCOAL

ii. Gas contents analysis Japan Coal Energy Centre (Resources Portable and compact gas analysing apparatus to measure gas
apparatus Development Department) contents in coal on site
http://www.jcoal.or.jp
tomita@jcoal.or.jp

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION
Part II - Technology Applications (Methane Utilization Projects):
TECHNOLOGY
i. Surface to inseam (coal
seams below the surface)
ii. Surface to inseam (coal
seams exposure in high wall
mining)
iii. Pre drainage (in seam,
underground coal mining)
iv. Post drainage (post
mining/goaf, underground
coal mining)
A) Drilling
CONTACTS DESCRIPTION
Wilkie Creek, Xstrata Coal seam methane is drained from the virgin seam several years
Newlands, Xstrata in advance of mining. Usually vertical holes are drilled
Grasstree, Anglo Coal approximately one kilometre a part and directional drilling
technology is used to drill horizontally through the coal seam to
connect the vertical wells. Firstly water is drained from the coal
seam followed by a constant supply of >90% methane.
Dawson Seamgas Coal seam methane is drained from exposed high walls with a
Moura Mine series of horizontal wells into both highwall and underground
German Creek seams several years in advance of coal mining. Approximately 3
Anglo Coal Australia PJ of coal mine methane per year is supplied from this colliery to
Anglo Coal Australia Pty Ltd the regional transmission line. A gas processing plant located on
Phone +61 7 3834 1333 site dehydrates and compresses the gas before delivering it to the
www.anglocoal.com.au pipeline. Methane concentration is >90%.
Appin, BHPB In seam drilling involves drilling a series of holes into the coal
German Creek, Anglo Coal seam in a fan formation. These holes, approximately 250 -290
Newlands, Xstrata meters long, are drilled from underground roadways as connected
West cliff, BHPB through a drainage pipe network. Methane concentration varies
from 60-80%.
Appin, BHPB Methane is collected from the goaf following long wall operations.
Dartbrook, Anglo Coal This results in drainage gas with a concentration of approximately
West Cliff, BHPB 40-70% methane.
Central Colliery, Anglo Coal
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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

Note: Conventional technologies, including gas engines, can be used for high concentration drainage gas from the above activities with methane
content greater than 30 percent.

B) Methane Combustion
TECHNOLOGY CONTACTS DESCRIPTION
i. Gas Flaring Shell A flaring facility at the Central colliery burns methane converting
Central Colliery at the German Creek Coal it into CO2 and water. In addition to providing immediate
Mine, Qld greenhouse gas savings, the flare will complement any future more
Shell Coal productive use of the gas by burning excess gas from other
Tel 07 3834 1215 processes.
www.shell.com.au
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/challenge/m
embers/success-stories/shell.htm
Note: Central Colliery will closing by the
end of 2006. Shell sold all its Australian
coal interests to Anglo America Corp.

ii. Gas Engines Envirogen Pty Ltd Internal combustion gas engine projects that have been installed in
Okay Creek Australia.
Tahmoor Colliery
Teralba and Billambi Mines Retrofit of the Bose M2M System No.1 for concentrating the 30%
purity CMM to 80% concentration, will result in an estimated I.C.
Energy Developments Ltd (EDL) Engine / Alternator efficiency increase from 18% to 28% giving
German Creek Coal Mine significant IRR (ROI) on Bose System Investment costs.

http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/ggap/
successfulprojects/teralba_northgoonyella.h
tml

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

iii. Fuel Cell FuelCell Energy, Inc.
3 Great Pasture Road
Danbury, CT 06813
DOE Contract DE-FC26-00NT40979
Fuel cell operation is a chemical reaction of fuel in water that
creates an electric potential between two electrodes. The chemical
energy of the reaction is converted to electricity and heat. A fuel
cell can operate on low-Btu CMM with a methane content of 40%
or higher.

FuelCell Energy (FCE) with support from the U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
and Northwest Fuel Development demonstrated the use of CMM
in a 250kW carbonate Direct FuelCell® power plant at a test site
in Hopedale, Ohio, USA.

At current fuel cell costs and electric power rates, subsidies would
be required to make the cost of CMM/fuel cell-based electricity
competitive. FCE is currently engaged in an aggressive cost
reduction program to reduce the plant’s capital cost. The company
anticipates that future power plants utilizing CMM will produce
power at competitive costs.

C) Ventilation Air Methane Mitigation and Utilisation via Thermal Oxidation.

TECHNOLOGY CONTACTS DESCRIPTION
i. VAM fuelled Power Plant BHP Billiton and MEGTEC Systems WestVAMP is a large scale demonstration project abating
by MEGTEC – Westcliff Colliery the VAM of 250 000 Nm3/h (150 000 scfm) of ventilation
VOCSIDIZER http://www.bhpbilliton.com/bb/ air, representing approx 1/5 of the total flow, and generating
newsCentre/newsAtBhpBillitonDetail. high grade steam driving a 6 MWe conventional steam
jsp?id=News/2004/News@BHPBilliton290604.html turbine. The project is partly funded by Australian
Greenhouse Office (AGO).

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

Richard Mattus, RMATTUS@MEGTEC.SE
The project, located alongside existing surface facilities at
West Cliff Colliery, is based upon VOCSIDIZER™
technology developed by emission control specialist
MEGTEC System by combining conventional technology in
a new (patented) way, allowing to utilize VAM as fuel for
generating electricity. This system converts low
concentration methane to carbon dioxide (CO2) and water
vapour though an oxidation, or flameless combustion,
process. High efficiency heat exchangers recover the large
amounts of thermal energy released to produce high quality
steam. This steam is used to drive a conventional steam
turbine to generate electricity. MEGTEC has the only
technology that has reached this stage of development.

A VOCSIDIZER system without an electrical power

generation section may be used for generating thermal
energy for heating or cooling, or it can be operated in
oxidation-only mode to merely mitigate VAM emissions.

ii. VAM Energy Recovery by BHP Billiton, ACARP and MEGTEC Systems Demonstration of Energy Recovery from VAM by during
MEGTEC – Appin Colliery 12 months in 2001 - 2002 boiling water using only VAM as
VOCSIDIZER fuel for the process. Demonstration was partly funded by
Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP),
who in 2005 awarded it as the Best Green House Gas
Project supported by ACARP.
iii. VAM Abatement in the CONSOL Energy, US Environmental Protection This large scale installation of 50 000 Nm3/h (30 000 scfm)
US by MEGTEC - Agency (EPA), US Department Of Energy (DOE) is installed on an abandoned mine in West Virginia and is
VOCSIDIZER and MEGTEC Systems injecting mine gas of fluctuating concentration into fresh air
in order to simulate VAM, and to demonstrate the efficient
abatement thereof. It also demonstrates obtaining a steady
VAM concentration by injecting CMM into a large air flow.

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 METHANE TECHNOLOGIES FOR MITIGATION AND UTILISATION

iv. Gas Engine Power Station Appin Gas Engine Power Plant Used as combustion air for gas engines to supplement CMM
using Ventilation Air EDL and natural gas fuel supply. The process has the potential to
Methane (VAM) (ventilation air supply ceased due to gas cleaning contribute up to 10% of a plant’s fuel supply. The use of
economic issue) VAM as combustion air in gas turbines is a feasible option
as well.

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