A project, entitled "Research and Application of Underground Vaporization of Coal" has passed the ministerial test and appraisal recently. This indicates that China is among the few countries that have mastered this advanced technology.
The project, initiated by the Shandong Xinwen Mining Group and China Mining University, may render the underground coal under controlled combustion, which consequently can produce combustible gas that can be directly used.
This technology proved applicable after a successful experiment was made in the Suncun Mine, where the evaporation furnaces, which are installed underground and without workers on the spot, operated smoothly and efficiently.
Therefore, the building of pits, mining coal and vaporization can be integrated organically. According to experts, this technology may be used to exploit the large amount of high-sulphur coal, protective coal pillars in deserted mines, and coal buried under rivers, bridges and buildings.
Through this technological innovation, Xinwen Group can yield 40,000 cubic meters of water-gas, which has been supplied to more than 10 thousand households and some industrial boilers.
(People's Daily 11/16/2000)
