FINAL REPORT

Quantification of Ventilation Air Methane Emission from Gassy

Underground Coal Mines in India

Submitted to:

United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)

Washington, D.C.
(Program Manager: Dr. Jayne Somers)

Prepared by:
Satya Harpalani
Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois, USA
and
Basanta K. Prusty
Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, India

November 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES

iii

LIST OF TABLES .

iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND UNITS .

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

vi-vii

1.

Introduction and Background .

2.

Motivation for Present Study .

3.

Objectives ..

4.

Description of Mines .

5.

Procedures Used

10

6.

Results and Analysis .

13

7.

VAM Quantification .

23

8.

VAM Utilization Potential

26

9.

Summary and Conclusions ..

28

10. Future Work .

29

ACKNOWLWDGEMENTS

30

REFERENCES .

31

APPENDIX I
Paper, Ninth International Mine Ventilation Congress, New Delhi, India:
Quantification of Ventilation Air Methane and its Utilization Potential at
Utilization Potential at Moonidih Underground Coal Mine, India .

32

APPENDIX II
Methane Concentration Measurements ...

ii

42

LIST OF FIGURES
1. Map of India showing locations of Moonidih and Sudamdih mines

2. Typical path of a traverse .

12

3. Typical variation of VAM concentration for Moonidih mine eight hours

15

4. Weekly variation of VAM concentration at Moonidih mine one month ...

15

5. Monthly variation of VAM concentration at Moonidih mine six months

16

6. Variation of coal production at Moonidih mine on sampling days ....

16

7. Typical variation of VAM concentration for Sudamdih mine nine hours .

20

8. Monthly variation of VAM concentration at Sudamdih mine six months .

21

9. Variation of daily coal production at Sudamdih mine on sampling days .

21

10. A typical gob showing impact of overlying seams

26

iii

LIST OF TABLES
1. Critical parameters of Moonidih and Sudamdih mines ..

2. Methane profile of Moonidih mine .

18

3. Q- and c- survey data for Moonidih mine ..

19

4. Sealed-off area gas quality at Moonidih mine

19

5. Methane profile of Sudamdih mine

22

6. Q- and c- survey data for Sudamdih mine .

23

7. Sealed-off area gas quality at Sudamdih mine ..

23

8. VAM estimation for Moonidih mine .

24

9. VAM estimation for Sudamdih mine .

26

iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND UNITS

VAM: ventilation air methane
Q: airflow quantity
Q-survey: measurement of airflow quantity
c: methane concentration
c-survey: measurement of methane concentration
MH: meter horizon (term for different levels within the mine)
A1, F-3, ML, D-11: names given to different stoppings of sealed off areas, with tappings
to collect samples
DR: belt loading station
X, XI, XII: numbers of the seams
E/W: east and west side
CO 2e : carbon dioxide equivalent
v/v: volumetric basis
m: meters
t: tons
Mt: million tons
m3/t: cubic meters per ton
tpd: tons per day
m3/min: cubic meters of airflow per minute
Mm3: million cubic meters
Tm3: trillion cubic meters
Mm3/yr: million cubic meters per year
t/yr: tons per year
v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Emission of ventilation air methane (VAM) from underground coal mining
operations into atmosphere, although very low in concentration, contributes significantly
to the greenhouse effect responsible for global warming. On the other hand, it represents
a wasted resource of immense value. During the last few years, effort has been made to
extract energy from VAM in Australia, US and China using the various technologies
developed to do so from lean methane/air mixture. However, the potential of application
of these technologies has not been assessed for mining operations in India.
The potential of VAM utilization from Indian coal mines is critically dependent
on concentration of methane and its variation over time, given the low coal production
rates from most underground operations. Hence, a preliminary study was undertaken to
assess the VAM resource and its utilization potential at two gassy underground mines in
Jharia Coalfield in India: Moonidih and Sudamdih. These two mines are classified as
Degree III gassy mines according to Indian guidelines, that is, mines with very high gas
emission rate per ton of coal produced.
VAM emission from the two mines studied were measured and characterized in
order to evaluate its utilization potential. A systematic measurement procedure was
carried out over a period of time to measure airflow and methane concentration in the
mine exhaust and various air routes underground. Also, detailed air quantity and methane
concentration surveys were carried out in order to study the characteristics of methane
release from these mines. The measured emission data for a period of six months was
used to calculate the average methane concentration in the exhaust air and analyzed for
consistency of the emissions. A correlation with coal production was established to

vi

enable dividing the overall emission into two categories, one that is dependent on the
amount of coal produced while the second component that is fixed and independent of
production. Finally, based on measured data, the potential of application of suitable VAM
utilization methods was ascertained.
The results of the study showed that Sudamdih mine does not have any potential
of utilizing VAM at this time due to the extremely low methane concentrations, primarily
due to very low coal production rate. For Moonidih mine, at the current rate of
production, VAM concentration is not high enough to justify its utilization. However, in
the event of increased coal production, currently planned for the near future, there may be
a good potential that the VAM can be utilized to generate electrical power by applying
any of the flow reversal technologies. Also, the hybrid combustion technology that
utilizes both VAM and coal middlings can be applied since the middling can be sourced
from the coal washing plant located close to the mine. The plant would also provide a
market for the energy so produced.
Finally, there were two important findings that were peripheral to the planned
work. First, emission depends on the climatic conditions, the rate being higher during the
summer months. Second, the concentration of methane in sealed off areas of the mine is
very high, varying between 60 and 100%. Also, this concentration varies over time, that
is, these areas breathe. This suggests that there is leakage of methane from the sealed
off areas into the mine, resulting in decreased concentration in the areas but increase in
VAM concentration. It also suggests that there is influx of methane from other sources,
like other coal seams in the vicinity since this area of Jharia coalfield has multiple seams,
as many as thirty in some locations.

vii

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Coal Mining in India
Coal mining industry in India is growing at a rapid state in order to keep up with
the energy needs of the country. The annual coal production was 493 million tons (Mt) in
2008-09. The surface mining operations account for approximately 85% share of the total
coal production. Although the share of underground mines has gradually decreased over
the last three decades, it has stabilized at 15%, and is expected to increase because of
increased focus of Coal India Limited, the major coal producer in the country, on
underground mining. However, increased coal production from underground mines, will
require effective and efficient management of increasing methane emissions from deeper
coals while optimizing the cost of circulating increasing quantities of fresh air in order to
fulfill the ventilation and safety requirements as well as maintain proper working
conditions underground.
Methane Emission from Underground Coal Mines
Coal is a storehouse of natural gas consisting of methane, CO 2 and other
hydrocarbons. Methane constitutes more than 80% of the total gas present in coal. The
methane-rich gas is released into the mine workings in underground coal mines posing a
serious risk of explosions. To prevent this, large volume of air is circulated in
underground coal mines by fans, which dilute the methane-rich air and discharge it to
atmosphere. An outcome of atmospheric methane is the resulting greenhouse effect since
methane is twenty times more damaging than carbon dioxide, the number one greenhouse
gas. Atmospheric methane emissions from Indian coal mining and handling activities for
the year 2000 was estimated to be 0.72 Mt using the methodology developed by the

Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR) (CMRI, 2003). Quantification of
emissions for the last few years is not available. If International Panel for Climate
Change (IPCC) emission factors are used, the estimated methane emission from Indian
coal mines is estimated to be between 0.54 to 1.69 Mt (Singh et al, 2009). However, at
this time, there is no data available for estimates of methane emission from specific
underground coal mines in India.
As per the Directorate General of Mine Safety (DGMS) in India, underground
coal mines are categorized into three different degrees of gassiness, namely Degree I, II
and III, depending on the volume of gas emitted per ton of coal mined. Degree III mines
typically emit methane at a rate greater than 10 cubic meters per ton (m3/t) of coal mined.
At this time, there are 16 Degree III mines in the country, many of which are located in
the gas-rich Jharia and Eastern Coalfields. According to the CIMFR study (2003), the
emission factor during active mining stage of a typical Degree III mine is 23.6 m3/t,
significantly higher than that from Degree II and I mines, for which the corresponding
factors are 13.1 and 2.9 m3/t respectively.
Ventilation Air Methane
The mine air coming out mine via the exhaust shaft and discharging into
atmosphere contains methane in very small concentrations, typically less than 0.7%. The
methane present in this ventilation air is known as the ventilation air methane (VAM).
Although the concentration of VAM is very small, considering the large volume of mine
ventilation air, it contributes to atmospheric methane emission in a significant way. The
worldwide VAM constitutes about 75% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from
coal mining activity (USEPA, 2003). In line with the statistics worldwide, it is expected

that contribution of VAM towards atmospheric methane from Indian coal mines is
probably high although the exact contribution is not known. Also, VAM emission data
for individual mines are not available since no VAM assessment and utilization studies
have been undertaken to date
VAM Utilization
Utilization of VAM for generation of energy and a means of methane destruction
has been considered as an option for the last several years. The technologies developed
not only abate emission of a potent greenhouse gas, but also generate a value added
benefit from wasted resource in the form of usable energy. However, utilization of VAM
is challenging because of low and varying concentrations of methane in the mine air. The
large quantities of mine exhaust air typically encountered also offer engineering
challenges in the design of systems that are economical and do not hamper the efficiency
of the mine ventilation system. The main commercial barrier to utilization of VAM is that
the mine would probably not be interested in implementing such a system unless it is well
demonstrated to be profitable/beneficial. This is particularly true for Indian conditions,
where underground coal production is low and mines struggle continuously to improve
their productivity.
The various techniques for utilization of VAM generally use the principle of
thermal oxidation or catalytic oxidation of methane to produce heat, which is then used as
a source of useful energy. The technologies for utilization of VAM are classified into
three broad categories: 1) ancillary use technology, 2) principal use technology, and 3)
other technology. A brief description of these techniques is given elsewhere (Srivastava
and Harpalani; 2006, Somers, 2008)

2. MOTIVATION FOR THE PRESENT STUDY

VAM utilization technologies have been successfully demonstrated at mine sites
in other countries. A growing number of mines are adopting these to generate energy
from utilizing VAM or earn carbon credits. However, to date, there has been no effort in
India to utilize VAM in spite of the obvious advantages of reduction in greenhouse gas
emission as well as generation of a part of mines energy requirement. Moreover, India
being a non-Annex I country, the reduction of greenhouse gas emission would also be
eligible for carbon credits thus resulting in generation of additional revenues by utilizing
the VAM. One of the primary reasons for this absence of any VAM utilization projects in
India is the lack of demonstrated technical and economic feasibility of such projects at
specific sites. Successful demonstration of VAM utilization at any Indian mine site(s)
would give mine operators the confidence that such projects are, in fact, viable under
Indian conditions.
At the time this study was initiated, there was no real time VAM emission data
available for Indian coal mines. Hence, the study completed and reported here was
funded by the Methane to Market (M2M) Partnership program of the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as a pre-feasibility study to quantify the
methane emissions into atmosphere from a gassy underground coal mine in India. In
order to select the mines to serve as the best sites for case studies, a preliminary literature
review was carried out to evaluate the gassiness of suitable candidates for the study. After
a preliminary evaluation, Moonidih mine in Jharia coalfield and Chinakuri mine in
Raniganj coalfield were selected for the study. However, during the course of the study,
Chinakuri mine was placed on stand-by status due to some production problem and an

alternate mine site had to be identified. Sudamdih mine, also in Jharia coalfield, was
selected as the site for the second case study. Brief description of the two mines is given
in a later section.
3. OBJECTIVES
The specific objective of this study was to quantify the VAM emissions at
Moonidih and Sudamdih mines and conduct a technical pre-feasibility study of VAM
utilization at these mines. The work was aimed at developing a reliable procedure to
quantify the VAM from underground coal mines in India that would work well for future
VAM quantification studies as well. The overall objective was to encourage the
application of this practice at gassy mining operations in India.
4. DESCRIPTION OF THE MINES
Moonidih Mine
Moonidih mine is located in the state of Jharkhand, located sixteen kilometers
from Dhanbad city, well recognized as the coal capital of India. The location of the mine
is shown in Figure 1. With total geological reserves of 1245 million tons (Mt), it is one of
the largest underground coal mines in India. It is also one of the gassiest mines in India,
categorized as Degree III mine. The mine started operation in 1965. The gas content of
the coal seams varies between 6 to 15 m3/t of coal. The mine practices longwall mining
method and is currently mining two faces using shearers. The mine development is
carried out by roadheaders and continuous miners. The actual production is carried out by
longwall retreating method with caving, using powered supports at the face and a single
drum shearer as the coal cutting machine. Although planned for higher capacity, the

present production has decreased to less than 1000 ton per day because of the inability of
the mine operator to adopt modern underground mining technology.
Jharkhand

Moonidih Mine

Sudamdih Mine

Figure 1: Map of India showing locations of Moonidih and Sudamdih mines.

The mine is currently operating at a maximum depth of over 600 m. The annual
coal production is ~ 200,000 tons, which corresponds to an average daily production of
~700 tons. Recently, the mine has entered into a technological collaboration with
Zhengzhou Coal Mining Machinery Company Ltd (ZMG) of China for mining coal from
one of the seams at Moonidih mine. It is expected that with technological assistance from
ZMG, the production from the mine would increase to 700,000 tons annually, that is,
more than 2,000 tons per day. This would mean a three-fold increase in coal production,
if the plans are successful.
The mine has two shafts, both 7.5 m in diameter, one used as intake and the
second as the exhaust shaft. The total quantity of air that is pushed by the main fan to
ventilate the mine is ~12,000 m3/min. The mine is currently operating at three levels,
6

known as horizons, namely 280 MH, 400 MH, and 500 MH. Although four seams,
namely XV, XVI, XVII, and XVIII are accessible from the mine, present operation is
restricted to XV and XVI seams only. The XVIII seam has already been extracted. The
coal rank is bituminous, with estimated gas content of 6-15 m3/t of coal. During the very
first visit, one observation was made about the ventilation system. The exhaust shaft has a
rather unusual design with concrete flaps to reduce the air velocity prior to discharging it
to atmosphere. This can be problematic if VAM utilization at the mine becomes a reality.
One of the reasons for selecting Moonidih for this study was the CBM/CMM
demonstration and recovery project in the vicinity. The pilot study, jointly funded by the
Government of India, United Nations Development Projects (UNDP) and Global
Environmental Fund (GEF), was initiated to demonstrate the recovery of coalbed
methane from virgin seams of Moonidih. Methane is currently recovered successfully
from two vertical wells and fed to a generator to produce electricity, which is supplied to
the nearby residential area of the mine. With success of the above study, there is interest
on the part of the mine operator to recover and utilize VAM as well.
Moonidih, being a very old mine, has a large gob area containing large volumes
of mine gas with significant concentration of methane. Recovery of this CMM and
mixing it with VAM may also enable maintain the minimum methane concentration
necessary for VAM utilization. Moreover, the coal washing plant is located less than 250
m from the mine, providing an in-house market for electricity produced by VAM.
Finally, if hybrid combustion technology is found to be suitable, the coal washing plant
can supply the coal middlings, for combustion along with VAM, as a supplement thus

increasing the power output from the complete system. However, this study was limited
to quantification of VAM only.
Sudamdih Mine
Sudamdih mine, also located in the state of Jharkhand, was not one of the mines
in the original plan for the current study. However, due to temporary shut-down of
Chinakuri mine, Sudamdih mine was selected as a substitute site for the study.
The mine started in 1962. The geological reserve of the Sudamdih mine is 620
Mt. Although there are more than thirty seams present in the Sudamdih area, the coal
seams encountered in the mine are XV, XI/XII, IX/X, VIIIA and Local seam. Presently,
XI/XII east seam and the eastern part of XV seam are being mined. The western side of
XI/XII seam, VIIIA seam, Local seam and IX/X seam are sealed off. The coal seams in
the mine are thick and steeply dipping (28 to 450) and consist of low angle faults, dykes
and joints. The mine is gassy, with a history of gas explosion in 1976 in XV seam on the
west side, a mine fire in 1977 in XV seam, and again in IX/X seam. The gas content of
the seams was measured to vary between 5 to 15 m3/t of coal. Because of its high
methane emission, Sudamdih is also categorized as a Degree III gassy mine.
Development of the seams has been carried out using the concept of horizon
mining. Three main cross-cuts are driven across all the seams at a depth of 200, 300 and
400 m. From these cross-cuts, galleries are driven along coal seams, which are called
laterals. Each seam has three laterals at 200 m, 300 m and 400 m horizons. Longwall
blocks are formed between horizons 200/300 and 300/400 m and extraction of the blocks
is carried out by a rather unique technique called the Jankowice method. This is a
combination of inclined slicing and hydraulic sand stowing, and extraction is carried out

in ascending order. The maximum depth of the mine is 440 m. Typical average
production from the mine is approximately 250 tons per day (tpd) although this has
recently decreased further to 100-150 tpd. The total quantity of ventilation air pumped in
to the mine is approximately 7,000 m3/min. The mine has two ventilation shafts, one
downcast and the second upcast, and one axial fan. Details of the mine, along with those
for Moonidih mine, are presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Critical parameters of Moonidih and Sudamdih mines.

Mine
Parameter

Moonidih

Sudamdih

Location

Jharkhand, India

Jharkhand, India

Degree of Gassiness

III

III

Reserves, Mt

1245

620

Estimated Gas Content, m3/t

6 - 15

5 - 15

Depth, m (maximum)

600

440

Coal Production, tpd

700

150

Mining Method

Longwall

Longwall (Jankowice Method)

Development

Cont. Miner

Horizon Mining

No. of Shafts

Two

Two

No. of Fans

Two (one standby)

One

Airflow, m3/min

12,000

7,000

Working Levels, m

250, 400, 500

200, 300, 400

One of the reasons for selecting Sudamdih mine was the high gas content of the
coal seams being mined. One coal mine methane (CMM) demonstration and recovery
pilot project, jointly funded by the Government of India, UNDP and GEF was underway
in the working seams of Sudamdih mine at the time of the study. There was also a
previous project where CMM was successfully recovered from the underground
operation using horizontal boreholes and used to power mine trucks operating in a nearby
surface mining operation. With success of the above study, there was interest on the part
of the mine operator to recover and utilize VAM. Like Moonidih, the Sudamdih coal
washing plant is located ~ 250 m from the mine thus providing an ideal market for the
energy generated from VAM. It is worth mentioning that the underground drilling for
CMM recovery was abandoned earlier in 2009 due to difficult drilling conditions.
5. WORK PROCEDURE
As a first step, mine plans were secured from the mine operators and studied to
determine the methane monitoring locations. These locations included all exhaust routes,
working faces, main intakes and return, and development areas. The route for the minewide methane survey was planned and discussed with the mine personnel. This was
followed by carrying out a mine-wide methane emission survey, as described by
McPherson (1993) and summarized below. The survey included airflow measurements
(Q-survey) throughout the mine, and measurement of methane concentration (c-survey)
at every Q-station. Using the Q and c measurements, the amount of methane content of
air was calculated at each location.
For Q measurement, a vane anemometer and a stopwatch were used. The
anemometer measures the length of air that passes through it over a period of time. The

10

continuous traverse technique was used since this gives an average velocity of airflow
passing through a vertical plane over the entire cross-section. The anemometer was
attached to a 1.5 m long rod to ensure that the person taking the measurement did not
change the velocity profile. The attachment also allowed anemometer to hang vertically
at all times. The anemometer was held in the lower corner of the airway, as shown in
Figure 2, with pointer set to zero. The observer then reached forward to touch the control
lever while the second observer with a stopwatch counted backwards from five to zero.
On count of zero, the control lever was pressed, activating the measurement of flow. The
entire airway cross-section was traversed in sixty seconds, covering approximately equal
areas in equal time divisions. At fifty-five seconds, the observer with the stopwatch
counted to sixty, at which instant, the control was pressed again. The anemometer reading
gave the length of air that passed through it in sixty seconds, providing the velocity in
meters per minute. Two readings were taken at every station.
For measurement of gas concentration, a capsule (tube) filled with water was used
at the measuring station. Again, the entire cross-section of the airway was traversed over
a one-minute period. During the traverse, water was displaced by air over the crosssection. At the end of the traverse, air in the capsule was locked using clamps (that came
with the capsule) and the capsule was labeled. It was then placed in a cooler. Once on the
surface, the air was analyzed for composition. At every station, a hand held
methanometer (Solaris, Mine Safety Appliances) was also used for spot measurement.
However, at stations with high air velocities, there was significant fluctuation in the
methanometer readings. The methanometer is a useful instrument for quick checks but

11

the readings are given only to one decimal place. For VAM estimation, gas analyzer
gives more accurate compositional information.

Figure 2: Path of a traverse (McPherson, 1993).

A thorough and rigorous technique was followed to assess the VAM emission
from the mine. Air samples were collected from the main return of the mine and analyzed
for methane concentration. For a six-month period, one measurement was taken every
month, on a working day with full production. For one of the months, methane
concentration was measured every week. For one of the weeks, the measurement was
carried out every day, and for one of the days, the measurement was carried out every one
hour. For one of the days, readings were taken every fifteen minutes over a six-hour
period. Hence, a complete array of methane emission data was obtained during the study
period. The measurements were taken in the mine exhaust system since this is the
primary route for methane escape. The detailed measurements were used to calculate the
12

annual emission as well as daily emission rate and thus provided the overall emission rate
from the mine. Finally, the VAM emission results were correlated with coal production
data for the various periods in order to estimate the emission that is independent of
production, and that directly related to coal production. In other words, on an idle day
with no coal production, there is still some methane entering the exhaust air. The primary
source of this methane is exposed coal surface, where methane continues to diffuse for
long period of times after mining, and from coals above and below the working seam.
This aspect of the study was particularly critical for Moonidih mine since coal production
is expected to increase significantly in the near future thus resulting in a significant
change in the methane emission patterns. The component of the overall emission that is
expected to go up is that depending on the amount of coal mined.
6. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
Moonidih Mine
The PIs met with the mine personnel in July 2007 and discussed the scope of the
study and detailed plans for the study. Mine personnel was very supportive of the study.
The Mine Ventilation Engineer and Mine Project Engineer were identified as the points
of contact for all future plans. The major part of the study was carried out during the
period December 2007 to May 2008. Exhaust air samples were collected from the
exhaust shaft of the mine. The hourly and daily samples were collected during the week,
December 11 to 14, 2007. The weekly samples, that is, hourly sampling on one day
every week of the month was carried out during the months of December 2007 and
January 2008. The monthly samples, that is, hourly sample for one day of every month,

13

were collected through May 2008. The coal production data was also collected for each
day of air sampling.
The air samples were analyzed using a Riken Keiki HC analyzer (Model No. RI
415) within a few hours after collection. The Riken Keiki HC analyzer detects methane
with a non-dispersive infrared sensor with an accuracy better than 5%, with capability to
detect and accurately measure methane concentration ranging from very low
concentrations (< 0.054%) to pure methane (100%).
In order to estimate the dependence and correlation between the concentration of
VAM and daily coal production, exhaust samples were also collected on one idle day,
when there was no coal production. The variation of methane concentration on a
producing day and an idle day are shown in Figure 3. The upper plot shows the VAM
concentration on a coal production day, when 510 tons of coal was produced. The lower
plot shows the variation of VAM concentration on an idle day. It is apparent that the
methane concentration on the idle day was fairly constant and remained at 0.10% level.
This is, therefore, also the minimum concentration on a producing day. On the production
day, the maximum concentration of VAM was measured to be ~0.20%.
The methane concentration of the hourly samples collected was averaged and
daily average values were obtained. The average VAM concentrations for the sampling
day of successive weeks between December 11, 2007 and January 2, 2008 are shown in
Figure 4. Similarly, average VAM concentrations for the sampling days of successive
months between December 2007 and May 2008 are shown in Figure 5. Figure 6 shows
the daily coal production on the days when sampling was carried out. The variation is

14

between 485 and 800 tons, which is not a significant range although the relative
difference is significant.

Methane Concentration, % . .

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05
Working
Idle

0.00
10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00

14:00

15:00

16:00

17:00

Time, hh:mm

Figure 3: Typical variation of VAM concentration for Moonidih mine eight hours.

Methane Concentration, % .

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00
1

Week

Figure 4: Weekly variation of VAM concentration at Moonidih mine one month.

15

Methane Concentration, % .

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00
Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Month

Figure 5: Monthly variation of VAM concentration at Moonidih mine six-months.

1000

Production, tonnes/day .

800

600

400

200

0
Dec

Jan

Feb

March

Apr

May

Month

Figure 6: Variation of coal production at Moonidih mine on sampling days.

16

The average methane concentration varied between 0.13 and 0.20%, which is a
fairly narrow range. The coal production on sampling days is relatively narrow as well. It
is interesting to note that although coal production during the summer months, that is,
April and May, 2008 was less than in winter months of December, 2007 and January,
2008, the average VAM concentrations were higher during the summer months. One
possible reason for this could be the higher air temperature during the summer months,
compared to the winter months. Although the temperature of the mine air was not
measured, it can be assumed with fair certainty that the mine air temperature during
summer would typically be higher than that in the winter months, since artificial cooling
and heating of the mine air is not practiced. The average temperature (ambient) during
the month of May is 330C, whereas in December, it is 200C. A difference of 130C is
significant, warranting higher rate of desorption and diffusion of methane from coal
during summer and thus resulting in a higher concentration of methane in mine air. It is
worth mentioning that this is based on single day measurements.
Air quantity and quality surveys (Q and c survey) were carried out across the
mine between December 11 and 14, 2007, covering all working faces, including the
development areas, district return and main returns of the mine. Air quantity was
calculated by measuring the cross sectional area of the mine roadway and the average air
velocity across the section at the measuring stations. The product of the two gives the
volumetric flowrate (m3/min).

Air samples were collected from several locations

including the Q-survey stations to estimate the methane content of air. The survey data is
presented in Tables 2 and 3. The data presented in Table 2 indicates that the methane
concentration in the mine at different locations varied between 0.1 to slightly more than

17

0.2 %. Only in the longwall panel return entry was the methane concentration higher on
one of the survey days.
Additionally, samples were collected from some of the sealed off areas of the
mine and methane concentration for each sample was measured although this was not a
part of the proposed study. Since Moonidih is a very old mine, there are approximately
seventy sealed off areas in Moonidih mine and some of the sealed off areas showed very
high concentrations of methane. The results of the gas quality data in the sealed off areas
is shown in Table 4. It can be seen that the methane variation was between 60 and 100
%. Also, measurements on two different days showed that these areas breathe, that is,
the methane concentration changes over time.
Table 2: Methane profile of Moonidih mine.

No.

Sample Location

Sampling Date

Methane
Concentration
(%)

DR belt dip junction (with returns)

11.12.2007

0.11

DR belt dip junction (blind heading)

11.12.2007

0.13

Longwall panel return (down)

11.12.2007

0.22

15 seam working district (active)

12.12.2007

0.11

Development face

14.12.2007

0.11

18

Table 3: Q- and c-survey data for Moonidih mine.

No.

Sample Location

Sampling Date

Air quantity
(m3/min)

Methane
Concentration
(%)

DR belt dip junction (blind heading)

11.12.2007

232

0.13

Longwall return top gate

11.12.2007

554

0.22

500 L return (part return)

12.12.2007

3482

0.12

Table 4: Sealed-off area gas quality at Moonidih mine.

No.

Sample Location

Sampling Date

Methane
Concentration
(%)

F-3A top gate stopping

13.12.2007

60

A1 S/G XVIII seam stopping at 400 MH

13.12.2007

100

ML 1/6T gate stopping, 400 MH

13.12.2007

50

D-11 salvage gallery stopping

13.12.2007

60

Sudamdih Mine
The study for the Sudamdih mine was conducted during the months of April and
August, 2008. Exhaust air samples were collected from the exhaust shaft of the mine. The
weekly samples, that is, hourly sampling on one day, every week of the month, were
collected during the months of April and May, 2008. The monthly samples, that is, hourly
sample in one day of one month, were collected between April and August of 2008. The
coal production data was also collected for each sampling day. The exhaust samples were
analyzed within a few hours after collection.
In order to estimate the dependence of methane concentration on daily coal
production, exhaust samples were also collected on an idle day, when there was no coal
19

production. Hourly variation of VAM concentration on a typical producing day is shown

in Figure 7. The variation in concentration of VAM on an idle day is also shown in the
same figure. It is apparent that the concentration of VAM is very low, varying between
0.02 to 0.04 % on a producing day. On an idle day, the VAM concentration is constant at
0.02%. The variation of daily average VAM concentration values on the days sampled in
successive months (March to August 2008) is shown in Figure 8. The average VAM
concentration varied between 0.02 to 0.03%. These are very low levels of methane
concentration from any VAM utilization perspective. Hence, it was apparent that this
mine had no potential for any VAM project although such low concentration of VAM is
not surprising given the poor daily coal production at the mine. The coal production from
the mine on sampling days during different months is shown in Figure 9. It is apparent
that typical production of the mine is just above 100 tons, which is really low.

Methane Concentration, % . .

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.02

Working

0.01

Idle

0.00
7:50

8:50

9:50

10:50

11:50

12:50

13:50

14:50

15:50

Time, hh:mm

Figure 7: Typical variation of VAM concentration for Sudamdih mine nine hours.
20

Methane Concentration, % .

0.04

0.03

0.02

0.01

0.00
Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Month

Figure 8: Monthly variation of VAM concentration at Sudamdih mine six months.

150

Production, tonnes/day .

120

90

60

30

0
Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Month

Figure 9: Variation of daily coal production at Sudamdih mine on sampling days.

21

Q- and c-surveys were carried out covering all the working areas, district return
and main returns of the mine to ascertain methane profile of the mine. The survey
consisted of measurement of air quantity and collection of mine air samples for
measuring the methane concentration. In addition to these, few samples were also
collected from inside the mine stoppings to obtain qualitative information about the gas
content of the sealed off areas of the mine. The survey was carried out between August
13 and 21, 2008. The survey results are shown in Tables 5 and 6 respectively.
The results showed that methane concentration in the mine air is also very low,
varying between 0.01 to 0.03%. Sealed off gas quality data presented in Table 7 shows
that, unlike Moonidih mine, gas is not very rich in methane. Overall, the methane profile
and VAM concentration profile for Sudamdih mine is not very encouraging for any VAM
utilization at this point in time. Also, it appears unlikely, based on meetings with the mine
personnel, that coal production from the mine is going to improve in any significant way
in the future. Hence, this part of the study can be considered a failed effort.
Table 5: Methane profile of Sudamdih mine.
Methane
Concentration
(%)

No.

Sample Location

Sampling
Date

XI/XII E 5 dip at 300- 400 MH

13.08.2008

0.03

XI/XII E 7 dip at 300- 400 MH

13.08.2008

0.02

XI/XII E 6 dip at 300- 400 MH

13.08.2008

0.02

Return shaft no. 2 at 400 MH

13.08.2008

0.03

200 MH XI/XII district

21.08.2008

0.02

200/300 MH, 4-5 block, XI/XII East

21.08.2008

0.01

200 MH XI/XII E 7 dip

21.08.2008

0.02

22

Table 6: Q- and c-survey data of Sudamdih mine.

Air
Methane
Quantity Concentration
(%)
(m3/min)

No.

Sample Location

Sampling
Date

XI/XII East 5th dip 300-400 MH

13.08.2008

252

0.03

200 MH XI/XII district return

21.08.2008

2380

0.02

XI/XII East 200-300 MH, 4-5 block 21.08.2008

1146

0.01

Table 7: Sealed-off area gas quality at Sudamdih mine.

CH 4
Sampling Date Concentration
(%)

No.

Sample Location

200 MH, N cross cut

21.08.2008

17%

200 MH, XI/XII W

21.08.2008

20%

7. VAM QUANTIFICATION
Moonidih Mine
The results presented in Figure 3 show that the range of variation in methane
concentration with no coal production through ~500 tons per day production is between
0.1 and 0.2 %. The total methane emission at the current rate of emission was calculated.
The results are shown in Table 8. The range of annual VAM emission was calculated to
be 6.3-12.6 Mm3. The mean VAM estimate was estimated to be 6342 t per year. With
coal production increasing to 2,100 tpd, the amount of methane emitted would vary in the
range of 6.3-31.6 Mm3 (last column in Table 8), depending on idle versus full-production
time. There are two assumptions in these calculations. First, the increase in VAM
concentration with production is linear at the rate of 0.1% per 500 ton of coal (obtained
23

from Figure 3). This is a reasonable assumption since the amount of methane released
from fresh coal mined is a function of production. Second, the future daily production of
2,100 tons is actually achieved, indeed a serious assumption. Furthermore, the airflow
into the mine is not increased due to increased coal production. This is also a reasonable
assumption since the overall current airflow for the mine is adequate even for increased
production. It is the optimum distribution of airflow throughout the mine that has
presented a challenge at this mine. The VAM concentration for a 2,100 ton daily
production is thus estimated to be 0.5%, an encouraging finding at the mine.
Table 8: VAM estimation for Moonidih mine.
Production
Current Daily
Increased Daily
Production
production
(~700 tons)
(~2100 tons)

Details
Air quantity, m3/min

12,000

12,000

Air discharged in one day, Mm3

17.28

17.28

Air discharged in one year, Tm3

6.3

6.3

VAM emitted @ 0.1% (v/v), Mm3/yr

6.3

6.3

VAM emitted (v/v), Mm3/yr

12.6 (0.2%)

31.6 (0.5%)

Mean VAM estimate per year, Mm3

9.4

18.9

Mean VAM estimate per year, t

6,342

12,683

Methane destruction by TFRR, t/yr

6,024 (95%)

12,049

CO 2 equivalent emission reduction, t/yr

10,9947

219,893

Carbon credits @ $10/ton, $/yr

1.10 M

2.20 M

24

The minimum VAM concentration is also expected to increase from the present
level of 0.1% due to increased working area due to the amount of coal exposed as a result
of increased production. In the US, a significant amount of methane encountered in
longwall operations originates from coals above and below the working horizons. This
component of methane influx is a direct function of the rate of face advance, which
influences the rate of advance of the gob. Methane influx is particularly significant in
mines that have several coal seams above and below the working seam. A typical
example of a longwall operation with other seams in the vicinity is shown in Figure 10.
At the Moonidih mine, there are several seams above and below the working seam and
this component is, therefore, expected to be significant. An indication of this is the high
concentration of methane in the sealed off areas and the fact that the concentration
changes over time suggesting these areas are breathing. Typically, this is indicative of
continuous methane influx from nearby seams. It is, therefore, possible that the
concentration level on idle days would increase to 0.2% or more, which is the lower cutoff required for application of any flow reversal technique. Thus the principal VAM
technology, that is, flow reversal technology, may become viable to produce energy.
Sudamdih Mine
The range of variation of VAM concentration with no coal production through
~120 tons production is between 0.02-0.04 percent (Figures 7 and 8). The total VAM
emission at the current rate of emission was calculated and is presented in Table 9. The
range of annual VAM emission was calculated to be 0.74-1.48 Mm3. The mean VAM
estimate was calculated to be 740 t per year.

25

Figure 10: A typical gob showing impact of overlying seams (Hartman, 1997).
Table 9: VAM estimation for Sudamdih mine.
Details

Values

Air quantity

7,000 m3/min

Air discharged in one day

10.08 Mm3

Air discharged in one year

3.68 Tm3

VAM emitted @ 0.02% (v/v)

0.74 Mm3

VAM emitted @0.04% (v/v)

1.48 Mm3

Mean VAM emission estimate per year

1.1 Mm3

Mean VAM estimate emission per year

740 t

8. VAM UTILIZATION POTENTIAL

Moonidih mine
Any successful VAM utilization alternative would prevent the emission of 9.4
Mm3 of methane in one year at the current rate of coal production, assuming 100%
capture. The emitted VAM is, therefore, a significant quantity. However, the current
emission rates of VAM are too low for application of the principal VAM utilization
26

techniques, which typically require a minimum of 0.2% methane concentration or more at

all times. Some of the ancillary use technologies may possibly be used. Application of the
Australian Hybrid coal/methane combustion technology appears to be promising because
of the presence of the coal washing plant near the mine. The plant middlings may be
burnt in a rotary kiln using the mine return air containing VAM as part of the combustion
air although the economic feasibility of this alternative needs to be worked out.
In the scenario of 2,100 tpd at the Moonidih mine, the principal use technologies,
such as TFRR/VAMOX, can be applied. However, at many of the mines where TFRR
system has been installed, energy has been recovered as heat and used for heating water
and air, etc., at the mine site. In India, such use of heat is not required at this time. This is
particularly true for Moonidih mine since there is no hot water or air at the mine facility.
Hence, recovering energy from VAM at the present does not appear to be an attractive
alternative. However, use of thermal energy for coal washing/drying is a possibility
although such use of energy would depend on the economics of such an operation. Also,
installation of TFRR for destruction of VAM may be practiced. With >95% efficiency,
the TFRR system would successfully destroy 12,049 tons of methane per year. This is
equivalent to reduction of 219,893 tons of CO 2 equivalent emission and would qualify
for carbon credit revenue of ~$2.20 Million per year, assuming $10 per equivalent ton of
CO 2 emission. With 50% capture, this translates to more than 6,000 tons of methane,
~110,000 t of CO 2 equivalent emission, resulting in ~$1.1 Million. At this time, this
appears far-fetched, given the prevailing conditions at the mine, but real.

27

Sudamdih mine
At this time, the range of variation of VAM is between 0.02 and 0.04%, which is
very low for application of any of the VAM utilization technique. Hence, there is no
potential of utilization of VAM at Sudamdih mine. The concentration of VAM may be
increased to the lower limit of application of flow reversal technique only when the coal
production increases by several times the current production. However, Sudamdih mine
is a technically challenging mine due to the steepness of the coal seams and presence of
faults. The mine operator is looking for technology transfer from overseas to enhance the
production and productivity. The situation may be revisited only after multifold increase
in coal production. Based on the visits by PIs, this is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable
future. Hence, the PIs believe that the idea of VAM utilization at Sudamdih mine should
not be pursued at this time.
9. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
A systematic and detailed study was taken up at Moonidih and Sudamdih mines,
both in the Jharia coalfields of India, to quantify the emission of VAM and assess the
potential for use of any VAM utilization technologies. The study at Moonidih mine
demonstrated that a large quantity of VAM, an average 6,342 tons, is emitted from the
mine every year. However, methane concentration varies between 0.1 to a maximum of
0.2 %. Since the minimum methane concentration is 0.1%, there is no suitable principal
use technology available to utilize the large amount of VAM. The applicability of
ancillary use technology, such as the Australian Hybrid technology, can be considered for
its economic feasibility. The lower concentration of VAM at the mine is primarily due to
the low daily production of coal, and it is expected that, with acquisition of technology

28

from China in the near future, coal production form the mine will increase substantially.
If this plan materializes, the principal use technology may become applicable. With
installation of the TFRR system, there is potential to earn carbon credits worth $1-2
M/year.
The study at Sudamdih mine suggested that approximately 740 t of VAM is
emitted from the mine every year. However, the VAM concentration being extremely low
(0.02-0.04%), none of the VAM utilization techniques can be applied now. In the
scenario of significant increase in coal production in the future, although this appears
extremely unlikely at this time, the study may be repeated to evaluate VAM utilization
potential at the mine.
10. FUTURE WORK
It is apparent that the real potential at Moonidih mine is utilization of VAM when
the current plan to increase the coal production materializes. At that time, a second
assessment study can be carried out to re-evaluate the situation. At this time, there is
obvious potential of recovering methane from sealed off areas. The mine is old and has a
large number of sealed off areas with high concentration of methane. These areas also
breathe, that is, the methane concentration varies over time, which is a positive finding.
Hence, a systematic study should be undertaken to assess the amount of methane in these
areas and evaluate the various alternatives available to capture the gas.

29

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was performed with funding from the US Environmental Protection
Agencys Methane to Market Partnership. The authors and the two organizations,
Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Central Institute of Mining and Fuel
Research, express their gratitude for the support provided by US EPA. The authors wish
to thank Dr. Jayne Somers, the EPA Program Manager for this study, for the support and
constant guidance that she provided. Finally, the authors wish to thank Drs. A.K. Singh
and A. Sinha of CIMFR for their support throughout the duration of the study.

30

REFERENCES
CMRI, 2003, Uncertainty Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Inventories Associated to Coal
Mining, Project report prepared as part of Indias Initial National Communication
Project executed by Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
McPherson, M. J., 1993, Subsurface Ventilation and Environmental Engineering,
Chapman & Hall, London.
Singh, A.K., Sahu, J.N. and Meikap, B. C., 2009 (in Press), Coal Mine Gas Uses for
Hazardous Waste Management in India, International Journal of Environment and
Waste Management.
Srivastava, M. and Harpalani, S., 2006, Systematic Quantification of Ventilation Air
methane and its Evaluation as an Energy Source, Mining Engineering, Vol. 58, No.
11, Nov., pp. 52-56.
USEPA, 2003, Assessment of the Worldwide Market Potential for oxidizing Coal Mine
Ventilation Air Methane, EPA-430-R-03-002.
Somers, J., 2008, Global CMM Emissions and Activities, presentation at the India Coal
Mine/Coalbed Methane Clearinghouse, Kick-off Event, November 17-18, Ranchi,
India.
Hartman, H.L., Mine Ventilation and Air Conditioning, ed. John Wiley and Sons, 1997,
pp 68.

31

APPENDIX I
Paper, Ninth International Mine Ventilation Congress, New Delhi, India: Quantification
of Ventilation Air Methane and its Utilization Potential at Moonidih Underground Coal
Mine, India

32

QUANTIFICATION OF VENTILATION AIR METHANE AND ITS

UTILIZATION POTENTIAL AT MOONIDIH UNDERGROUND COAL MINE,
INDIA
B. K. Prusty1, S. Harpalani2 and A.K. Singh3
1

Assistant Professor, Mining Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur - 721
302, India
Email: bkprusty@mining.iitkgp.ernet.in.
2
Professor and Chair, Department of Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering, Southern Illinois
University Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
Email: satya@engr.siu.edu
3
Scientist, Methane Emission and Degasification Division, Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research,
Barwa Road, Dhanbad 826 015, India
Email: ajayabha@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
Emission of ventilation air methane (VAM) from underground coal mining operations into atmosphere
contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect. On the other hand, it also represents a wasted valuable
resource. In recent years, effort has been made to extract the energy from this lean methane/air mixture
using combustion/utilization technologies developed and tried in mining operations in Australia, US and
China. However, utilization of VAM is technically feasible only when the VAM volume is substantial,
methane concentration is relatively constant and above a threshold value.
This paper describes a preliminary study undertaken to assess the VAM resource and its utilization
potential at Moonidih underground mine in India. Methane emission and daily coal production at the mine
made it ideally suited for the study. A systematic airflow and methane concentration measurement in the
mine exhaust was carried out over a period of time. Also, a detailed survey was carried out in order to
study the characteristics of methane release within the mine. The measured emission data was used to
calculate the average methane concentration in the exhaust air and analyzed for consistency of methane
emissions with, and without, coal production. Using projected coal production from the mine, future VAM
emission was predicted. Finally, based on data collected, a comparison was carried out to identify
applicable methods of VAM utilization.
KEYWORDS: COAL MINING, VENTILATION AIR, METHANE, VAM UTILIZATION
1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Coal mining industry in India is growing at a rapid pace to keep up with the energy needs of the country.
The annual coal production was 463 million tons (MT) in the year 2007-08 and the target production for
the year 2008-09 is 497 MT. The opencast mines account for approximately 85% share of the total coal
production. Although the share of underground mining has gradually decreased over the last three decades,
it has now stabilized at 15%. It is expected to increase because of enhanced focus of Coal India Limited,
the major coal producer in the country, to produce more coal. Increased production of coal from
underground mines, however, will require efficient management of methane emission from deeper coals
while optimizing the cost of circulating increased airflow in order to fulfill the ventilation and safety
requirements.

33

1.1 Methane emission from underground coal mines

Coal serves as a storehouse of natural gas consisting primarily of methane, CO 2 and other hydrocarbons.
Methane constitutes more than 80% of the total gas present in coal. The methane rich gas is released into
the mine workings of underground mines causing increased risk of explosions. To prevent such explosions,
sufficient volume of air is circulated in the mine to ensure dilution of methane and its discharge to
atmosphere. Atmospheric methane, being a stronger greenhouse gas, abets the global warming
significantly. Methane emission into atmosphere from Indian coal mining and handling activities for the
year 2000 was estimated to be 0.72 MT using CIMFR methodology (CMRI, 2003). If IPCC emission
factors are used, the estimate is between 0.54 to 1.69 MT (Singh et al, 2009). However, at this time, there is
no data available for estimates of methane emission from specific underground coal mines in India.
As per the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) in India classification, underground coal mines in
India are categorized into three different degrees of gassiness, namely degree I, II and III, depending on the
volume of gas emitted per ton of coal mined. Mines in Degree III typically emit methane at a rate greater
than 10 cubic meters per ton of coal mined. At this time, there are 16 degree III mines in the country, many
of which are located in the gas-rich Jharia and Raniganj coalfields. According to a CMRI study (2003), the
emission factor during active mining stage of a typical degree III gassy mine is 23.64 (m3/t), significantly
higher than that of a degree II and I mines, which are 13.08 and 2.91 (m3/t) respectively.
1.2 Ventilation air methane
The mine air coming out of the exhaust shaft and discharging into atmosphere contains methane at very low
concentrations, usually less than 0.75%. Methane present in ventilation air is known as ventilation air
methane (VAM). Although the concentration of methane is very small, considering the large volume of
VAM, it constitutes a significant addition to the atmosphere. For example, worldwide VAM constitutes
about 75% of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from coal mining activity (USEPA, 2003). In line
with the world-wide statistics, it is expected that the contribution of VAM towards methane emission from
Indian coal mines would also be significnat although the exact share is not known at this time. Also, VAM
emission data for individual mines in India is not available.
1.3 VAM utilization
The potential of VAM utilization for generation of energy is not a novel idea since it not only abates
emission of a potent greenhouse gas but also generates value/energy out of a resource that is otherwise
wasted. However, utilization of VAM is challenging because of very low, and constantly changing
concentration of methane in air. Furthermore, large quantities of the mine air offer engineering challenges
for designing and handling it economically without hampering the efficiency of the ventilation system of
the mine. Finally, the main commercial barrier to VAM utilization is the unwillingness of the mine
operators to implement such a system unless it is demonstrated to be profitable. Techniques for utilization
of VAM generally use principles of thermal oxidation or catalytic oxidation of methane to produce heat,
which is then used to produce useful energy. The technologies for utilization of VAM are classified into
three broad categories: 1) ancillary use technology, 2) principal use technology, and 3) other technology
(Srivastava and Harpalani, 2006).
1.3.1 Ancillary use technology: In a combustion system, oxygen of the ambient air combines with the
primary fuel to generate useful energy. Ancillary use technology uses ventilation air instead of the ambient
air to provide the needed oxygen for combustion. In this alternative, VAM constitutes only a fraction of the
combustion process, and thus, not the entire VAM is utilized while the rest is vented to atmosphere.
Ancillary use technologies include (Su et al, 2005):
Hybrid coal/methane combustion units, and
Internal combustion engines.

34

Hybrid coal/methane combustion units (rotating kiln): A technology developed by CSIRO of Australia uses
a rotating kiln, where waste coal is combusted with VAM or mine methane and the kilns exhaust gas heats
clean air which powers an unfired gas turbine to produce energy. This technology has the flexibility to
operate on a wide spectrum of VAM-to-coal ratios and VAM concentrations. The hybrid system can be
developed in small to medium size, with capacity varying between 10 to 100 MW (Su et al, 2005).
Internal combustion engines: Internal combustion engines commonly use medium quality gas to generate
electricity, and are suitable for using part of a ventilation air stream by substituting it for fresh ambient air
in the combustion air intake. At Appin Colliery, Australia, 54 one-megawatt Caterpillar G3516 spark-fired
engines have been installed to use drainage gas as the primary fuel. At this plant, VAM contributes between
4 and 10% of engine fuel, corresponding to the consumption of approximately 20% of the ventilation
emissions (Su et al, 2005).
1.3.2 Principal use technology: In this case, VAM serves as the primary fuel and the combustion system
does not rely on any other source of combustion. Major principal use technologies are thermal flowreversal reactor (TFRR) and catalytic flow-reversal reactor (CFRR).
Thermal Flow Reversal Reactors: The TFRR utilises the thermal oxidation principle to generate heat which
is then converted to electrical power. VOCSIDIZER, developed by MEGTEC Inc., the most common
TFRR system, employs the principle of regenerative heat exchange between a gas (ventilation air) and solid
(heat exchange medium selected to store and transfer heat). The VOCSIDIZER is self-sustaining at low
methane concentrations (0.2%-1.2%) and requires no other source of fuel (USEPA, 2007). The
VOCSIDIZER has the capability to oxidize >96% of VAM. It has been used successfully in mines in the
UK, where it treated about 8000 m3/h of ventilation air with methane concentration varying between 0.3
and 0.6 %. Another system has been installed in West Cliff colliery in Australia in 2005 that generates 6
MW of energy using 250,000 m3/h of ventilation air.
A second type of thermal oxidizer reactor, namely VAMOX, has been developed by Biothermica that can
run on 0.2% methane. The VAMOX oxidizes the VAM into CO 2 and water, while the heat produced can
be recovered to produce hot water or transferred to generate electricity. The VAMOX has the capability to
oxidize 98% of VAM. The VAMOX is currently being tried at Jim Walter Resources' Mine No. 4, in
Brookwood, Alabama, USA (USEPA, 2008).
Catalytic Flow Reversal Reactor: The CFRR system, developed by Canadian Mineral and Energy
Technologies (CANMET), is similar to the TFRR in design and operation. However, the advantage of
CFRR is that the ventilation air is oxidized at lower temperatures (350-8000C) by using a catalyst which
reduces the auto-ignition temperature of methane by several hundred degrees Celsius (USEPA, 2003). The
CFRR system has been demonstrated at a Canadian mine site.
1.3.3 Other technologies: Several lean burn gas turbines have been developed which can use VAM or
enriched VAM to produce power (USEPA, 2003). Energy Developments Ltd. (EDL) has developed a
recuperative gas turbine that is capable of firing a methane-in-air mixture as low as 1.6 percent. A generator
coupled to the power turbine can generate up to 2.7 MW. Ingersoll-Rand of USA has developed a microturbine with a catalytic combustor powered with 1% methane in air. FlexEnergy has developed a microturbine which is capable of operating on methane concentrations as low as 1.3 percent. A catalytic
combustion gas turbine system, VAMCAT, has been designed by CSIRO of Australia which can run on 1%
methane. Concentrators can also be used to enrich methane in mine air to make the ventilation air more
usable. The concentrator can increase the >0.1 % methane-air to >20% methane stream which can be used
in a turbine or engine to generate power (Su et al, 2005).

35

2. MOTIVATION FOR THE PRESENT STUDY

VAM utilization technologies have been successfully demonstrated at mine sites in several countries and a
growing number of mines are going to generate and utilize the energy from VAM in the future. However,
as of today, there has been no effort in India to utilize VAM for generating energy. Moreover, India being a
non-Annex I country, the reduction of greenhouse gas emission is eligible for Carbon Credits enabling
the mine operators to earn revenues by utilizing VAM. One of the reasons for this non-activity in this area
in India is the lack of demonstrated technical and economic feasibility of such projects at specific sites. A
successful demonstration of VAM utilization in any Indian mines would provide operators the required
confidence. Therefore, Methane to Markets (M2M) program was approached to fund a pre-feasibility study
of VAM utilization at a prospective mine in India. After analyzing the available data, Moonidih mine in the
Jharia coalfield was selected for the study. It is a highly gassy mine with significant coal production and
appeared to have good potential for VAM utilization. The objective of the present study was to fill the
information gap and establish a VAM emission profile of the mine and propose possible VAM utilization
alternatives at the mine.
This paper describes the study completed to quantify the VAM emission at Moonidih mine and conduct a
technical pre-feasibility study of VAM utilization. The broader objective of the work was to develop the
application of this practice to gassy mines with large VAM emissions in India by developing a reliable
procedure to quantify the VAM from underground coal mines in India, establish the distribution of methane
throughout the mine, and identify the primary sources of emission.
3. DESCRIPTION OF THE MOONIDIH MINE
Moonidih mine is located in the district of Dhanbad in the state of Jharkhand, located sixteen kilometers
from the city of Dhanbad The exact location of the mine is shown in Figure 1. With a total geological
reserve of 1244.8 MT, it is one of the largest underground coal mines in India. The mine started operation
in 1965. It is also one of the

Jharkhand

Moonidih Mine

Figure 1: Map of India showing the location of Moonidih mine

36

gassiest mines in India, falling in degree III category. The mine practices longwall mining method and is
currently mining two faces using shearers. The mine is developed by roadheaders and continuous miners.
Depillaring is carried out by longwall retreating method with caving, using powered supports on the face
and shearer as the coal cutting machine. Although initially planned for a higher capacity, the present
production has decreased to less than 1000 ton per day because of the inability of the operator to adopt
modern underground mining technology. The mine is currently operating at a maximum depth of just over
600 m. The annual coal production is ~200,000 tons, which corresponds to an average daily production of
~700 tons. Recently, the mine has entered into technological collaboration with Zhengzhou Coal Mining
Machinery Company Ltd (ZMJ) of China for mining coal at one of the seams. It is expected that, with
technological assistance from ZMG, the production would increase to 700,000 ton per year, that is, >2000
tons per day, which would be a three-fold increase.
The mine has two shafts, 7.5 m in diameter, one used as intake and the other as exhaust. The total quantity
of airflow to ventilate all the working areas of the mine is ~12,000 m3/min. The mine is worked from three
levels, known as horizons, 280 MH, 400 MH, and 500 MH. Although four seams are accessible from the
mine, present operation is restricted to XV and XVI seams. The XVIII seam has already been extracted.
The coal rank is bituminous, with estimated gas content of 6-15 m3/t of coal.
One of the reasons for selecting Moonidih for this study was the CBM/CMM demonstration and recovery
project in the vicinity. The pilot study, supported by Government of India, United Nations Development
Project (UNDP) and Global Environmental Fund (GEF), has demonstrated the recovery of CBM from
virgin seams of Moonidih using two vertical boreholes and feeding a generator to produce electricity. With
success of this project, there is interest on the part of the mine operator to recover and utilize VAM.
Moonidih, being a very old mine, has a large gob area containing large volume of mine gas with significant
concentration of methane. Recovery of this CMM and mixing it with VAM may also enable maintain the
methane concentration necessary for VAM utilization. Moreover the coal washing plant is located less than
250 m from the mine, providing a market for electricity produced by VAM. Finally, if hybrid combustion
technology was to be found suitable, the washery can supply the coal middlings for combustion along with
VAM.

4. VAM QUANTIFICATION STUDY

To start with, mine plans were secured and studied to determine the methane monitoring locations. These
locations included all exhaust routes, working faces/areas main intakes and return and development
areas. The route for the mine-wide methane survey was decided on, and discussed with the mine personnel.
This was followed by carrying out a mine-wide methane emission survey, as described in McPherson
(1993). The survey included airflow measurements (Q-survey) throughout the mine, and measurement of
methane concentration (c-survey) at every Q-station. Using the measurements, the amount of methane at
each location was calculated. A thorough and rigorous technique was followed to assess the VAM emission
from the mine. Samples were collected from the main return of the mine and analysed for concentration of
VAM. For a six-month period, one measurement was taken every month, on a working day with full
production. For one of the months, methane concentration was measured every week. For one of the weeks,
the measurement was carried out every day, and for one of the days, the measurement was carried out every
two hours. For a six-hour period, measurements were carried out every fifteen minutes. Hence, a complete
array of methane concentrations data was obtained during the study. The measurements were taken in the
mine exhaust system since this is the primary route for methane escape. The detailed measurements were
used to calculate the quarterly/annual emission, as well as daily emission rate and thus, provided the overall

37

emission rate from the mine. Finally, The VAM emission results were correlated with the coal production
data for the various periods in order to estimate the emission independent of production and that directly
related to coal production. This was particularly critical since the mine production is expected to change
significantly in the near future thus resulting in a change in the emission pattern.
5. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
The study was conducted between December, 2007 and May, 2008. The hourly and daily samples were
collected during December 11 to 18, 2008. The weekly samples, that is, hourly sampling on one day, every
week of the month, were collected in the months of December, 2007 and January, 2008. The monthly
samples, that is, hourly samples on one day of every month, were collected through May 2008. The coal
production data was also collected for each sampling day. The exhaust samples were brought to the
laboratory and analyzed within a few hours of collection. The analyzer used was capable of detecting
methane accurately for concentration range of less than .054% to pure methane (100%). In order to
estimate the dependence and correlation between the concentration of VAM and daily coal production,
exhaust samples were also collected on an idle day, when there was no coal production.
5.1 VAM quantification
Typical concentrations of VAM in the return air at different hours on two single days are shown in Figure
2. The upper plot shows the VAM concentration on a producing day,

VAM Concentration (%)

0.2
0.16
0.12
0.08
Production

0.04

Base
0
10:00

11:00

12:00

13:00

14:00

15:00

16:00

17:00

Time (h:m)

Figure 2: Typical change in VAM concentration during a producing day

when 510 tons of coal was produced. The lower plot shows the variation of VAM concentration on an idle
day. It is apparent that the methane concentration on the idle day was fairly constant and remained at 0.10%
level. This is, therefore, also the minimum concentration on a producing day. During production day, the
maximum concentration of VAM was measured to be ~0.20%. The range of variation in methane
concentration with no coal production through ~500 tons production is, therefore, between 0.1-0.2 %. The
total VAM emitted at the current rate of emission was calculated to be between 6.3-12.6 Mm3, as shown in
Table 1. With coal production increasing to 2,100 tpd, the amount of methane emitted would vary in the
range of 6.3-31.6 Mm3 (last column in Table 1), depending on idle time versus full-production time. There
are two assumptions in these calculations. First, the increase in VAM concentration with production is
linear at the rate of 0.1% per 500 ton of coal. This is a reasonable assumption since the amount of methane
released from fresh coal mined is a function of production. Second, the future daily production of 2100
tons is actually achieved. Also, the airflow is not increased due to increased coal production. This is also a
reasonable assumption since the overall airflow for the mine is adequate. It is the optimum distribution of

38

the airflow throughout the mine that is challenging. The VAM concentration for a 2100 ton daily
production is thus estimated to be 0.5%, an encouraging finding at the mine. The minimum VAM
concentration is also expected to go up from the present 0.1% level due to increase in working area as well
as the amount of coal exposed. It is possible that the concentration level would increase to 0.2% or more,
which is the lower cut-off required for application of any flow reversal technique.
For the sake of completeness, the weekly and monthly variations are shown in Figures 3 and 4. it is
apparent that the weekly variation is insignificant. However, the monthly variation is in the 0.14 and 0.18
range.
0.14

VAM Concentration (%)

0.12

0.1

0.08

0.06

0.04

0.02

0
Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Figure 2. Weekly Variation of VAM concentration (December 2007)

0.2

VAM Concentration(%)

0.16

0.12

0.08

0.04

0
January

February

March

April

May

Figure 3: Monthly variation of VAM concentration (on producing days)

39

Table 1. Current VAM Estimation

Details

Air Quantity
Air discharged in one day
Air discharged in one year
VAM emitted @ 0.1% (V/V)
VAM emitted @0.2% (V/V)
Mean VAM estimate
Mean VAM estimate
CH 4 destruction by TFRR
CO 2 equivalent emission
reduction
Carbon Credit earned @
$10/ton

Production
Current Production
Increased Production
Level
(2100 tpd)
12,000 m3/min
12 000 m3/min
17.28 Mm3
17.28 Mm3
3
6.3 Tm
6.3 Tm3
3
6.3 Mm
6.3 Mm3
3
12.6 Mm
31.6 Mm3
3
9.4 Mm
18.9 Mm3
6 342 t/yr
12683 t/yr
6 024 t/yr
12 049 t/yr
10 9947 t/yr
219 893 t/yr
1.10 M$/yr

2.20 M$/y

5.2 VAM utilization alternatives

Any successful VAM utilization alternative would prevent the emission of 9.4 Mm3 of methane in one year
at the current rate of coal production. However, the current emission rate of VAM is too low for
application of the principal VAM utilization techniques, which require a minimum of 0.2% methane
concentration at all times. Some of the ancillary use technologies may be used. Application of the
Australian Hybrid coal/methane combustion technology appears to be promising because of the presence of
the coal washing facility near the mine. The washery middlings may be burnt in a rotary kiln using the
mine return air containing VAM as part of the combustion air. The economic feasibility of this alternative
needs to be worked out.
If, in fact, the target daily production of 2100 tons is achieved, the principal use technologies such as TFRR
or the VAMOX can be applied. However, at many of the mines where TFRR system has been installed,
energy has been recovered as heat and used for heating water and air. Neither of the two is currently
available at the mine; nor is there a perceived need for hot air/water. Hence, recovering energy from VAM
at the present time does not appear to be an attractive option. Installation of TFRR for destruction of VAM
alone may be practiced to avail of the carbon credits. At >95% efficiency, the TFRR system would destroy
12,065 tons of methane per year. This is equivalent to reduction of 253,365 tons of CO 2 equivalent
emission and this would be eligible for carbon credit revenues. At $10/ton, this translates to a net revenue
of ~$2.5 Million per year.
6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
A systematic and detailed study was taken up at Moonidih mine to quantify the emission of VAM from the
mine and assess the potential for use of VAM utilization technologies. The study demonstrated that a large
quantity of VAM, an average 9.4 Mm3/year of methane is emitted from the mine at this time. However, the
methane concentration varies between 0.1 and 0.2%. Since the minimum methane concentration is 0.1%,
none of the principal use technology available to utilize VAM would be suitable. The application of
ancillary use technology such as the Australian Hybrid technology can be studied further for its economic
feasibility. The lower concentration of VAM is due to the low daily production of coal. This is expected to
change drastically with the acquisition of technology from China in the near future with daily production of
the mine expected to increase four-fold. If this were actually to happen, the principal use technology would
become applicable. With installation of a TFRR system, the potential to earn carbon credits is significant.

40

Based on the findings of the study, the authors believe that Moonidih mine has another potential source of
methane. The mine is old with a large number of sealed off areas. The concentration of methane in these
areas is fairly high. Furthermore, these areas breathe, suggesting that there is methane re-charge over
time. A systematic study would, therefore, provide additional information for possible mixing with VAM
as an enrichment technique for utilization.
7. ACKNOWLWDGEMENTS
This work was carried out as a result of funding from the US Environmental Protection Agencys Climate
Change Division. The authors wish to thank US EPA, in particular the Program Manager, Dr. Jayne
Somers, for the support. The authors also wish to thank the management of Moonidih Mine for allowing
this study at the mine and assistance provided during the study, particularly the Mine Manager, Mr. Supriyo
Chkravarty.

8. REFERENCES
CMRI, 2003, Uncertainty in Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Inventories Associated to Coal Mining.
Project report prepared as part of Indias Initial National Communication Project executed by Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India.
McPherson, M. J., 1993, Subsurface ventilation and environmental engineering, Chapman &Hall, London.
Singh, A.K., Sahu, J.N. and Meikap, B. C., 2009 (in Press), Coal mine gas uses for hazardous waste
management in India, International Journal of Environment and Waste Management.
Srivastava, M. and Harpalani, S., 2006, Systematic quantification of ventilation air methane and its
evaluation as an energy source, Mining Engineering, Vol. 58, No. 11, Nov., pp. 52-56
Su, S., Beath, A., Guo, H. and Mallett, C., 2005, An assessment of mine methane mitigation and utilisation
technologies, Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, Vol. 31, pp. S123170.
USEPA, 2003, Assessment of the worldwide market potential for oxidizing coal mine ventilation air
methane, EPA-430-R-03-002.
USEPA, 2003, Coalbed Methane Extra, Fall 2003.
USEPA, 2007, Coalbed Methane Extra, Spring 2007.
USEPA, 2008, Coalbed Methane Extra, July 2008.

41

Appendix II
Exhaust Methane Concentration Measurements

42

Measurements for Moonidih Mine

Date:
11-Dec-07

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Time
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30
15:30
16:30
17:30
18:30
Avg VAM=

CH4 %
0.054
0.108
0.135
0.135
0.162
0.162
0.162
0.135
0.135
0.13

Avg VAM=

CH4 %
0.081
0.108
0.108
0.151
0.162
0.162
0.135
0.13

Avg VAM=

CH4 %
0.054
0.065
0.14
0.162
0.162
0.162
0.151
0.13

Production, 11 Dec 2007 = 800 t

Date:
18-Dec-07

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Time
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30
15:30
16:30

Production on 18 Dec 07 = 720 t

Date:
27-Dec-07

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Time
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00

Production on 27 Dec 07 = 755 t

43

Date:
2-Jan-08

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Time
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
Avg VAM=

CH4 %
0.108
0.108
0.108
0.162
0.162
0.151
0.151
0.14

Avg VAM=

CH4 %
0.108
0.108
0.097
0.108
0.097
0.108
0.108
0.105

Avg VAM=

CH4 %
0.12
0.11
0.11
0.11
0.14
0.19
0.16
0.16
0.14

Production on 2 Jan 2008 = 735 t

Date:
6-Jan-08

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Time
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00

Production on 6 Jan 2008 = 0

(Idle Day)

Date:
5-Feb-08

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Time
9:30
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30
15:30
16:30

Production on 5 Feb 2008 = 735 t

44

Date:
5-Mar-08

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Time
9:30
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30
15:30
16:30
Avg VAM=

CH4 %
0.12
0.11
0.14
0.14
0.14
0.16
0.19
0.19
0.15

Production on 5 March = 485 t

Date:
9-Apr-08

Sample
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Time
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
Avg VAM=

Production on 9 April 08 = 510 t

45

CH4 %
0.11
0.11
0.16
0.16
0.19
0.19
0.19
0.19
0.16

Measurements for Sudamdih Mine

Return Air Sample from Sudamdih Mine
Date of Sampling: 7 March 2008
Sample No.
Time
CH4 %
1
8:50
0.01
2
9:50
0.01
3
10:50
0.02
4
11:50
0.02
5
12:50
0.03
6
13:50
0.03
7
14:50
0.02
8
15:50
0.02
9
16:50
0.02
Average
0.02
Coal production = 120 t

Return Air Sample from Sudamdih Mine

Date of Sampling: 27 March 2008
Sample No.
Time
CH4 %
1
8:45
0.02
2
9:45
0.02
3
10:45
0.02
4
11:45
0.02
5
12:45
0.04
6
13:45
0.04
7
15:40
0.04
8
16:40
0.02
9
17:40
0.02
Average
0.03
Coal production = 130 t

46

Return Air Sample from Sudamdih Mine

Date of Sampling: 3 April 2008
Sample No.
Time
CH4 %
1
10:00
0.02
2
11:00
0.02
3
12:00
0.03
4
13:00
0.03
5
14:00
0.03
6
15:00
0.02
7
16:00
0.02
8
17:00
0.02
Average
0.02
Coal production:100 t

Return Air Sample from Sudamdih Mine

Date of Sampling: 2 May 2008
Sample No.
Time
CH4 %
1
7:50
0.02
2
8:50
0.02
3
9:50
0.02
4
10:50
0.02
5
11:50
0.02
6
12:50
0.02
7
13:50
0.02
8
14:50
0.02
9
15:50
0.02
Average
0.02
Coal production: Zero

47

Return Air Sample from Sudamdih Mine

Date of Sampling: 6 June 2008
CH4
Sample No.
Time
%
1
8:25
0.01
2
9:25
0.02
3
10:25
0.02
4
11:25
0.02
5
12:25
0.02
6
13:25
0.02
7
14:25
0.03
8
15:25
0.03
9
16:25
0.03
Average
0.02
Coal production:120 t

Return Air Sample from Sudamdih Mine

Date of Sampling: 4 July 2008
Sample No.
Time
CH4 %
1
7:40
0.01
2
8:40
0.03
3
9:40
0.03
4
10:40
0.04
5
11:40
0.04
6
12:40
0.03
7
13:40
0.03
8
14:40
0.03
9
15:40
0.03
Average
0.03
Coal production:115 t

48

Return Air Sample from Sudamdih Mine

Date of Sampling: 13 Aug 2008
Sample No.
Time
CH4 %
1
8:00
0.02
2
9:00
0.02
3
10:00
0.03
4
11:00
0.04
5
12:00
0.04
6
13:00
0.04
7
14:00
0.04
8
15:00
0.03
9
16:00
0.03
Average
0.03
Coal production:110 t

Date
7-Mar-08
3-Apr-08
2-May-08
6-Jun-08
4-Jul-08
13-Aug-08

Avg. Conc.
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.03
0.03

Month
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug

Methane %
0.02
0.03
0.02
0.02
0.03
0.03

Production Variation
Month
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug

Production, t
120
130
100
120
115
110
49