Underground Coal Gasification at Tennessee Colony

Abstract

The Tennessee Colony In Situ Coal Gasification Project conducted by Basic Resources Inc. is the most recent step in Texas Utilities Company's ongoing research into the utilization of Texas lignite. The project, an application of the Soviet technology which was acquired under a license agreement in 1975, is a continuation of the field testing program to examine the feasibility of in situ lignite gasification in Texas which began with a 27-day test burn at a site near Fairfield in August of 1976. The objectives of the Tennessee Colony Project are to examine the economic, technological and environmental aspects of a commercial project. The Project which began in August of 1978 utilizes air as the oxidizing agent and is comprised of two channels of gasification operating simultaneously. The test is presently still in progress and producing gas with a heat content in the range of 8-100 Btu.