Methane is flammable gas and it appears mainly as a result of decomposition of vegetal remains. In nature it accompanies petroleum and hard coal deposits. Methane that releases during the extraction meets oxygen and forms explosive mixtures. For this reason methane explosions and fires are the most frequent reason of mining accidents. Methane presence causes life hazard for the miners working underground and is twenty time more malefic for the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
JSW mines have been the leader in mastering the modern technologies for methane drainage long since and also in using it for heat and power production. In first half of this year alone, JSW methane drainage stations captured 61,4million cubic meters of the pure gas and 53 million cubic meters out of this quantity was used to produce energy.
- Our mines have the highest level of methane hazard, that is why for many years we have been implementing the newest technologies aiming at our workers safety - says Jarosław Zagórowski, CEO of JSW. - We have been very successful at this field as methane is not only cause of danger but also valuable fuel. Electricity, heat and chill produced from methane are utilized for mines’ purposes which lets us reduce electricity purchase from external suppliers.
Within JSW Group methane is used in CHP plants „Zofiówka” i „Moszczenica” which utilize it to co-combustion in power engineering boilers. Methane is also used in gas engines. At present there are 13 gas engines working at JSW mines. Their power is from 1,8 MW to 4,0 MW which gives 36 MW electric power and 39,3 MW heat power altogether. The newest two engines of 2,0 MW power were activated at “Krupiński” last year. It is worth stressing that the first engine of this kind at “Krupiński” was started in December 1997 so nearly 15 years ago. Last year all engines used 48,8 million cubic meters of methane, giving over 257 thousand MWh of electricity and over 600 thousand GJ of heat.
Additional profits are also connected with ecological effects of economic methane utilization and reducing methane emissions into the air. The example in this subject can be gas engine from “Borynia” mine which generated reduced emission units – ERU. In the first half of this year alone they were sold to Japanese company for 321 thousand euro.