What is ventilation air methane and how can it be used?
Methane is an explosive gas that is a hazard to underground miners. To ensure mine safety, fresh air is circulated through underground coal mines using ventilation systems to dilute in-mine concentrations of methane to levels well below explosive levels. These concentrations are regulated by mine safety authorities in each country. Typically, methane concentrations in ventilation air range from 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent. Ventilation air methane (also known as VAM) refers to the very dilute methane that is released from underground mine ventilation shafts. VAM represents over half of all coal mining emissions in the United States and worldwide. With few exceptions, it is simply released to the atmosphere. It is technically possible to convert the dilute methane in ventilation air to useful energy. The economic feasibility of these projects on a commercial scale is being demonstrated (PDF) (132 pp, 1.5 MB, About PDF). The high volumetric flowrate and low concentrations of ventilation ai
Methane is an explosive gas that is a hazard to underground miners. To ensure mine safety, fresh air is circulated through underground coal mines using ventilation systems to dilute in-mine concentrations of methane to levels well below explosive levels. These concentrations are regulated by mine safety authorities in each country. Typically, methane concentrations in ventilation air range from 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent. Ventilation air methane (also known as VAM) refers to the very dilute methane that is released from underground mine ventilation shafts. VAM represents over half of all coal mining emissions in the United States and worldwide. With few exceptions, it is simply released to the atmosphere. It is technically possible to convert the dilute methane in ventilation air to useful energy. The economic feasibility of these projects on a commercial scale is being demonstrated. The high volumetric flowrate and low concentrations of ventilation air methane make it challenging to c
