Multistage clean-up of product gas from underground coal gasification

摘要

The present invention provides a multistage process for the removal of tar, water and particulate contaminants from a hot product gas resulting from the in-situ gasification of an underground coal deposit, which comprises passing the hot product gas through a first heat exchange zone in indirect heat exchange relationship with a gasification gas to thereby sufficiently reduce the temperature of the product gas so as to separate the tar present in the product gas and provide a substantially tar-free product gas. Thereafter, the tar-free product gas is withdrawn from the first heat exchange zone and passed through at least one subsequent heat exchange zone in indirect or direct heat exchange relationship with a heat exchange material which has a lower temperature than the product gas. A major portion of the water originally present in the hot product gas is removed in the subsequent heat exchange zone. The gasification gas, used to cool the hot product stream by means of indirect heat exchange, is passed to an underground coal deposit and utilized therein to gasify the same. A fluidized bed heat exchanger may be used in the first heat exchange zone in order to substantially completely remove tar and particulate contaminants.