 |
 |
I recall lectures on the subject of coal gassification being given as part of the mining degree course at the Royal School of Mines in 1950, describing work being done in Belgium, where the seams were steeply inclined. The project involved underground development, more or less like the opening up of a new longwall face, at the bottom of the section. Once prepared, the seam would be ignited and burn upwards, partially combusting but otherwise liberating excess gas. The ash would, it was hoped, drop into the void below, the whole process being controlled by regulating the air flow, which could be reversed. The experiment was in its early days, and the impression given was that it was not working too well. Tony Brewis