A Review of Research on Cavity Growth in the Context of Underground Coal Gasification

Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) is a leading-edge technology for clean and effective utilization of coal resources, especially for deep coal seams with a depth of more than 1000 m. Since the core operation place of UCG is the cavity, mastering the cavity growth pattern is a prerequisite to ensure the efficient and economic development of UCG. At present, scholars have conducted numerous research works on cavity growth, but the simulation conditions limit the research results. Hence, it is necessary to summarize and sort out the research results of cavity growth patterns, which contribute to deepening the understanding of UCG and pointing out the direction for subsequent research. First of all, this paper summarizes the development history of UCG technology and describes the cavity growth mechanism from chemical reactions and thermo-mechanical failure. Then, the research methods of cavity growth are summarized from three aspects: a field test, laboratory experiment, and numerical simulation. The results show that the appearance of the cavity is teardrop-shaped, and its growth direction is obviously related to the gas injection method, including the injection direction and rate. Subsequently, the factors affecting the cavity growth process are expounded from the geological factors (permeability, moisture content, and coal rank) and operating factors (temperature, pressure, gasification agent’s composition, and gasification agent’s flow pattern). Finally, the existing problems and development trends in the cavity growth are discussed. The follow-up research direction should focus on clarifying the cavity growth mechanism of the controlled-retractable-injection-point (CRIP) method of UCG in the deep coal seam and ascertain the influence of the moisture content in the coal seam on cavity growth.