Method of solution mining of coal
US3990513A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 19, 1973 |
| Grant date | Nov 9, 1976 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 19, 1993 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE21B43/40
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A solvent of coal is pumped through pipes drilled into the earth to a coal seam. The coal is digested or dispersed into the solvent and solvent recycle, and is thereafter pumped as a solution up to the surface and processed to remove the coal from the solvent. The method produces low-ash coal, stripped of all the extraneous ash, leaving the inherent ash, and stripped of all the sulfur except the organic type. The method comprises making a coal solution in situ and bringing it to the earth surface economically, without the hazards and environmental problems of conventional coal mining and without the need of coal washing facilities.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.