Petroleum Reservoir Evaluation and Development ›› 2025, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (6): 959-971.doi: 10.13809/j.cnki.cn32-1825/te.2025.06.002

• Specialist Forum • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Current status and development directions of surface and in-situ low-carbon development and utilization technologies for oil-rich coal in Xinjiang

WEI Bo1(), YANG Shuguang2, LI Xin1,3(), TANG Zhuyun2, ZHANG Na4, WANG Bo4, ZHAO Chen4, LI Jinru1, ZHAO Zhengwei2, FENG Shuo1, JIA Chao1   

  1. 1. Xinjiang Key Laboratory for Geodynamic Processes and Metallogenic Prognosis of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830047, China
    2. Geological Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830000, China
    3. Xinjiang Research Institute of Huairou Laboratory, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830000, China
    4. Xinjiang Asian New Coalbed Methane Investment and Development Group Co. Ltd. , Urumqi, Xinjiang 830009, China
  • Received:2024-09-18 Online:2025-10-24 Published:2025-12-26

Abstract:

Xinjiang has significant advantages in oil-rich coal resources. The efficient and clean utilization of these resources can ensure the supply of oil and gas resources, promote the effective utilization of deep coal resources, and mitigate environmental issues caused by traditional coal combustion. Currently, Xinjiang has achieved certain breakthroughs in understanding the occurrence characteristics, distribution patterns, and shallow development and utilization of oil-rich coal resources. However, bottlenecks remain in key technologies such as the in-situ conversion of deep oil-rich coal and multi-energy collaborative development. This study analyzed the resource of oil-rich coal in Xinjiang and the current status of its development and utilization industry from the perspectives of the geological resource quantity of oil-rich coal, the resource quantity of coal-based oil and gas, the techniques for surface chemical development and utilization, the techniques for underground in-situ pyrolysis and gasification development, geological utilization and storage of by-product CO2, integrated development of multiple energy sources, and the construction of national-level demonstration zones. Additionally, it proposed suggestions for industrial development. The results showed that: (1) Oil-rich coal resources in Xinjiang were mainly concentrated in the east, including Sandanghu Basin, Balikun Basin, and Tuha Basin. Using the geological block method, volumetric method, and abundance method, it was preliminarily predicted that the oil-rich coal resource quantity in the Jurassic strata within 1 000 meters in eastern Xinjiang was 556.6×108 t, and the coal tar resource was 65.9×108 t. (2) The technologies of surface gasification and pyrolysis upgrading of oil-rich coal and preparation of coal-based chemicals in Xinjiang were relatively mature, having realized the production of clean coal using oil-rich coal as raw material, the production of coal-based hydrogenated oil using coal tar as raw material, and the production of methanol and ethylene glycol using purified coal gas as raw material. (3) An integrated in-situ pyrolysis and gasification development technology system for oil-rich coal was proposed, including the evaluation technology for geological site selection, in-situ furnace construction technology, in-situ coal seam heating technology, and enhanced extraction technology. (4) A technological pathway for the coordinated development of oil-rich coal chemical industry and new energy through multi-energy complementarity was developed. It mainly included using new energy to produce hydrogen, which serves as a raw material for the pyrolysis and hydrogenation of oil-rich coal to prepare chemical products and oil products, provide thermal energy for the pyrolysis and gasification furnace of oil-rich coal, and supply hydrogen as a raw material for pyrolysis upgrading and coking of oil-rich coal. (5) It is recommended that Xinjiang establishes national-level demonstration zones for the development and utilization of oil-rich coal, including a demonstration zone for the surface pyrolysis and gasification of oil-rich coal for the coal chemical industry, an in-situ pyrolysis and gasification demonstration zone for oil and gas industries based on deep oil-rich coal, a geological utilization demonstration zone for by-product CO2 from oil-rich coal chemical processes, a demonstration zone for CO2 storage of semi-coke from in-situ pyrolysis of deep oil-rich coal, and a multi-energy complementary coordinated development demonstration zone for “oil-rich coal and new energy”, promoting the efficient and sustainable development of Xinjiang’s oil-rich coal industry.

Key words: oil-rich coal, coal-based oil and gas resources, in-situ, low-carbon development and utilization, carbon storage, multi-energy complementarity

CLC Number: 

  • TE349