Visit of a coal mine methane exploitation

A part of the Regalor team visited the Gazonor abandoned mine methane exploitation, subsidiary of La Française de l'Énergie. Located in Avion, in northern France, the exploitation site produces gas and electricity for the national network.Abandoned mine methaneLike coalbed methane (CBM), abandoned mine methane is constituted of the same gas. But it is naturally present in disused coal mine drifts. A pump extracts the gas from the galleries. It is then compressed, dried and odorized... it can now be injected in the domestic gas network. Gazonor also produces electricity from methane thanks to cogenerators. Principe is simple: gas is sent in a "motor" which creates mechanic energy then converted in electricity and thermic energy?

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Folschviller, European pilot site

La Française de l’Énergie gave the green light to settle the Regalor’s experimental site in Folschviller. It would be the future European demonstrator for a low carbon energy.Folschviller is a city located in the Moselle department, on the Nord-east side of France. Exploratory wells have already been drilled by la Française de l’Energie, but none gas exploitation would be considered. Regalor teams have free rein to explore innovative, technologic and experimental devices. What is a European pilot site? The European pilot site will be an exhibition place to new sensors technologies, measures and monitoring tools. This site will only be accessible for research goals. Foreign researchers could use it for experimentations linked to the use of the underground for an energetic purpose (geothermic, hydrogen, greenhouse gases storage…). Why Folschviller? The Folschviller site, with a surface of around 1.36 hectares is divided into the existing wells, already drilled and settled. It is also the first site in which la Française de l’Energie made its first tests in 2012. There is an ancient coal mine next to the site, it also helps to have a better understanding of the veins structures. It is also a central point for the trans-border Saar-Lor-Lux region: Germany, France, and Luxembourg.

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