HYWEL THOMAS

Swansea University, Cardiff University

Underground Coal Gasification

 

BIO

Professor Hywel Thomas is a Distinguished Research Professor at Swansea University, Wales, UK; a Professor of Civil Engineering at Cardiff University; the founder Director of the Geoenvironmental Research Centre (GRC) at Cardiff University; the inaugural UNESCO Professor in the Development of a Sustainable Geoenvironment; a Professor at Zhejiang University, China and a Distinguished Research Professor at Tsinghua University, China. His research interests lie in the area of “Coupled processes in the Ground”. His early work focused on constitutive models that described the complex thermo/hydro/mechanical response of unsaturated soil. His research interests then developed to cover a wide range of geoenvironmental issues, from coupled multiphysics/geochemistry flow problems in soils and rocks, to waste disposal and land regeneration through to sustainability issues in general. A major focus of his work has been the geological disposal of high level nuclear waste. Current interests are focused on the geoenergy field, with major projects on ground source heat, underground coal gasification, exploitation of unconventional gas and carbon sequestration in coal seams. During the course of his academic career, he has produced some 500 publications; supervised over 80 research assistants and students; attracted research funding of approximately £50M; and presented almost 90 invited lectures in over 20 countries. He has worked extensively with the UN agencies, UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, UNESCO and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency). In relation to the IAEA he was a member of the Agency’s worldwide network on the “Geological Disposal of High Level Nuclear Waste” and acted as Chair of the network. In 2013, the Geoenvironmental Research Centre was awarded the UK’s Queens Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education, “In recognition of geoenvironmental solutions to major challenges of land, ground water quality and regeneration.” These prizes are part of the UK’s Honours system, awarded by Her Late Majesty the Queen. His academic achievements have been recognised by election as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). His citation reads: “Distinguished in geoenvironmental research. His work has profound global importance through the solution of problems relating to waste disposal, including high level nuclear waste disposal, groundwater contamination, land regeneration and energy conservation”; He is also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), with a citation: “Distinguished for outstanding and internationally renowned achievements in Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental engineering.” He has also been elected a Member of Academia Europaea, the Academy of Europe (MAE) and was recently elected a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2017 he received a CBE in the New Year’s Honours List for “Services to Academic Research and Higher Education”.

 

ABSTRACT

The lecture will discuss the subject of "Underground coal gasification" (UCG), with a particular focus on a modelling approach developed by the team to describe the process. The driving force for the research is geoenvironmental considerations, so that any environmental concerns can be considered in greater detail. The lecture will start with an overview of the subject, so that the relevant background information can be presented. The new modelling approach will then be described in some detail, before discussing the results in the context of an European Union project that funded the work. Finally the conclusions that can be drawn from the work will be highlighted.