Integrated use of lignite resources to provide fuel for the energy sector of Ukraine in the war and post-war periods

Abstract

The object of research is technological processes for the complex development of lignite resources, including extraction, processing and the possibility of further use of derived products in the energy sector. The problem solved in the work is related to the underestimation of the complex use of lignite resources of Ukraine to provide fuel for the energy sector, which is suffering significant damage as a result of military operations. In the course of research, the current state, prospects for the development and use of lignite as an energy resource at thermal power plants (TPP) were analyzed. Using the example of the Myronivka lignite deposit, new technological solutions for its complex development are proposed, which include the following stages: – development of technological schemes for conducting mining operations with the possibility of selective extraction of minerals; – identification of promising areas of lignite processing technologies with the involvement of carbonaceous clays; – calculation of technical and economic indicators, social and economic efficiency of field exploitation. It is proposed to determine the rational parameters of the overburden zones during the extraction of at least two minerals in the deposit with the use of internal dumping of overburden rocks in the produced space. In order to minimize the impact of field waterlogging, various options for draining the quarry field will be considered based on three-dimensional modeling. Based on the methodology of expected operating costs, a preliminary economic assessment of the attractiveness of the proposed technological solutions was calculated for a conventional mining enterprise. Graphs of the dependence of mining costs and cost on the productivity of the cut and the overburden ratio were constructed, which made it possible to assert the feasibility of comprehensive development of lignite deposits of Ukraine. It has been established that the expansion of lignite raw materials due to accompanying minerals (coal clay) will lead to an increase in production by mass from 30 to 100 %, and in some cases even more.