Coal Bed Methane

Coal Bed Methane: From Prospect to Pipeline is the proceedings of the 25th anniversary of the North American Coal Bed Methane Forum. It provides the latest advancements in the production of coal bed methane covering a variety of topics, from exploration to gas processing, for commercial utilization. Additionally, it presents the origin of gas in coal, reservoir engineering, control of methane in coal mines, production techniques, water management, and gas processing.

The vast coal resources in the United States continue to produce tremendous amounts of natural gas, contributing to a diverse range energy assets. Following a rapid advancement and subsequent plateau in technological developments, this book captures the full life cycle of a well and offers petroleum geologists and engineers a single source of a broad range of coal bed methane applications. This book addresses crucial technical topics, including exploration and evaluation of coal bed reservoirs; hydraulic fracturing of CBM wells; coal seam degasification; and production engineering and processing, among others. It also covers legal issues, permitting, and economic analysis of CBM projects.

• Edited by a team of coal bed methane experts from industry, academia and government who have more than 75 years of combined experience in the field
• Authored by well-recognized members of the gas and coal industry, universities, US government departments, such as the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• More than 200 figures, photographs, and illustrations aid in the understanding of the fundamental concepts
• Presents the full scope of improvements in US energy independence, coal mine safety, and greenhouse gas emissions

Primary audience includes petroleum geologists and engineers with a focus on CBM. Secondary audience includes students at the graduate level taking related coursework.

• Preface
• Chapter 1. Coalbed Methane: A Miner’s Curse and a Valuable Resource
  • 1.1. Abundance of Methane in Most Coalbeds
  • 1.2. CBM: Already a Commercial Success
  • 1.3. CMM: Pros and Cons
  • 1.4. Profit Opportunities in Unmineable Coal
  • 1.5. Convergence of CBM and CO2 Sequestration
  • 1.6. CBM’s Future
• Chapter 2. The Origin of Coalbed Methane
  • 2.1. Introduction
  • 2.2. Origins of CBM
  • 2.3. Conclusions
• Chapter 3. Geology of North American Coalbed Methane Reservoirs
  • 3.1. Introduction
  • 3.2. Geologic Factors
  • 3.3. Summary and Conclusions
• Chapter 4. Evaluation of Coalbed Methane Reservoirs
  • 4.1. Introduction
  • 4.2. Prospect Evaluation
  • 4.3. Production Forecasting
  • 4.4. Enhanced CBM Recovery
  • 4.5. Appendix: Some Considerations for a Data and Information Gathering Program to Evaluate the Coalbed Methane Potential of a Coal Reserve
  • Conclusion
  • Nomenclature
• Chapter 5. Wireline Logs for Coalbed Evaluation
  • 5.1. Basic Coalbed Log Evaluation
  • 5.2. Advanced Coal Analysis
  • 5.3. Imaging and Mechanical Properties
  • 5.4. Summary
• Chapter 6. Vertical Well Construction and Hydraulic Fracturing for CBM Completions
  • 6.1. Introduction
  • 6.2. Well Construction
  • 6.3. Completion Processes
  • 6.4. Hydraulic Fracturing
• Chapter 7. Horizontal Coalbed Methane Wells Drilled from Surface
  • 7.1. Introduction
  • 7.2. Critical Factors Influencing Surface CBM Wells
  • 7.3. Directional Drilling Technology Development
  • 7.4. Conclusions
• Chapter 8. Coal Seam Degasification
  • 8.1. Origin of Coalbed Methane and Reservoir Properties of Coal Seams
  • 8.2. A Threshold for Coal Seam Degasification
  • 8.3. Methane Emissions in Mines
  • 8.4. Methane Drainage Techniques
  • 8.5. How to Transport Gas in Underground Mines
  • 8.6. Economics of Coal Seam Degasification
• Chapter 9. Gas Outbursts in Coal Seams
  • 9.1. Introduction
  • 9.2. Gas Outburst Prevention
  • 9.3. Differences between Outbursts, Gas Outbursts, and Bumps
  • 9.4. Description of Gas Outbursts from One U.S. Mining Company
  • 9.5. Summary
• Chapter 10. Production Engineering Design
  • 10.1. Introduction
  • 10.2. Coal Gas Reservoir
  • 10.3. Coalbed Completions
  • 10.4. Well Head Equipment
  • 10.5. Dewatering Operations
  • 10.6. Well Head Compression
  • 10.7. Well Head Drying
  • 10.8. Gathering System
  • 10.9. Conclusions
• Chapter 11. Coalbed and Coal Mine Methane Gas Purification
  • 11.1. Introduction
  • 11.2. Dehydration (Water Vapor Removal)
  • 11.3. Carbon Dioxide Removal
  • 11.4. Hydrogen Sulfide Removal
  • 11.5. Nitrogen Rejection
  • 11.6. Oxygen Removal
  • 11.7. Summary
• Chapter 12. Current and Emerging Practices for Managing Coalbed Methane Produced Water in the United States
  • 12.1. Introduction
  • 12.2. CBM Produced Water Management—Current Practices
  • 12.3. CBM Produced Water Treatment
• Chapter 13. Plugging In-Mine Boreholes and CBM Wells Drilled from Surface
  • 13.1. Introduction
  • 13.2. Planning the Plugging of Boreholes Prior to Mine Through
  • 13.3. Primary Mediums Used to Plug Degasification Boreholes
  • 13.4. Polymer Gel Evolution
  • 13.5. Chemical Description of the Gel
  • 13.6. Laboratory and Surface Trial Gel Tests
  • 13.7. Gel Design for the Horizontal Boreholes
  • 13.8. Gel Mixing and Pumping Procedures
  • 13.9. Conclusion
• Chapter 14. Economic Analysis of Coalbed Methane Projects
  • 14.1. Introduction
  • 14.2. Reserve Categories
  • 14.3. Project Area Map
  • 14.4. Geologic Assessment
  • 14.5. Forecasting Future Production
  • 14.6. Economic Evaluation Model
  • 14.7. Economic Output
  • 14.8. Project Risk
  • 14.9. Summary
  • 14.10 Appendix A: Economic Output File
• Chapter 15. Legal Issues Associated with Coalbed Methane Development
  • 15.1. Introduction
  • 15.2. Theories of Ownership
  • 15.3. The Response to Uncertainty—Issues and Development in Various States
  • 15.4. Coal Mine Methane as a Commodity—Allowances and Offsets
  • 15.5. Issues to Consider with Regard to Coalbed Methane Well Plugging and Subsequent Mine-Through
  • 15.6. Important Issues to Address in Legal Agreements
  • 15.7. Conclusion
• Chapter 16. Permitting Coalbed Methane Wells
  • 16.1. Introduction
  • 16.2. Zoning
  • 16.3. Planning Commissions
  • 16.4. Roads: Local, State, Highway
  • 16.5. Water Withdrawal
  • 16.6. Well Drilling Permits
  • 16.7. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Index
  • 16.8. Coalbed Methane Review Board
  • 16.9. Stream Crossings, Water Obstructions, and Encroachments
  • 16.10. Erosion and Sediment Control Plans and Permits
  • 16.11. Call Before Digging
  • 16.12. SPCC Plans
  • 16.13. PPC Plans
  • 16.14. Environmental Impact Statements
  • 16.15. Brine Water Disposal
  • 16.16. Mine Safety and Health Administration
  • 16.17. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
  • 16.18. Conclusion
• Chapter 17. United States Lower 48 Coalbed Methane—Benchmark (2010)
  • 17.1. Introduction
  • 17.2. Production
  • 17.3. What the Data Suggest
  • 17.4. Future Trend
  • Appendix A: Basin/Play Area Summaries
  • Appendix B: Basin/Play Area Zero-Time Analyses
  • Appendix C: Basin/Play Area Production Distributions
• Chapter 18. Worldwide Coal Mine Methane and Coalbed Methane Activities
  • 18.1. Introduction
  • 18.2. Status of CMM and CBM in Selected Countries
• Index