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Coal Bed Methane
Summary:
What is coal?
Coal is chemically complex combustible substance. Coal contains more than 50 %
organic matter by weight and 70 % by volume. Coals are composed of marcels,
which similar as minerals in rock. There are three types of marcels
- Vitrinite
- Liptinite
- Inertinite
Coal is either classified on the basis of rank or grade. Grade is a measure of coals
purity. Rank represents the level of compositional maturity attained during
coalification (PEH Vol 6).
Coal ranks:
Peat (lowest quality, high moisture content, low calorific value)
Lignite
Sub-bituminous
Bituminous
Anthracite (highest quality, negligible moisture content, high calorific value)
What is coal bed methane?
Coal bed methane is high quality natural gas which requires no or minimal
processing prior to distribution in pipeline. Its composition include mainly 95 % of
methane and 5 % other gases. It does not contain H2S so characterized as sweet
gas.
CBM is generated by conversion of plant material to coal through burial and
heating. During process of coalification, as process progress, increasingly denser
coal is formed in order from low rank coal to high rank coal.
Methane is generated by two sources of origin: Biogenic methane &thermogenic
methane.

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Biogenic methane: its formed by bacterial activity. Biogenic methane forms
during peatification process.
Thermogenic methane: At temperatures greater above 220 degree F carbon-carbob
bond begins to break which leads to generation of gas and liquid hydrocarbons that
get trapped in coal. As bituminous coal buried deeper, their hydrocarbons cracked
into thermogenic methane (PEH volume 6).

Storage of methane:
Here coal serves as both source rock and reservoir rock. Hydraulic pressure on gas
bearing reservoir coal doesnt allow gas to produced i.e. gas remain adsorbed on
coal surface.
Methane in coal reservoirs is stored in four ways:
a.
b.
c.
d.

As a free gas within pores and cleats (Cleats are natural fractures in coal)
As a dissolved gas within water in reservoir
As a adsorbed gas on coal surfaces
As a adsorbed gas within molecular structure of coal

Capacity of coal matrix is dependent on pressure and temperature. Capacity to

store gas is given by Langmuir isotherm. The Langmuir volume is maximum
volume of gas a coal can adsorb onto its surface area. The Langmuir pressure is the
pressure at which storage capacity of coal equal to half of the Langmuir volume.
= 0.031
Where

,
,

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Cleats in coal:
Natural fractures in coal are divided into mainly into two types;
1. Micro and macro cleat system
2. Large joints and shears
There are two mechanisms by which these natural fractures are formed.
endogenetic cleats are formed during the process of physical changes in
properties of coal during metamorphic process. As a result of his process, coal
matter goes under density changes and it shrinks (Internal stress changes). This
causes formation of cleat planes.
Exogenetic cleats this forms as a result of external loading on coal seam. These
include changes in tectonic, folding and development of tensile stresses during
various time period.
Endogenetic cleats are formed normal to bedding planes. These cleats are
orthogonal to each other which is known as face and butt cleats. Face cleats are
parallel to faults and fold axes which indicates the local stress exert control on their
development. Butt cleats terminate into face cleats orthogonally.

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Coal bed methane production:

Extraction of coal from reservoir needs a drilled well. The well is equipped with
large water pump to lower hydrostatic pressure in the reservoir so that adsorbed
gas can get freed. Water is produced by tubing to the surface, while gas is taken via
annulus. Produced gas is then to the compressor station and next to the selling line
in market.
CBM wells usually produced very little or no gas at all. De-watering of wells,
reduce the pressure on the reservoir. Then gas can be de-adsorbed and produced in
wellbore. Ramp up periods of 3-5 years are common. Well may produce for
several years on peak period and then decline.
Enhanced methane recovery is possible from CBM wells. Coals have more affinity
for CO2 and nitrogen than that of methane. Coal releases methane to sorb CO2
instead. Nitrogen reduces partial pressure of the methane and causing it to desorb
from coal.

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Three phases of CBM production:

a. De-watering stage
b. Stable production stage
c. Decline stage

Reservoir evaluation:
a. Core analysis
- Sorption isotherm measurements
A relationship, at constant temperature describing the volume gas that can be
adsorbed to a surface a function of pressure. Describes how much gas a coal
seam is capable of storing and how quickly gas will released.
- Proximate analysis
Proximate analysis is provides the percentage of ash, moisture, fixed carbon
and volatile matter.
- Ultimate analysis
Determines the percentage of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, carbon, sulphur and
nitrogen in gas.
- Vitrinite reflectance
Determines the maturity of coal, by indicting the amount of incident light
reflected on vitrinite marcel.

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- Maceral analysis
- Bulk density determination
b. Log analyses
- Openhole logs are not useful as gas is adsorbed to calculate matrix porosity
and gas saturation
- Caliper logs are useful to determine coal zones as coal intervals tend to
washed out by drilling operations.

c.
-

Well testing
Buildup tests
Injection /falloff tests
Slug tests
Well testing results are use to determine coal permeability and acreage of the
reservoir.

Gas in place determination:

Gas in place for a coal is sum of free gas residual in cleat system and the gas
sorbed onto the surface of coal.
=

43,560 1

+ 1.36 1

Where A area, acres

h thickness, feet
Gc gas content, scf/ton

fa ash content, lbm ash/ lbm coal

fw water weight fraction, lbm water/lbm coal

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Reference www.cbmasia.ca
http://www.gazprom.com/about/production/extraction/metan/
SPE Handbook volume-6