0702

RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE

RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND

W.F.C. van Wageningen and J.G. Maas
Shell International Exploration & Production
Kesslerpark 1, 2288 GS Rijswijk, The Netherlands

ABSTRACT

The RECOPOL project is a joint industry project (JIP) and the RECOPOL site is located in the west central Upper
Silesian basin in the South of Poland near the Czech border. The pilot area consists of a small fault-block, which
has a triangular shape. The deposits in the block dip 12 degrees to the north and consist of alternating layers of
sandstone, clay and coal. The main objective of the RECOPOL project is to demonstrate that CO
2
injection in coal
is a feasible option under European conditions and that CO
2
storage in coal layers is a safe and permanent
solution.
The RECOPOL pilot was simulated with Shell's proprietary simulator MoReS and the results were compared
to the existing field data. The reservoir simulations have been conducted to obtain a better understanding of the
field behavior in the RECOPOL pilot. Buoyancy proves to be important for the transport of methane in a coal-bed.
Because of the high cleat permeability and because vertical cleat permeability is likely of the same order as
horizontal cleat permeability, the gas and water segregate in the cleat system due to buoyancy. A small grid in the
vertical direction was necessary to model this effect. Because gas accumulates at the top of the coal layer, gas
may escape to surface if there is no sealing cap-rock. Therefore, cap-rock integrity is important for both CBM and
ECBM.
The RECOPOL pilot shows that CO
2
injection enhances the production of methane in two ways: (1) CO
2

enhances de-sorption of methane and (2) The injected CO
2
pushes methane towards the producer (CO
2
drive). In
RECOPOL, the CO
2
adsorption was very slow, which likely enhanced the drive effect. An unexpected early
breakthrough of CO
2
was also observed in the RECOPOL pilot, which was likely caused by CO
2
overshooting the
water in the cleats. Thus, it is likely hat the lower part of the coal seam never came into contact with the CO
2
. As a
result, there was less CO
2
sequestration and enhanced methane recovery than anticipated. The RECOPOL pilot
helped to identify two important mechanisms: slow matrix diffusion and phase segregation in the cleats. These
mechanisms are relevant for both CBM and ECBM.

INTRODUCTION

Today, coalbed methane (CBM) is a mature technology. In 2005, the annual CBM production in the US was 1.7
Tscf and the proved reserves were 20 Tscf (source: EIA-DOE). The CBM process can be enhanced by injecting
CO
2
into the coalbed, so called enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM). ECBM has a double goal: the enhanced
production of methane and the storage of CO
2
in coal beds. Contrary to CBM, ECBM is far from mature as is
pointed out by White [1] in his review on the status of ECBM technology.
Worldwide a few pilots on ECBM have been conducted. In 1996, Burlington Resources started the first large-
scale (4 injectors, 7 producers) CO
2
-ECBM pilot in the San Juan basin, [2-4]. The pilot was a technical success.
The methane recovery was enhanced and at the same time CO
2
was sequestered. However, without additional
credits for CO
2
storage the economics are poor. Outside the US only a few other ECBM pilots have been
conducted. The Alberta Research Council (ARC) has conducted a single well (huff and puff) ECBM micro-pilot with
RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND 2
flue gas and CO
2
in Alberta, Canada. ARC also has completed a similar pilot in the Shanxi province in China
together with the Chinese State company CUCBM, [5]. The Japanese company JCOAL has an active (two-wells)
ECBM pilot in Hokkaido Japan. The study presented here will present the modeling and interpretation of the
RECOPOL (two-wells) ECBM pilot in Poland, [6].
The RECOPOL project is a joint industry project (JIP) funded by the European Union. The RECOPOL pilot is
lead by TNO and takes place in the upper Silesian basin in Poland. The main objective of the RECOPOL project is
to demonstrate that CO
2
injection in coal is a feasible option under European conditions and that CO
2
storage in
coal layers is a safe and permanent solution. Although CO
2
injection ended June 2005, the pilot is still on going.
Currently, the focus is on monitoring and verification.
Shell has joined the project in 2002 as an end-user and has participated actively in the planning
of the field activities and all project meetings. The successful frac-job in April 2005 was designed and supervised
by Shell experts and resulted in the first significant CO
2
injection of the project, which turned the pilot into a
success. Today a new consortium has been formed and the RECOPOL pilot continues under a different name:
MOVECBM.

GEOLOGY AND WELL LOCATIONS

The RECOPOL test site is located in the west central Upper Silesian basin in the South of Poland (Fig. 1) near the
Czech border and falls under the concession area of a Silesian mine. The pilot area consists of a small fault-block,
which has a triangular shape. The deposits in the block dip 12
o
to the north and consist of alternating layers of
sandstone, clay and coal. A detailed description of the geology can be found in [6]. A small summary of some key
features is given below.
The Upper Silesian coal basin is bound by the Carpathian fore-deep and is structurally complex compared to
commercial CBM basins in the US. Faults cut into the underlying coal seams and have destroyed the lateral
continuity of the coal seams. Like most other European basins, the Upper Silesian basin underwent several
subsequent burial and uplift phases. Because the coal seams were buried deeper in the past than at present
times, permeability is relatively low, in the range of 0.5 to 2 mD.
On the test site, there are two old wells (MS-1 and MS-4), which were used for a CBM production pilot in
the period 1995-1997. The distance between MS-1 and MS-4 is about 375m, where MS-4 is located up dip from
MS-1. Initially, both MS-1 and MS-4 were considered for the ECBM pilot. However, reservoir simulations
conducted by TNO, [6] indicated that the distance between MS-1 and MS-4 was too large to achieve breakthrough
of CO
2
within the project lifetime. Therefore, a new well (MS-3) was drilled between MS-1 and MS-4. During the
pilot CO
2
was injected in the new well MS-3 and production took place in MS-4. The MS-1 well was not used during
the project.
Several coal layers having thicknesses in the range of 1 to 3m are located in the Upper Carboniferous (Fig. 2),
which are covered by Miocene shale. It was planned to inject CO
2
in three coal layers (364, 401 and 405), but
there were indications that CO
2
only entered into the top layer 364. Six layers (357-510) were completed in the old
production wells MS-1 and MS-4, whereas the new injection well MS-3 was completed in three layers (364, 401
and 405). The bottom layers 501 and 510 of MS-4 were plugged off with a bridge plug. Table 1 shows an overview
of the completions, coal seam thickness and depth of each well. Note that initially the completions of the newly
drilled well MS-3 were not fracced, which resulted in poor injectivity. A successful frac-job of MS-3 was completed
in April 2005, which resolved the injectivity problems.
It can be observed (Tab. 1) that the producer MS-4 was only fracced in three layers (364, 405 and 510). A
frac-job is usually necessary to connect the well to the cleat system and proppants are often used to keep the
cleats open. Several layers of MS-4 were not fracced so it can be assumed that these layers did not contribute to
the production. Furthermore, well tests in MS-3 had indicated that layer 405 has almost no permeability (~1 D).
Layer 357 and 401 were not fracced and the lower layers (501 and 510) were plugged off. This makes it likely that
the only significant contribution to CBM production came from layer 364. The low production rates (water and gas)
observed in the RECOPOL pilot support this assumption.

THEORY: TRANSPORT, EOS AND SORPTION MODEL

The basic transport mechanisms of ECBM considered in our modeling are:
Bulk transport of the gases through the natural fracture or cleat system (Darcy flow) including buoyancy
effects.
W.F.C. VAN WAGENINGEN AND J.G. MAAS 3
Cleat to matrix transport by diffusion and vice versa.
Exchange of methane and CO
2
inside the coal matrix (adsorption/desorption)
The main part of the flow will take place through the vertical (unstressed) cleats. The horizontal cleats are mainly
closed due to the overburden pressure. The vertical and horizontal cleat permeability are likely of the same order,
because the cleats are connected and extend in the vertical direction. The permeability of a cleat can be estimated
by considering the flow through a cleat assuming it is similar to the flow between two parallel plates. Note that in
reality the flow through a cleat system deviates from the (ideal) flow through two parallel plates due to obstacles or
other imperfections of the cleat system, [7]. The solution of this flow is the well-known Poiseuille profile and can be
adequately modeled with the Darcy equation.
The permeability of the coal matrix is very small, which limits Darcy flow from matrix to cleat and vice versa.
The main transport mechanism between matrix and cleat is therefore diffusion. We model the diffusion with Fick's
law:

(1)


where
m
is the mass flow-rate, D is the diffusion coefficient, c/x the concentration gradient and A the cross
sectional area through which the mass transfer takes place. In this study the diffusion coefficient sets the transport
rates of the different gases between matrix and cleat. In reality, the diffusion process between matrix and cleat is
very complex. Furthermore, the water content has a large influence on the diffusion rate, especially at the smallest
pore scale. In the literature, more detailed (bidisperse diffusion) models based on the work of Ruckenstein [8] are
currently used, e.g. [9]. We believe that currently there are too many unknowns to justify a more detailed diffusion
model. More accurate experimental data is necessary to have a solid basis for the more advanced models. Hence,
a simple empirical approach is our preferred option and used in this study.
We used the Shell Modified and Improved Redlich-Kwong equation of state (SMIRK-EOS), [10].The SMIRK-
EOS is a two parameter Redlich-Kwong type EOS, in which both parameters, a and b, are a function of
temperature T. The SMIRK-EOS is equal to

(2)


where R is the gas constant and v the specific volume.
The sorption process is modeled by means of the (extended) Langmuir equation, which describes the
amount of adsorbed gas of each component, G
cmp
as a function of pressure p and composition:

(3)


where V
L,cmp
and p
L
are the Langmuir volume and pressure, y
cmp
is the mol fraction of a component in the gas phase,
and w
a
and w
we
are the ash and moisture content, respectively. In practice, both V
L
and p
L
are used to fit
experimental sorption data to the Langmuir isotherm. The Langmuir isotherm is modeled in Shell's proprietary
reservoir simulator, MoReS [11], via chemical reaction modeling, where it is assumed that adsorption is in
equilibrium with desorption for a given p and T. The chemical equilibrium is effectively equal to Eq. 3.
Fort the simulation of the RECOPOL pilot no swelling model was used. Instead, field data and the outcome of
reservoir simulations were compared and analyzed for evidence of swelling (e.g. change in the injection pressure
during the CO
2
injection).

FIELD OPERATIONS

A graphic overview of the historic injection and production data is shown in the figures 4 and 5, respectively. The
total amount of injected CO
2
was 320 10
3
m
3
, the cumulative water production was 580 m
3
, the total produced CH4
was 16.8 10
3
m
3
and the back-produced CO
2
was 22.6 10
3
m
3
. It follows that 93% of the injected CO
2
was stored in
the coal seam and 7% was back-produced. The main events of the pilot are summarized below:
Begin CBM operation (day 0; 28 May 2004)
Begin CO
2
injection (day 70; 6 Aug 2004)
RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND 4
Observed increase in methane production (day 90; 26 Aug 2004)
Pump frozen (day 257-263; 8-14 Feb 2005)
Fall off test injector (day 263-278; 14 Feb - 1 Mar 2005)
Observed decrease in methane production (day 272; 23 Feb 2005)
First (unsuccessful) Frac-jobs with brine only (day 278-279; 2-3 Mar 2005)
Injection resumed but at very low rate (day 279; 2 Mar 2005)
Successful Frac-Job with proppant (day 327; 19 Apr 2005)
Dramatic increase in CO
2
injection (day 328; 20 Apr 2005)
Big increase in methane production (day 334; 26 Apr 2005)
Significant CO
2
breakthrough in producer (day 336; 28 Apr 2005)
Pump broken (day 352; 14 May 2005)

RESERVOIR MODEL

The reservoir is located at a depth of 1000m and dipping 12~degrees north. The reservoir model represents a
triangular area of 1.35 km
2
(333 acre) and a single coal seam (364) having a thickness of about 3m is modeled.
The GIIP of the model area equals 9.1 Mm
3
(0.32 Bscf). A dual-porosity dual-permeability model has been used for
this study. We assume that the matrix is in Langmuir equilibrium and that there is segregated flow in the cleat
system and that the relative permeability depends linearly on the saturation (Sat=0, Kr=0; Sat=1, Kr=1). Transport
between matrix and cleats is dominated by diffusion.
The permeability was determined by laboratory experiments, well tests and history match. All methods indicate
an average effective permeability of the reservoir in the range of 1 to 2 mD, except for the bottom coal layer (405),
which has a much lower permeability of about 1 D. It is therefore not likely that CO
2
entered into this layer. The
cleat porosity is around 0.5% and the cleat spacing is 0.025m. Together with a permeability of 1.3 mD, these
values gave a best match for the water production and CO
2
injection/breakthrough.
The permeability is the effective permeability of both cleats and matrix. The cleat porosity was in the order of
0.5% so the cleat permeability equals 1.3/0.005 =260mD. Due to the large density difference (
H2O
/
CH4
~ 15), the
relatively low radial pressure gradient and the large cleat permeability, it is likely that the desorbed CH
4
and water
will segregate in the cleats. As a consequence, CH
4
will accumulate near the top of the coal seam, which brings
about the importance of a sealing cap-rock for CBM in order to prevent the flow of methane to surface. The
segregation of gas and water was confirmed with simulations with a radial flow model (Fig. 6).
To accurately describe the phase segregation, the 3 meter thick coal-seam was modeled with 10 grid blocks in
the vertical direction, which were refined (factor 1.5) towards the top of the seam (Tab. 2). The full field model has
a [7x5x10] grid with local grid refinement around the wells (Fig. 7). If the grid block of the well would be taken too
large, the matrix near the well would depressurize by a too large extent. This would result in more desorption of
methane and hence production would be over-predicted. This issue is addressed in MoReS via local grid
refinement near the wells (Tab. 2) and (Fig. 7). The radial model was also used to determine the correct level of
grid refinement in the X and Y direction. For that, the radial model was compared to the full field model, which has
larger grid blocks in the horizontal plane. There was good agreement between the two models indicating that the
grid refinement in the X-Y direction was sufficient (Fig. 8).
It is known that CO
2
dissolves in water. The solubility proved to be small. At the most 3% of the injected CO
2

dissolves into the brine. To keep the model simple, this effect was neglected in this study.

DIFFUSION AND SORPTION PARAMETERS

Busch et al [12] have investigated the diffusion process on coal particles. They have indicated that there are two
sorption processes in coal, a fast and a slow process. The results were obtained by fitting the sorption data with
two first order reactions representing the fast and slow sorption process. Van Krevelen [13] describes the diffusion
processes in coal at different scales. The fast and slow diffusion process can be linked to the different pore scales
of coal.
The measurements of [12] show that for large particles (>0.3mm) about 65% of the CH4 sorption is fast and
35% is slow. Smaller particles (<0.3mm) show a trend of increasing percentage of fast sorption with decreasing
particle size. Particles larger than 0.3 mm all show about the same small percentage of fast sorption indicating that
large particles could represent the coal matrix. The observation that there are two diffusion processes is in line with
W.F.C. VAN WAGENINGEN AND J.G. MAAS 5
the observed behavior in the desorption analysis on cores to determine the gas content. After 100 days only 60%
of the gas was de-sorbed. The other 40% remained trapped in the coal matrix.
It appears that at least 35% of the gas in the RECOPOL is diffusing at a very slow rate and as a result will not
contribute much to the production. This effect is incorporated in the simulator by reducing the Langmuir volumes.
In order to obtain a good history match the Langmuir parameters had to reduced by a factor of 6.5, which can
indicate that the amount of slow diffusion is larger under field conditions.
There are also other explanations possible for the low gas rates observed in the field such as a higher ash and
moisture content or reduced thickness of the coal seam due to shale/sandstones. In other words there are different
ways to explain the field data. However, the main principle remains the same: there are only a limited amount of
sorption sites available or accessible for methane and carbon dioxide.
In the reservoir simulations, the diffusion coefficient was set to 10
-9
m
2
/s, which represents a fast diffusion
process. The effect of the slow diffusion process was not modeled; by adjusting the Langmuir parameters the
amount of coal accessible by fast diffusion has been reduced to 15%. The physics behind this is that part of the
coal is not accessible, because diffusion into the coal matrix is very slow. The adsorption/desorption process is
described by the Langmuir relation (Eq. 3). The coal parameters as obtained in the lab are: p
L
(CH
4
) = 2490 kPa,
p
L
(CO
2
) = 2300 kPa, V
L
(CH
4
) = 17 sm
3
/ton and V
L
(CO
2
) = 17 sm
3
/ton. The average ash and moisture content are
25% and 5%, respectively. The plot of the gas content as function of pressure is shown in figure 9. The vertical line
at 100 bar indicates the field gas content as measured from cores and cuttings.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The pilot's aim was to prove the feasibility of CO
2
sequestration in coal. It was not aimed at economical production
of methane, which indeed was marginal. The main reasons for the low methane production rates are:
the adsorption of CO
2
and desorption of CH
4
are slow in Silesia coal
the gas content of the coal is low
the coal seam is thin and has a relatively high ash content
Reservoir simulations have been conducted to get a better understanding of the field behavior in the RECOPOL
pilot. We used a simple geological model considering only one coal seam. To accurately simulate the segregation
of the phases in the cleats, the model has a relatively dense grid in the vertical direction that was refined toward
the top of the coal seam. The grid blocks around the wells were also refined in the x and direction in order to get a
more accurate pressure distribution and sorption behavior around the wells. The level of grid refinement was
based upon a 2D radial model, which was also used to determine the CBM baseline. The CBM baselines of the full
field and 2D radial models are in good agreement with each other (Fig. 8). This shows that the level of grid-
refinement is adequate.
The CBM baseline was established as follows. First, the water rate of the model was matched by varying the
permeability and cleat porosity. Subsequently, the Langmuir parameters were decreased with a constant factor to
obtain the CBM baseline. The main differences between the final model and field were:
The CBM baseline of the model is somewhat too high
The decline of the water-production of the model is somewhat too slow
No further adjustments have been made to the model to get a better match. This keeps the model simple. Note
that the aim was not to get a perfect match, but to understand main features of the field behavior.
The base (CBM) model (Fig. 8) was used to study the effect of CO
2
injection (Fig. 10). The CO
2
injection of the
model was set to the field rate (all other parameters were left unchanged) and its response on the production was
studied. The response of the methane production to the CO
2
injection was similar to the field (Fig. 10). Shortly after
the injection, the methane production started to increase although to a lesser extent than the field rate. The field
reached a higher ECBM plateau than the model, but we obtained the correct response. Previous models not
considering the phase segregation all failed to predict the early enhancement of methane due to CO
2
injection.
This demonstrates that phase segregation most likely takes place in the coal seam and that small grid cells near
top of coal layer are necessary to describe this effect.
The new model shows that early enhancement of CH
4
can be the result of CO
2
flooding. The injected CO
2

pushes the methane that has accumulated at the top of the coal seam toward the producer. Note that the break-
through of the CO
2
occurred too early in the model (Fig. 11), which was likely caused by the over-prediction of
dispersion of CO
2
. In a grid-block, CO
2
and CH
4
mix instantly, while in reality there will be a delay due to diffusion.
We summarize the main differences between the field data and simulation below:
RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND 6
The enhancement of methane at the start of the CO
2
injection is under-predicted leading to a lower
(simulated) ECBM plateau.
The break-down of the pump was not modeled
The decline in methane production due to the decrease in injection rate in the period just before the frac-
job is too short in the simulation result. This can be related to the breakdown of the pump, which was not
modeled.
The break-through of CO
2
is too fast and the amount of CO
2
production after the frac-job is under-
predicted
The main shortcomings of the current model are believed to be:
There is too much adsorption of CO
2
to the coal
The dispersion of CO
2
is too fast (numerical effect)
These issues are currently investigated and addressed in a new model, which will contain a better description of
the diffusion processes at different scales (micro-pore and macro-pore diffusion). The influence of the amount
adsorption of CO
2
was studied by investigating the sensitivity of the Langmuir parameters of CO
2
(Fig. 12-13). The
Langmuir parameters of CO
2
were changed and it was found that when the amount of adsorption of CO
2
was
decreased, the enhancement of methane production was closer to the field rate. However, the decline of the
methane rate before the frac-job was still too slow. The post-frac CO
2
production was closer to the field rate, but it
was still lower. The fact that the simulated rates were closer to the historic rates, can be an indication that less
adsorption of CO
2
took place in the field test.
Although there is no direct evidence of coal swelling in the RECOPOL pilot, it appeared that the cleat
permeability reduced after the post-frac CO
2
injection. The pressure decline of the field was much slower than the
pressure decline of the simulation (Fig. 14, day 375 - day 550). This indicates reduced cleat permeability due to
coal swelling. Moreover, after a shut-in period of 4 months the injector was still over-pressured (THP ~50 bar).
In the next phase of the pilot (MOVECBM), it is planned to produce back the (former) injector. If there was
indeed a strong reduction in permeability, it is expected that this effect can also be observed in the amount of
produced water. We also hope to establish the amount of CO
2
that is physically adsorbed to the coal and the
amount remaining in the cleats.

CONCLUSION

Buoyancy, which is often neglected in (E)CBM simulations, proves to be important for the transport of methane in a
coal-bed. Because of the high cleat permeability and since vertical permeability is most likely of the same order as
horizontal permeability, the gas and water segregate in the cleat system due to buoyancy. The gas accumulates at
the top of the coal layer, which brings about that the cap-rock integrity is important for both CBM and ECBM.
The RECOPOL pilot showed that CO
2
injection enhances the production of methane. We found that methane
is not only enhanced by the sorption mechanism, but also due to CO
2
flooding. The injected CO
2
pushes the
methane that has accumulated near the top of the coal layer toward the producer. Due to slow diffusion into the
coal matrix, there was less adsorption of CO
2
, which likely enhanced the flooding effect. Furthermore, the CO
2

breakthrough occurred much faster than anticipated earlier.
Two likely causes for the early breakthrough observed in both pilot and reservoir simulations are that the bulk
of the CO
2
overshoots the water (Fig. 15) and that due to slow diffusion there is less CO
2
adsorption to the coal
matrix. We expected that more CO
2
will adsorb to the coal and more CH
4
will desorb, if diffusion is faster. This will
lead to a later breakthrough of CO
2
. Faster diffusion is not expected to have any effect on the overshooting of the
CO
2
. When the matrix is saturated, CO
2
will still migrate to the top of the coal seam. The only way to prevent the
overshooting of CO
2
is by lowering the water level in the coal seam.
Because the CO
2
overshoots the water in the cleats, it is likely that in RECOPOL a mayor part of the coal
seam never got into contact with the CO
2
. As a result, there will be less CO
2
sequestration and enhanced methane
recovery. Furthermore, it indicates the importance of injector location and design of an ECBM operation. Ideally,
the CO
2
should be injected in the bottom part of the coal seam to maximize exposure of the coal to CO
2
. Multi-
laterals may be used to achieve this.
The RECOPOL pilot helped to identify two important mechanisms (diffusion and phase segregation in the
cleats) relevant for both CBM and ECBM. This novel insight can help find ways to enhance diffusion into coal
matrix (e.g. dewatering prior to injection) and to optimize the location of injectors and producers (e.g. using multi-
laterals).

W.F.C. VAN WAGENINGEN AND J.G. MAAS 7



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge Henk Pagnier and Frank van Bergen from TNO for their efforts in making
the RECOPOL project a success.

REFERENCES
1. White, C.M ,et al., 2005: "Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide in Coal with Enhanced Coal bed Methane
Recovery-A Review", Energy & Fuels, V.19, No. 3.
2. Stevens, S.H., Spector, D. and Riemer, P., 1998: "Enhanced Coal bed Methane Recovery Using CO
2

Injection: Worldwide Resource and CO
2
Sequestration Potential", SPE-48881.
3. Reeves, S.R. et al., 2004: "The Tiffany Unit N2 ECBM Pilot: A Reservoir Modeling Study",
Topical Report DOE, DE-FC26-0NT40924.
4. Reeves, S.R. et al., 2002: Selected Field Practices for ECBM Recovery and CO
2
Sequestration in Coals
based on Experience Gained at the Allison and Tiffany Units, San Juan Basin,Topical Report DOE, DE-FC26-
00NT40924
5. Wong, S., Law D. and Gunter B.,2005: "Enhanced Coal-Bed Methane Test at South Qinshui Basin, China",
Greenhouse Issues, V. 78.
6. Pagnier, H., et al., 2006: "Reduction of CO
2
emission by means of CO
2
storage in coal seams in the Silesian
Coal Basin of Poland", TNO, RECOPOL Final Report.
7. LeGrain, P.H. 2006: "Etude de l'influence de la rugosite sur l'ecoulement de fluide dans les fissures
rocheuses, PhD-Thesis, Faculte Polytechnique de Mons.
8. Ruckenstein, A.S., et al., 1971: "Sorption by solids with bidisperse pore structures",Chem. Eng. Sc., V. 26.
9. Shi, J.G. and Durucan S. 2003: "A bidisperse pore diffusion model for methane displacement desorption in
coal by CO
2
injection", Fuel, V. 82.
10. Drexhage, J.J. and Welsenes, A.J., 1990: "Physical properties of pure compounds. Parameters for the
SMIRK equation of state", Shell Internal report.
11. Por, G.J., Boerrigter, P., Maas, J.G. and De Vries, A., 1989: "A Fractured Reservoir Simulator Capable of
Modeling Block-Block Interaction", SPE-19807.
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TABLES
Table 1: Coal layers and completion types


Table 2: Grid block sizes in X,Y and Z direction

RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND 8
FIGURES


Figure 1: Location of RECOPOL Pilot (source: TNO)



Figure 2: Coal layers and wells (source: TNO)

W.F.C. VAN WAGENINGEN AND J.G. MAAS 9
face cleat
butt cleat
top view
Coal matrix
horizontal cleat
vertical cleat
inaccessible matrix
(slow diffusion)
fast diffusion layer

Figure 3: Cleats in Coal matrix



Injection
Production
Injection

Figure 4:Historic CO2 injection and production data


RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND 10

CH4
H2O

Figure 5: Historic CH4 and water production data







Radial Model Gas Saturation
S=0.05
S=0.9

Figure 6: Gas saturation (Radial model ) on log scale


W.F.C. VAN WAGENINGEN AND J.G. MAAS 11
Top View Side View
Grid in between wells (Top View)


Figure 7: Grid [7x5x10] with local grid refinement near wells


CH4 (field)
CH4 (2D sim)
CH4 (3D sim)
H2O (field)
H2O (sim)

Figure 8: Comparison of 3D model and 2D radial model, water and CH
4
production (CBM base case)
RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND 12



CO2
CH4
CH4 (field)

Figure 9: Adsorption characteristics for RECOPOL coal (DAF). The vertical line at 100 bar indicates the expected gas
content of the field.


H2O (field)
CH4 (CBM base case)
CH4 (field)
H2O (sim)
CH4 (ECBM base case)

Figure 10: Effect of CO
2
injection on produced CH
4
(ECBM base case)


W.F.C. VAN WAGENINGEN AND J.G. MAAS 13

CO2 (Field)
CO2 (sim)

Figure 11: Back-produced CO
2
(ECBM base case)


CH4 (ECBM base case)
CH4 (CBM base case)
CH4 (ECBM VL(CO2) * 0.1)
CH4 (field)
H2O (field)
H2O (sim)

Figure 12: Water and Methane production (ECBM: V
L
(CO
2
) * 0.1)
RESERVOIR SIMULATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE RECOPOL ECBM PILOT IN POLAND 14


CO2 (ECBM VL(CO2) * 0.1)
CO2 (ECBM base case)
CO2 (Field)

Figure 13: Back-produced CO
2
(ECBM: V
L
(CO
2
) * 0.1)


BHP (sim)
BHP (field)

Figure 14: Injection pressure: comparison of simulated and field BHP
W.F.C. VAN WAGENINGEN AND J.G. MAAS 15



Figure 15: ECBM base case; Gas saturation and CO
2
mole fraction in cleats (matrix is not shown) at day 375 (end of
the CO
2
injection), Dark Gray = 0 and White = 1