COAL BED METHANE

HISTORY
The first permit for a coalbed methane well in Alabama was issued in May 1980.
Gustavson Associates, a Colorado based geological consultant firm had been selected
by the American Public Gas Association to conduct coalbed degasification tests as well
as Devonian shale tests across the United States. Pleasant Grove, Alabama was chosen
to test commercial drilling of coalbed methane.
In a time of rising gas prices, American Public Gas Association under a U. S.
Department of Energy grant first funded this three-well research program to produce
coalbed methane at Pleasant Grove, Alabama. The coalbed methane wells were drilled
on the lawn of the Pleasant Grove court house. The gas was of sufficient quality to be
ducted into the kitchens of domestic users after minor processing including odorization
as a safety measure.

WHAT IS COAL BED METHANE?

Coal bed methane (CBM) is simply methane found in coal seams. It is produced by
non-traditional means, and therefore, while it is sold and used the same as
traditional natural gas, its production is very different. CBM is generated either
from a biological process as a result of microbial action or from a thermal process
as a result of increasing heat with depth
saturated with water, with
Different with

of the coal. Often a coal seam is

methane is held in the coal by water pressure.

conventional gas reservoir, which all interconnected pore of the

reservoir are saturated with gas, we cannot say that one coal seam has
equivalent gas saturation at all points, not until any
activity has conducted.

attempt of exploration

HOW TO EXTRACT?
To economically retrieve reserves of methane, wells are drilled into the coal seam,
the seam is dewatered, then the methane is extracted from the seam,
compressed and piped to market. The goal is to decrease the water pressure by
removed
to release
thewell.
coalAbout
bed methane
pumping water
from the
the water that must be removed
will varies for each coal deposit and over the
life of the well. The decrease in pressure
allows methane to desorb from the coal and
flow as a gas up the well to the surface. This
process has resulted in the drilling of tens of
thousands

of

gas

wells,

and

extensive

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECT?
CBM is a more environmentally acceptable energy source than coal. Production
of CBM does not produce the environmental damage of coal mining, and
combustion of CBM does not produce waste ash or sulfur. However, as with the
production of natural gas from conventional reservoirs, CBM development
results in surface disturbance, as also to wildlife, from the construction of
roads, well pads, pipelines, and other facilities. Likewise, CBM production may
result in air pollution from compressor exhaust gases, methane leakage, and
dust, and the operation of pumps, compressors, and other machinery
generates noise pollution. CBM development dispose of large volumes of
produced water, that any leakage could affect shallow groundwater.

REFERENCE
http://waterquality.montana.edu/docs/methane/cbmfaq.shtml#how_do_gas_comp
anies_extract_methane_from_a_coal_seam, last access at 17 April 2013
http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Coal_bed_methane_extra
ction.html, last access at 17 April 2013
http://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/cretaceous/coalbed.html, last access
at 17 April 2013
http://ipec.utulsa.edu/Conf2001/fisher_92.pdf, last access at 17 April 2013

HOW TO CALCULATE?

A = Areal of Interest (acre)

h

= Coal density (g/cc)

= Net formation thickness (ft)

fa = Ash content (fraction)

= Fracture porosity (fraction) fm = Moisture content (fraction)

Swif = Initial water saturation @fracture (fraction) Rsw = Gas solubility @water (cuft/bbl)
Bgi = Initial gas formation volume factor
(cu-ft/SCF)

(STB/bbl)

Cgi = Initial gas capacity storage (SCF/ton)

Bw = Water formation volume factor

HOW TO CALCULATE?
Ifcgi unknown, we could use Kim s Correlation to get the value.

cg = Gas capacity storage (cc/g)

ko = Constant

Vw = Gas volume @ moist coal no = Constant

Vd = Gas volume @ dry coal b
p

= Pressure (atm)

= Constant, approximately 0.14

= Temperature (oC)

FC = Fixed carbon (weight fraction)

VM= Volatile Matter (weight fraction)

HOW TO CALCULATE?
For
calculating Recovery Factor (RF), we could use this following formula:

cg = Gas capacity storage (cc/g)

ko = Constant

Vw = Gas volume @ moist coal no = Constant

Vd = Gas volume @ dry coal b
p

= Pressure (atm)

= Constant, approximately 0.14

= Temperature (oC)

FC = Fixed carbon (weight fraction)

VM= Volatile Matter (weight fraction)