AnOverviewofCurrentCoalbedMethaneExtractionTechnologies

Hemant Kumar,Graduate Student

222 Hosler Building, Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering & The EMS Energy Institute, The Pennsylvania State
University,UniversityPark,PA16802,USA

Jonathan P. Mathews, Assistant Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering

126 Hosler Building, Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering & The EMS Energy Institute, The Pennsylvania State
University,UniversityPark,PA16802,USA
Email-id: jmathews@psu.edu, Contact Ph. No. (814) 863 6213

Almostallgeologicalstratacontaingases.Thesegasesmaybereleasedbyundergroundminingactivities
often in concentrations too small to be of concern1. Amongst all rock types, coal has distinctive
propertiesofbeingabletoaccommodateasubstantialvolumeofgaswithinitsmicroporousstructure2.
Large amounts of methanerich gas are generated and stored in coalbed3. Methane production in the
highvolatile bituminous to anthracite range has been estimated at more than 200m3 per ton of coal
raised4. Commercial production of coalbed methane has been undertaken in the United States, and
other countries3. Major US technically recoverable coalbed methane resources as of 2006 were 157.9
trillion cubic feet (TCF) in which 57% was estimated in Alaska5 while The amount of technically
recoverablecoalbedmethaneresourcestill1997,wasprojectedbytheUSGeologicalSurveyNationalOil
and Gas Resources Assessment Team and Lyons centralnorthern Appalachian production at 0.3 Tm3
(11.48TCF) 6.In2006,ProvedCBMreservesinUSwereestimatedat19.6TCF5.CumulativeUScoalbed
methaneproductionin2006was20,006billioncubicfeet(BCF)5.ThePowderRiverBasinisestimatedto
containnearly14.2TCF(meanestimated)oftheundiscoveredcoalbedgasresource7.Coalbedmethane
exploitation, a recently technology, is typically more intensive than traditional natural gas extraction.
Over 18,400 wells have been drilled in the Powder River Basinby 20048. The Appalachian basin is the
worldssecondlargestCBMproducingbasinwithabout4,000producingwellsandannualproductionat
147.8 BCF in 1996. The cumulative production is close to 0.9 TCF. About 95% of the 1994, CBM
productioninthecentralandnorthernAppalachianbasincamefromVirginia,whereitisgrowingmulti
milliondollarbusiness9.Coalbedmethanecanbeclassifieddependinguponthenatureofextraction.
a)Preminingmethane:Methanestoredinvirgincoalseamwhichisextractedpriortominingactivities,
istermedasPreminingmethane.
b)Coalminemethane(CMM):CMMisthesubsetofCBMthatisreleasedfromthecoalseamsduring
miningactivities.
c)Postminingmethane:Methanewhichisrecoveredfromthegoafs,gobsandabandonedminingareas
iscalledPostminingmethane.
CoalbedMethaneExtraction:Therearetwogeneralmethodsforextractionofmethane.
1. Preminingdrainagemethods
2. Postminingdrainagemethods
Premining drainage method involves removing of methane prior to mining of a virgin coal seam. A
continuous cleat system with moderatetohigh permeability is required for methane extraction6. The
objectiveofPostdrainageistomaximizetherateofgasremovalfromtheundergroundminingdistricts
andhenceminimizethegasflowintothemineairways1.

1.Preminingdrainagemethods:Preminingdrainageinvolvesdrillingofboreholesorborewellsfrom
thesurfaceintovirgincoalseam.Preminingdrainageisgenerallyineffectiveinlowpermeabilityseams.
Hydrofracture,blasting,andchemicalreactionshaveprovedeffectiveforincreasingthepermeabilityof
coal10.
However, this is not typically sufficient for desirable production of coalbed methane. Pumps are
installed for removing the water from the cracks and cleats to allow the gas to flow. A typical
water/methane recovery plot is shown in Figure 1. Sometimes these pumps are also used to create a
vacuumforbettermethanerecovery.Thefollowinghavebeenexaminedforincreasingthepermeability
ofcoalseam.

In Hydrofracturing, highpressure water and sand mixture are injected into the coal seam
through boreholes. This generates/develops new cracks and it widens the existing
cleats/fracture11.Thus,stimulatingthecoalseammethaneproduction12.
With blasting, a large explosive charge is put in deep boreholes and detonated. The explosion
develops new fractures and is used in deep coal seams. However, the possible safety and
destabilizingrisksofundergroundblastingisthoughtobedifficulttojustify1.
Chemical Introduction: Weak hydrochloric acid could also be injected in coal seams.
Hydrochloric acid reacts with minerals present in the cleats removing the minerals thus cleats
aperture may increase. However, mineral deposition could reduce permeability and mineral
removalmayenableconfiningstresstoclosethecleat.
Vacuum technique: In this technique, specially designed pumps are installed in a borehole.
Some pumps are there for removing the extra water in the coal seam. Coalbed methane is
adsorbedatthemicroporesatcoalsurface13.Externalwaterpressuredoesnotallowmethane
for coming out. After removing the water, vacuum pumps are started for sucking out the
methane from the coal seam. But this technique has resulted into lowering of water level in
nearbystrata14.

a) Inseam drainage from underground boreholes: This technique works in moderatetohigh natural
permeability1. If elevated methane flows occurs in coal drivages within virgin areas of a mine, the
horizontal, inseam boreholes are also likely to yield significant gas flows and hence an underground
premining drainage scheme may be practical. In this context elevated flows could be upwards of
100L/s1.Gasflowsgloballyreportedfrominseamboreholesrangefrom0.1togreaterthan60m3/day
per meter of borehole length1. The direction of drilling is also an important factor. Boreholes
intersecting the main joints (cleats) in acoalseamatrightanglemaydraingasfromlargervolume of
coalthandrilledparalleltothefacecleatdirection1.

Figure1:Typicalproductioncurveforacoalbedmethanewellshowingrelative
methaneandwaterproduction.Source:USGeologicalSurvey3.

For effective extraction of methane, the following parameters should be determined prior to the
extraction.

Borehole location: Borehole should be at a place where it should pass through maximum
numberofcleats/fracture.Thedesignofgridoftheboreholesmustcoverthestratauniformly
toprovideleastresistanceforflowingoutthemethane.
Borehole length: The length of the borehole depends on the seam length and method of
working.Firstly,4inchdiameterstandpipe,69meterinlengthisinstalledwhichiscementedin
placebeforecontinuingwitha3inch,30m(orpanelwidth)1.
Boreholespacing:Boreholesgridshouldcoverthewholeextractionarea.
CollectionSystem:Inseammethanedrainagemayvaryinawiderangeofmethanevolume.In
seammethanedrainageispracticedinislandCreekMines,USAwheregasemissionhavebeen
reported 140L/s from the worked seam on to continuous miner face to 470L/s on to a active
longwallface15.Thecollectingsystemmayworkaccordingtomethanerecoveryfromcoal.
Timeavailablefordrainage:Inthecaseofpreminingdrainage,wellinstallationisdonewellin
advanceofminingactivitiessothatwholeinsitumethanecanbeextractedoutpriortomining.

Therearedifferentdrillingpatternusedforextraction.
(i)Horizontalinseamborehole:Thismethodhasparticularsuccessinlongwallfacemining1.Depending
on the mining and underground environmental constraints during development; boreholes are usually
installedtofunctionforperiodsof12monthsorlessthentotwoyears.Inatypicalarrangementshown
inFigure2,horizontalboreholesaredrilledat76mspacingfromthetailgateentry,perpendiculartothe
roadwayforalmostfulllengthorretreatpanel13.


Figure 2: Horizontal drilling with Vertical bore well (ZPinnate Technology). Source:
CDXGas,TheWholeEarthCompany.
(ii)Shortboreholesinthemineroof:Shortverticalboreholesarealsodrilledintheroofofheadingsto
control emission of methane from the discrete fractures in gas bearing sandstone1. Where there is a
frictionalignitionriskinmechanizeddrivages,lowangleboreholesaresometimesdrilledintheroofto
terminateaheadofthefacetoreleasethegasinadvanceofmining1.
(iii)Longhorizontalinseamborehole:Inlongwallpanelspriortodevelopmenthorizontalboreholesare
installed,extendingfromshaftintothecoalseamshowninFigure3.Longdirectionallysteeredinseam
boreholecaneffectivelyreduceinsituCBMcontentsoflargecoalvolumesinadvanceofmininginlow
to high permeability of coals, as well as to drain faults and fissures containing free CBM16. These
boreholes serve primary purpose of exploration and give access to the coalbed methane. Long
horizontalboreholesweredrilledinthePittsburghseamfromthebaseoftwoexperimentalshaftsina
WestVirginiaminesintheearlyandmid1970s17.
b) Premining drainage from surface boreholes: Vertical boreholes are drilled from the surface often
into multiple coal seams. If the seam is not permeable, highpressure fluid or highpressure air is
injected from 180mm diameter pipes15. Injection of air is performed with pressurization cycles called
BlowDown.Theselastsforabout15minutes1.Thisprocessisrepeatedfor50timesovereighttoten
days18. After each cycle the broken material filling the borehole is removed by drilling. This process is
nonuniforminnatureandhencenotwidelyused1.

Figure 3.Typical coalbed methane wellbore. Source: McDaniel & Associates

ConsultantsLtd2006.

2.Postminingdrainagemethods:ThismethodwasdevelopedinGermany>fortyyearsago,butithas
beenconsiderablyrefined1.Itinvolvesdrillingboreholesangledabove,andinsomeinstancesbelowthe
goaf,closetothecoalfaceandconnectingtothemtoapipenetwork.Therecoveryofgasisassistedby
the application of suction provided by pump sited either underground in a return airway or at the
surfaceinapurposebuiltmethaneplant.
a)Undergroundcrossmeasuremethanedrainage:Boreholesaredrilledatanangleaboveorbelowthe
goaffromthereturnairwayofalongwallfaceandconnectedtoamethaneremovalsystem.Thelargest
methane flows usually arise from the roof a few meters behind the coalface and significant recovery
persists for a distance up to about 2446m behind the face19. Methane drainage from the floor is not
always successful and dewatering aids may be required for good recovery1. Development of the
distressingzoneinthefloormaylagbehindthecoalfacewithgasflowsnotbeingdetecteduntiltheface
istensofmeterspast1.Methanecaptureonadvancelongwallfaceisusuallyaround5070%whilethe
percentagevariesinrangeof3050%incaseofretreatcoalface1.
b)Gasdrainageboreholeintheroof:Thereisazoneintheimmediateroofoftheworkingsthattypically
extends520m,wherethedegreeoffracturingprecludessatisfactorysealingofagasdrainageborehole1.
A steel pipe is therefore used to line the first section of the borehole1. It is advisable to drill the
standpipelength,insertandsealthestandpipeinpositionandthencontinuetodrillthroughitwitha
reducedbitsize1.IntheUK,standpipeof75mmandboreholeof50mmdiameterarecommon1.Thereis

no optimum diameter for the standpipe and borehole but is should be optimized in way that least
resistance is offered to the methane gushing out of the fracture and time (expenditure for drilling)
shouldbeminimum1.Drainageisgenerallynoteffectiveiflengthisextendedbeyond50m1.Onretreat
longwallcoalfaces,boreholesareeitherdrilledinfrontofthefacenormaltotheroadwayorareangled
towardsthefacetopassoverthegoaf1.
c) Gas drainage boreholes in the floor: Floor boreholes are usually much shorter than roof boreholes
(1520m)belowtheworkedseam.Floorboreholecanbedrilledaheadoftheretreatingcoalfacewith
lessriskofbeingdamagedthantheroofboreholes,althoughminingmachineryoccupyingthegateroad
may make such an operation impracticable1. Sudden emission of gas can occur from strata when a
strong bed in the floor, overlying one or more coal seam is fractured1. Such emission of gas (in hard
rocks)maybeavoidedbydrillingtheholeonaregularpattern1.Onretreatcoalface,boreholesdrilled
over the goaf are on average more successful than borehole drilled in advance, which are invariably
damaged by the passing of the coalface front abutment1. Borehole drilled normal to the gate road
producegasforlongerperiodsoftimethanthoseangledtowardsthecoalface1,whichtendtotruncated
prematurelybydifferentialstrainsintheroof1.
d) Drainage to the surface using vertical goaf wells: A venting borehole is drilled to within a short
distanceoftheseamtobeworked1.Sometimesitisextendedwithasmallerdiameteropenholedrilled
through the worked seam horizon before or after the coalface has passed (Figure 4). The productive
length of the borehole is sometimes lined with slotted pipe1. This method is applicable for shallow
longwallandRoomandPillarmining1.Theseverticalwellsproducemoremethanewhenlongwallfaceis
distressed. These distress processes make upper level more permeable which increases methane
recovery1.
e) Goaf drainage from underlying or overlying roadways: This is called superjacent heading or
Hirschbachmethod.ThismethodwasdevelopedinSaarcoalfield,Germany1.Inthismethod,drivingor
heading is developed above the worked seam prior to its extraction by a long wall method. Where
practicabletheroadwaywasdrivenincoaltoreducethecost.Typicallyadrainageroadwaywouldbe
situated2025mabovetheworkedseamorlessthan20mbelow1.

Figure4:Generaldescriptionofgobgasrecoverymethod,Source:REIDrillingInc.

f) Goaf drainage using long horizontal boreholes above or below the worked seam: This method has
beenreportedsuccessfulinAustralia1.Inthisdrainagetechnique,aboreholeisdrilledinacompetent
horizonat2030maboveorbelowtheworkedseamforthefulllengthofaprojectedlongwallpanel.A
boreholestartedfromtheworkedseamcanbeguidedthroughanarctorunparalleltotheworkingata
selectedhorizonaboveorbelow1.Ifnodrillingsiteisavailableattheappropriatehorizon,theborehole
is steered to the requisite level from the mined horizon. Kravits and Li (1995) demonstrated this
techniqueinUSAwhenaseriesofhorizontal89mmdiameterboreholeweredrilledoverthegoafoftwo
longwallpanelsattheCambriaSlopeNo33minePA1.Wateraccumulationindipsofboreholeresulted
inunsuccessfulexperiment20.
Summary: In a study on methane emission from coal mining worldwide, it was found that about 1.8
billion m3 of coal mine gas is used each year, representing about 6 % of the total world methane
emission from coal mining in 199321. In Australia, methane release associated with underground coal
miningexceeds750Mm3in199421.In1994,therewere132gassystaterunundergroundcoalminesin
Chinawithmethanedrainagesystemsinplace.Over50gasutilizationschemeswereinoperationthere
bytheendof1993,withanestimated400Mm3ofgasbeingconsumed22.InGermany,thevolumeofgas
capturedin1994throughgasdrainagesystemswas446Mm3,ofwhich335Mm3wereutilized23.Inthe
United Kingdom, an estimated 790 Mm3 of methane was released from coal mining in 199321. About
35% of the total methane emissions attributed to coal mining operations in the United Kingdom is
recovered by crossmeasures methane drainage1. In the United States, over 50 coal mines each emit
more than 9Mm3/y24. More than 3Mm3/day methane was drained from ten coal mine operations in
Alabama,VirginiaandUtahalone1.Thehighqualitygasisobtainedfromhydraulicallyfracturedsurface
boreholes,undergroundhorizontalinseamboreholesandsurfacegoafboreholes.Fiveofthesemines
arelocatedintheBlackWarriorbasinofAlabamawhichin1990,wereusing35%ofthetotalmethane

emittedfromtheircoalminingoperations25.Variousapproachesareutilizedtorecovercoalmineand
coalbedmethanegas.In2006,CBMproductionwas9%oftheUSdomesticnaturalgasproduction5,26.

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