1.3.1.

Coalbed Methane [1] Coal is defined as a readily combustible rock containing more than 50% by weight and more than 70% by volume of carbonaceous material formed from compaction and induration of variously altered plant remains similar to those in peaty deposits (Schopf 1956, [2]).

Coalbed methane (CBM), variously referred to as natural gas from coal (NGC, Canada) or coalseam gas (CSG, Australia), is generated either from methanogenic bacteria or thermal cracking of the coal. Because much of the gas generated in coal can remain in the coal, primarily because of adsorption of gas in the coal matrix, coal acts as both the source rock and the reservoir for its gas. Exploration for and exploitation of CBM resources requires knowledge of the unique coal-fluid storage and transport processes as well as special processes (well completions and operations) required to extract commercial quantities of gas.

1.3.1.1.

Reservoir Characteristics

CBM reservoirs are unique in that they serve as both the source rock and the reservoir to natural gas. CBM reservoirs are generally naturally fractured, and the majority of gas storage is by way of adsorption upon the immense internal surface area provided by organic matter within the coal matrix. 1.3.1.1.1. Transportation of Natural Gas and Water to the Wellbore

The transport of natural gas and water to the wellbore is dictated primarily by the naturalfracture system. The coal matrix has a very low permeability, and the mechanism of gas transport is diffusion (concentration-driven flow). Gas diffuses from the coal matrix into the natural fractures and moves under Darcy flow to the wellbore. The production profiles of CBM reservoirs are unique and are a function of a variety of reservoir and operational factors. 1.3.1.1.2. Gas Storage Mechanism

The primary mechanisms for gas storage in CBM reservoirs are:

1. Adsorption upon internal surface areas 2. Conventional storage in natural fractures 3. Conventional storage in matrix porosity 4. Dissolution in formation water 1.3.2. Shale Gas Shale gas is produced from organic-rich mud rocks, which serve as a source, trap, and reservoir for the gas. Shales have very low matrix permeabilities (hundreds of nanodarcies), requiring either natural fractures and/or hydraulic-fracture stimulation to produce the gas at economic rates. Shales have diverse reservoir properties, and a wide array of drilling, completion, and development practices are being applied to exploit them. [1]

REFERENCES
[1]. Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), World Petroleum Council (WPC), Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (SPEE), Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG), Guidelines for Application of the Petroleum Resources Management System. [2]. Schopf, J.M. 1956; A Definition of Coal; Economic Geology 51 (1956): 521527.