Introduction: coal seam gas

research at CSIRO
Dr Abouna Saghafi
ECBM Research Team Leader
CSIRO Energy Technology
Module overview

• Coal seam gas (CSG), a mine safety hazard

• Coal seam gas emissions from mining
• CSG as an energy resources (CBM)
• Greenhouse gas emissions and enhanced gas
recovery (ECBM)

Page 1
 Historic of Coal seam gas research: safety

• Mostly in the past, but also at

present, uncontrolled high gas
release during coal mining
causes hundreds of thousands
of gas outburst and fire events in
coal mines of the world.

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Coal gas research at CSIRO
• Mine safety research
• High gas emissions and gas outbursts
• Ventilation design
• Pre and post mining gas drainage
• Greenhouse gas emissions from coal mining and
abetment strategies
• Development of emissions estimate methods for u/g mining
• Mine gas utilisation
• Development of emissions estimate methods for opencut
mining
• Coal seam gas (CSG)
• Exploration & production of CSG
• ECBM (CO2 sequestration)

Page 3
CSIRO research: safety in underground mining

CSIRO team returning from night shift drilling work

Investigating gas drainability in Sydney Basin underground mines, 1990-95

Page 4
Coal seam gas as a mine safety hazard

• Many Australian coal

seams contain high
volumes of methane
gas (up to 25 m3/t).

• In the past the

occurrence of this gas
has been the cause of
myriad of explosions
and fire in
underground coal
mines in Australia.
Tahmoor Colliery Gas outburst (Year 1985) – Relatively
small gas-rock event: 330 tonnes of rock/coal and
3000 m3 of gas filled the roadway in few seconds.
High gas emissions and gas outbursts occur frequently
in underground coal mines around the world.

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 CSIRO research: methodology for estimate of
emissions from underground mining
Methane emissions from Australian u/g mines
More than a
90 90 billion m3 of
Annual methane emissions (Mm)
3

80 Ventilation 80
methane is

Specific emission (m/t)

Drainage
vented to the

3
70 70
60 Specific emission 60
50 50 atmosphere
40 40 each year
30 30 from
20 20
Australian
10 10
0 0 underground
coal mines
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140
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Annual Methane Emission (Mm3)

120 Q = 4.13 P.Ci Emission

from
100 underground

80
Total
60 emission

40

20 Fitted
emission
0

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Methane volum e in m ined coal

Page 6
CSIRO research: methodology for estimate of
emissions from open cut mining

… to investigate an
Australian methodology for
estimating GHG emissions
from surface mining

Page 7
New method to estimate greenhouse gas
emissions from open cut
… to develop an Australian
methodology for estimating
GHG emissions from mining

Two surface holes drilled to 220 m depth, west of Pit 13 and 14, 500 m away from high wall
and 350 m from each other. They intersected A, B, C and D seams, with total of ~16 m coal
thickness traversed.

Page 8
Coal mine methane utilisation in Australia
Since 1996 drained
gas from mine (Appin
and Tower) is used at
mine site to produce
up to 94 MW.
Currently the plant
operates at reduced
54 MW capacity due
to the closure of
Tower.

The project reduces

GHG emissions by ~2.5
million tonnes CO2-e
annually.

Page 9
Coal seam gas (CSG) production in
Australia
CSG production ~135 PJ
per year

Qld Qld - Bowen and Surat Basins:

Moranbah, Fairview (Comet Ridge),
Durham Ranch (Spring Gully), Dawson
Valley, Moura, Peat, Scotia, Walloons.
NSW
• NSW- Sydney, Gunnedah, Clarence and
Gloucester Basins:
• Camden, Hunter, Bohema, Casino

Page 10
CSIRO (cooperation with gas industry):
Characterisation of CGS fields in Sydney Basin

Sydney Basin CGS

projects
Page 11
 Seam gas production in NSW

• Gas is produced
since 2001 from
Camden site.

• Production from
wells in high
production fairway
is in average is
~8,500 m3/day
• Higher production
wells produces Camden gas field, south of Sydney
13,500 m3/day each.

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 CSG production in Queensland
Bm3
Commercial CSG in 4.0 200 PJ
Australia started about
3.6 180
1995 in Queensland.
Methane
3.2 160
production
9 3
Qld 2.8 x10 m 140
3
(billion m )
NSW 2.4 120

2.0 100 CH4

production
1.6 80 15
x10 joules
(PJ)
1.2 60

• CSG resources of Qld 0.8 40

is estimated at 150 to
500 EJ (1018 J) 0.4 20

• CSG reserves of ~10 0.0 0

to 20 EJ (~300-600 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Bm3) Year

Presently 90% of CSG production is from

Queensland
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 19.5%
Rapid development in gas
16.2%
demand and CSG production
52.7%
Conventional Gas 4.2%
Australian conventional gas reserves:
~140,000 PJ.
•Production ~ 46.5 Bm3 or 1600
PJ/y, 7.5%
•Consumption ~1100 PJ/y

Australia is the 5th world largest Conventional

exporter of LNG, ~600 PJ/y to Japan, gas fields CSG fields
USA, Korea and China
But population centres mainly in
•85% of reserves in western eastern coast of Australia
Australia
Strong demand for gas use for
power generation.
Coal Seam Methane
Gas to offset the fall in coal-fired
Australian CSG reserves: ~15,000 - 20,000 PJ
generation.
•Production: ~135 PJ/y Price: $5 per GJ

•100% of reserves in eastern Australia

Page 14
 CSG to LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)

• Rapid development
of CSG production
and large reserves
are making the CGS
a new energy
resource for
Australia. CSG has
the prospect of
becoming an export
commodity,
generating wealth at
the same level as
coal.

• In this context the

CSM to LNG
conversion is being
seriously The LNG plant in Gladstone will be supplied with 55 PJ/y of
investigated by the CSG for 12 years from 2011 onward to produce 1-2 million
oil and gas industry. tonnes of LNG per year.

Page 15
Greenhouse gas emissions and CSIRO

The Energy Transformed Flagship (ETF) research

program.

ETF is a CSIRO initiative which funds projects to

develop energy technologies with the aim of reducing
Australia's GHG emissions by 50% by 2050.

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 CO2 million tonnes
Australian greenhouse gas Australia’s Net (AGO data )
Emissions 1990 2004 % change
emissions 551.9 564.7 2.3
Energy 287.5 387.2 34.7
Stationary
Energy 195.7 279.9 43
Bt/y
565 Mt CO2 Spain
0.4
9
x 10 tonnes/annum
Transport
9.3 Fugitive
t/a per capita
61.7 76.2 23.4

Emissions 30 31 3.4
emissions in 2004 0.6 Industrial GhGE, CO2-e
France
(~ 2.3% over 1990) 9.5 Processes 25.3 29.8
Annex 1 countries (UNFCCC, 2001)
91.1 Convention
United Nations Framework 93.1
18
2.2
on Climate Change
0.5
Agriculture
Italy 9.5 Land use
and Forestry 128.9 35.5 -72.5
1.4
•50% of total Japan Waste
10.9 19.2 19.1 -0.7

emissions is from Germany

1.0
12.1
stationary energy Emissions
0.7
sources UK
12.6
In 2001
2.0
Russia
13.7
•An increase of
0.1
43% over the Ireland 17.5

1990’s levels Canada

0.7
23.0

7.0
US
23.8

0.5
Australia
25.5

0
r 2009, Bandung, 5
Indonesia 10 15 20 25 30
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 Electricity generation and fuel type
(Australia 2004/05)

Fuel type Power generated

Black coal 125,820
Brown coal 52,733
0.04% Natural gas 16,504
0.05% Hydro 15,281
CSM 1.2%
Wind 0.13% Hydro 7%
Gas 8% Coal seam methane 2,662
Wind 288
Black coal 59% Brown coal 25% Biomass 109
Oil products 96
Total 216,647 GWh
780 PJ
Oil products
Source: Energy Supply Association of Australia
Biomass
W ind
Coal seam methane
Hydro
Natural gas
Brown coal
Black coal

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 Increase in power generation demand and GHG
emissions
Demand for electricity continue to rise steadily, to double
by the year 2020 CO2 emissions is to rise substantially!

Strategies to mitigate:
Use of ‘greenhouse friendly carbon’ fuels: gas demand to grow
by 2.6% per year  CSG share to increase.
Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) is being SolarGas project,
established in NSW (>10% by 2010, >20% by 2020) and three CSIRO Newcastle
other states.
Carbon cap-and-trade by 2012 (Australian government carbon
credits opening at $8.5/t CO2, July 2007)
New research into ‘greenhouse friendly renewables’ for
Australia: wind, solar, geothermal.

• Mid-term strategies: Carbon capture and geo-

sequestration (CCS) whereby Australia can continue CO2 CH4
its heavy dependence on coal and gas, for the next
few decades, without significant increases in
atmospheric CO2 levels.

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ECBM and
CO2 natural analogue research

Objective:
• To gain insights into theoretical and actual CO2
storage capacity of Sydney Basin coals under
various geological conditions and to evaluate the
potential for removal of residual CSG.

Outcomes:
• CO2 can be stored and retained in coal for a very
long time with analogy with the natural
sequestration of CO2 in coal seams over
geological time.
• A model for CO2 sequestration potential in
Sydney Basin

Page 20
Feasibility of CO2 sequestration
• Geological and
geotechnical suitability of Mining cost, $/tonne
Coal price, $/tonne
coal seam reservoir, seals
and environmental issues Cost

• Economics of operation,
construction, running and Coal price
maintenance, cost of CO2,
B
carbon credit, sale of extra
methane Depth (m)
Limit depth of
mining
• Competing with coal ECBM beyond
mining this depth

Cost of mining/tonne
Coal price/tonne

Page 21
 CO2-ECBM option for Australia
Drilling site Ground surface
• ECBM requires
favourable
geological, hydro- Producer well
CH4 Producer
geological and well
reservoir CO2 Injector
conditions well

• Thick continuous Coal seam

coal seams with

limited faulting The best candidates for CO2-ECBM
• Good quality cap are the current CSM producer gas
rocks fields
• High permeability
However from producer
(effect of coal
perspectives this can only be
shrinkage)
profitable after they become
largely depleted.

Page 22
 CSGCO2-ECBM transition for Australia

No
Feasibility
study CSG production
economical?
CSG reservoir
Produce depleted?
Yes
CH4

No

Yes
Yes
Inject flue gas
No CO2/N2

ECBM
economical?
Yes
ECBM reservoir
Produce
depleted?
Extra CH4
No
Stop

Source: Abouna Saghafi, International CBM Symposium, University of Alabama, , May 2007

Page 23
CSM in Queensland, a decade of production

Bowen Basin (Permian):

Moranbah, Mungi, Moura,
Fairview, Spring Gully, Scotia,
Peat

Surat Basin (Mesozoic):

Berwyndale, Argyle, Kogan,
Talinga, Tipton,

Page 24
 CO2- ECBM pilot plant
Zero Carbon Power (ZCP) concept

• Main components of FPP

Fairview Power Project
(FPP)
A pilot CO2-ECBM project
The $445m project is to extract
methane from coal, feed a gas
turbine then bury the CO2
emissions.
It will receive $75m from Federal
government through the Low
Emissions Technology
Demonstration Fund (LETDF).
• Existing CSM field, Santos operated
Fairview CSM field
• On-site generation with an 100 MW
GE LMS100 simple cycle gas
turbine
• Post combustion capture plant using
Mitsubishi amine CO2 capture
technology
• Overall to inject ~1 million tonne of
CO2 (1/3 of total CO2 in flue gas)
over 10 years
• Start injecting in 2009

• FPP consortium
• Santos, GE Energy, BHP Billiton, AJ
Lucas Group, CSIRO, CO2CRC,
Energy Infrastructure and Resources

Source: Rohan Gillespie, Australian Institute of Energy, National Conf. Nov 2006

Page 25
 Zero Carbon Power (ZCP)
Fairview Power Project (FPP)
Vent to atm.

Diluted
470 kg CO2
flue gas
per MWh
CSM Flue gas
CO2 Post Combustion
Power plant
Capture (PCC)
GE 100 MW GT MHI process, KS-1 solvent

~700 m CH4
CO2

Late Permian Bandanna formation coal seams

Fairview CSM field

Page 26
Fairview CO2-ECBM

• Fairview is a producing CSM field, operates since 1997

• ~80 production wells, ~45 TJ/d (2005), gas sold to pipeline
• target production ~70 TJ/d (2007), 200 TJ/d (2012)

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Dr Abouna Saghafi
Division of Energy Technology
Senior Principle Research Scientist

Email: abouna.saghafi@csiro.au
Web: www.csiro.au/group

Thank you!
Contact Us
Phone: 1300 363 400 or +61 3 9545 2176
Email: enquiries@csiro.au Web: www.csiro.au
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