Pashin, J.C.

, 2004, Geologic heterogeneity and coalbed methane

production - experience from the Black Warrior Basin, in Warwick,
P.D., ed., Selected presentations on coal-bed gas in the eastern
United States, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2004-1273, p.
61-92.

Geologic Heterogeneity and Coalbed

Methane Production – Experience from
the Black Warrior Basin1
2
By Jack C. Pashin

Opening Points
• Numerous geologic factors, including stratigraphy, structure, coal quality, and hydrology influence
coalbed methane production in the Black Warrior basin of Alabama.
• Producing coalbed methane requires a different paradigm that is used for conventional reservoirs.
• The Black Warrior basin is an operationally mature basin in which extreme geologic heterogeneity
influences gas and water production from coal.

1
Modified from unpublished short course notes from Short Course #4, Coalbed methane potential in the U.S. and
Mexican Gulf Coast, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies/Gulf Coast Section SEPM – 52nd Annual
Convention, Austin, TX, October 30, 2002.
2
Geological Survey of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
 INFRASTRUCTURE
WALKER JEFFERSON

FAYETTE

TUSCALOOSA
Birmingham
City
Gas pipeline
CBM field
Tuscaloosa
Power plant
Deep mine
INDEX MAP

BIBB

GREENE
HALE Alabama
10 mi

Figure 1. Infrastructure associated with coalbed methane fields in the Black Warrior basin of west-central Alabama.
62
 GEOLOGIC CONCEPTS
Geothermics

Coal Quality Hydrodynamics

Coalbed Methane
Production

Gas Content Structural Geology

Stratigraphy

Figure 2. Major geologic concepts associated with coalbed methane production.

63
 Top
BLUE
CREEK
COAL BED
Medium volatile
bituminous

Base

Figure 3. The Blue Creek coal bed is the principal mining target in the Black Warrior basin and was the original focus of coalbed methane operations.
64
 Maximum flooding surface
GR Gamma ray log

Figure 4. Graphic log of the Duncanville core showing upper Pottsville coal zones from which coalbed gas is produced.
65
 Shale
Litharenite
Quartzarenite
Coal
Limestone

Figure 5. Stratigraphic model of an idealized Pottsville depositional cycle in the Black Warrior basin.
66
 POTTSVILLE
B B'
Northwest CYCLE STACKING Southeast
Brookwood

Utley
Gwin
2000 ft Cobb
1500 Pratt
Curry
1000
Gillespy
500 Mary Lee
0
Ream
Black Ck
Fayette

0 10 20 30 mi U. Boyles
Index map
Marine shale L. Boyles
B Quartzarenite
Coal zone
B'

Figure 6. Cycle stacking patterns in the Pottsville Formation of the Black Warrior basin in Alabama.
67
 FAULTING AND FRACTURING

Sandstone

Coal
underclay

Sandstone

Shale

Figure 7. Flow of water in Pottsville coalbed methane reservoirs is exclusively through natural fractures, including cleats, joints, and shear fractures.
68
 PRATT
STRUCTURE

Figure 8. Structural contour map of the top of the Pratt coal zone in the Black Warrior coalbed methane fields. See Figure 3 for index map.
69
Contours relative to mean sea level.
 A DEERLICK CREEK STRUCTURE A'
Southwest Northeast
Franklin Hill half graben Sexton Spring Strip Mine graben Holt Lake
horst half graben
Elev. (ft)

SL

-1000

-2000

-3000 inferred detachment

No vertical exaggeration Index map

0 1 mi
Deerlick
0 1 km
Creek Field
Gwin coal zone

A’

Figure 9. Structural cross section of thin-skinned horst-and-graben system in Deerlick Creek Field. 70
 ADSORPTION ISOTHERMS, BLACK WARRIOR BASIN

Figure 10. Isotherms showing variable sorption performance of Pottsville coal for three gases. Isotherms run by University of British Columbia. 71
 OAK GROVE FIELD CEDAR COVE FIELD
Rock Creek core C-3 SOMED Duncanville core
(Malone and others, 1987b) (Levine and others, 1989)
200 0
r 2=0.60 r 2=0.80

400 500
GAS CONTENT
1000 VS. DEPTH
600

1500
800

2000
1000
2500

1200
3000

1400
3500

1600 4000
200 400 600 0 200 400
Gas content (ft3/t, ash-free) Gas content (ft3/t, ash-free)

Figure 11. Plots of gas content versus depth showing heterogeneous distribution of coalbed gas in the Black Warrior basin. 72
 COAL
QUALITY

This may not be the

world’s best coalbed
gas reservoir

Figure 12. Intensely pyritized coal with mineralized fractures suggests that coal quality affects reservoir properties. 73
 MARY LEE
RANK

Figure 13. Map of coal rank in the Black Warrior coalbed methane fields. 74
 RANK CROSS SECTIONS

Figure 14. Cross sections showing coal rank in the Black Warrior basin. See Figure 15 for location. 75
 SORPTION AND RANK
mv hvA

Figure 15. Relationship between coal rank and sorption capacity in the Black Warrior basin. 76
Figure 16. Maps of ash content contrasting the Mary Lee and Utley coal beds in Blue Creek Field. 77
 SORPTION AND ASH

Figure 17. Relationship between sorption capacity and ash content and sorption capacity of coal in the Black Warrior basin. 78
Figure 18. Relationship of methane sorption to temperature in a San Juan basin coal.
79
 TEMPERATURE-DEPTH PLOT
160
n=889
150 r2 = 0.66 Supercritical
bottom-hole conditions
140 (normal hydrostatic pressure)

130
Bottom-hole 120
temperature (°F)
110

100

90

80
y = .009x +74.9
70

60
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
Depth (ft)

Figure 19. Temperature-depth plot for coalbed methane wells in the Black Warrior basin showing variation of geothermal gradient. 80
 GEOTHERMAL
GRADIENT

Figure 20. Map of geothermal gradient in the Black Warrior coalbed methane fields. 81
 FRESH-WATER PLUMES

White Oak
Creek

Blue Creek Oak Grove

Deerlick Brookwood
Creek Blue Creek
anticline

Eastern limit
Cretaceous
5 mi
Cedar
Cove TDS < 3,000 mg/L

Figure 21. Location of fresh-water plumes in the Mary Lee coal zone, which are fed by recharge along the upturned southeast basin margin.
82
 GAS COMPOSITION
Biogenic Thermogenic
source source
Humic
1 (woody)
source
.99

.98
Deerlick Creek field
Brookwood field
Dryness .97
index Oak Grove field
.96 Mississippian conventional

.95

.94
Sapropelic
.93 (waxy)
-54 -52 -50 -48 -46 -44 -42 -40 source

d 13C1 (ppt)

Figure 22. Comparison of composition of conventional and coalbed gas in the Black Warrior basin.
83
 PRESSURE-DEPTH PLOT
2500
n=1072 Freshwater
2250
hydrostatic gradient
2000 (0.43 psi/ft)

1750
Pressure
1500 normal to
(psi)
moderate
1250 underpressure
1000

750
0.19 psi/ft
500
Exteme
250
underpressure
0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500
Depth (ft)

Figure 23. Pressure-depth plot showing bimodal pressure regime in the Black Warrior coalbed methane fields. 84
 HYDROSTATIC
PRESSURE

Figure 24. Map of hydrostatic pressure gradient determined from water levels in gas wells of the Black Warrior coalbed methane fields.
85
 r2 = 0.83
1,000
n = 1,140

100
Peak gas
production 10
(Mcfd)

PRODUCTIVITY 0.1
MEASURES 10 100 1,000 10,000
100,000
1,000,000
10,000,000
Cumulative gas production (Mcf)

r2 = 0.83
1,000 n = 1,140

100

Peak water
production 10
(Bpd)
1

0.1
10 100 1,000 10,000 1,000,000
100,000 10,000,000
Cumulative water production (bbl)
Figure 25. Relationship of peak and cumulative fluid production values in the Black Warrior coalbed methane fields. 86
 PEAK GAS VS. PEAK WATER PRODUCTION
Log peak water production
0 1 2 3 4
10,000 4
r 2 = 0.02
n = 1,140
1,000 3

Peak gas
production 100 2 Log peak gas
(Mcfd) production

10 1

1 0
1 10 100 1,000 10,000
Peak water production (Bpd)

Figure 26. Scatterplot showing lack of correlation between peak and gas water production in the Black Warrior coalbed methane fields. 87
 PEAK GAS PRODUCTION VS. COAL THICKNESS
log Net Completed
Coal Thickness
0 1 2
1000 3
n=450
r2=0.00

100 2
Peak Gas log Peak Gas
Production Production
(Mcfd)
10 1

1 0
0 10 100
Net Completed
Coal Thickness (ft)

Figure 27. Scatterplot showing lack of correlation between peak gas production and net completed coal thickness in the Black Warrior basin. 88
 OAK GROVE GAS PRODUCTION
-400 -600
-500
-600

-700
-600
Oak Grove
Mine

-800

1 0 1 2 mi
Peak gas production
1 0 1 2 3 km
>300Mcfd

Figure 28. Map showing concentration of productive gas wells along a synclinal axis in Oak Grove Field. Structure contours (ft below sea level) on
89
top of Mary Lee coal bed.
 DEERLICK CREEK GAS PRODUCTION
Sexton Spring Strip Mine Holt Lake
horst graben half graben
Franklin Hill
half graben

-300

-300

-300 -200
-200
-200
-100
-200
-400
-100

1 0 1 2 mi

1 0 1 2 3 km

Peak gas production >300 Mcfd Normal fault

Peak gas production 150-300 Mcfd Contour interval = 25 ft

Figure 29. Map showing concentration of exceptional gas-producing wells in two half grabens in Deerlick Creek Field. Structure contours on top of
Gwin coal zone. 90
 DEERLICK CREEK WATER PRODUCTION
Sexton Spring Strip Mine Holt Lake
horst graben half graben
Franklin Hill
half graben

-300

-300

-300 -200
-200
-200
-100
-200
-400
-100

1 0 1 2 mi

1 0 1 2 3 km

Peak water production >750 Bpd Normal fault

Peak water production 250-750 Bpd Contour interval = 25 ft

Figure 30. Map showing concentration of exceptional water-producing wells in two half grabens in Deerlick Creek Field. Structure contours on top
of Gwin coal zone. Compare with Figure 29. 91
 CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
CBM reservoirs in the Black Warrior basin are
characterized by heterogeneous stratigraphy, structure,
and coal quality.

This heterogeneity has a strong effect on sorption

capacity, gas content, basin hydrology, and reservoir
performance.

Similar factors affect CBM potential in other

sedimentary basins, but differing geologic factors pose
basin-specific challenges.

Figure 31. Concluding thoughts.

92