Coal Bed Methane (CBM)

Part 1

Baso Rezki
Maulana

UNCONVENTIONAL ENERGY RESOURCES

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
HASANUDDIN UNIVERSITY
2021/2022
 Coal Bed Methane (CBM)
• Coal Seam Gas (CSG) also known as
Coalbed Methane (CBM), is the
designation of coal as a natural gas source,
with a unique mechanism of gas storage
(Harpalani and Schraufnagel, 1990).
Worldwide coal bed
methane reserves • In contrast to coal mining, where coal is
(Afonso, 2014)
the target energy source, CSG exploits only
the gas the coal stores.
• Due to past mining and oil & gas
exploration in many Basins worldwide, the
location of coal deposits, their structure,
stratigraphy and, to a certain degree, their
thickness are relatively well known.
 From Peat to Coal

• Compositionally, coal is comprised of

organic and inorganic components that
have undergone a process of diagenesis of
the original organic material deposited in
the peat.
• The main agents during the early stages of
coalification (the biochemical stage:
biogenesis) are biological (Kim, 1978).
• The degree of maturation is referred to as
coal rank, and at this point coal can be
already classified as lignite up to sub-
bituminous (Langenberg et al., 1990)
Coalification stages during coal generation (Langenberg et al., 1990)
• The only credible description of a coal
molecule is a simplified structure formed
by clusters of aromatic rings with weaker
links between them that break thermally
during coalification (Kim, 1977).
• As coalification progresses, the coal
molecules realign liberating volatiles
(CO2, CH4 and H2O) and hydrocarbon in
continuous process. Changes in the chemical and physical
properties of coal with increasing rank.
Modified from Teichmüller and Teichmüller
(1968).
 Cleat system & Permeability

Explanation:
a) The primary cleat patters in plain view
from Laubach et al. (1998);
b) Natural fractures hierarchies in cross-
section view from Laubach and Tremain
(1991);
c) Top side view of coal matrix and fracture
network from King et al. (1986).

Coal matrix and natural fracture network (Afonso, 2014)

 Cleat system & Permeability
Coal rank and methane generation from Ahmed et al. (2009)

• The first methane generated from coal is

of methane biogenic origin.
• As coalification starts, carbon dioxide and
water are the first volatiles generated
from coal.
• They are generated while subsidence has
not yet reached temperatures between
100-150C (Clayton, 1998; Rightmire,
1984).
• Before coal reaches a bituminous stage,
thermogenic gas starts being produced by
the breakup of carbon-carbon bond
chains mainly from liptinite macerals (Das
et al., 1991).
 Controls on Gas Content
maturity

Firstly, that gas storage capacity

increases with rank due to an increase in
microporosity (Clarkson and Marc
Bustin, 1996; Faiz et al., 1992; Gan et al.,
1972; Prinz and Littke, 2005; Prinz et al.,
2004), explaining the direct correlation
between gas storage capacity and rank
identified in the Black Warrior Basin
(Carroll and Pashin, 2003; Kim, 1977).
Adsorption curves against pressure at a given rank
(Kim, 1977).
Secondly, that this relationship
has a “U” shape behaviour, with
a broad minimum values of gas
storage capacity found in the
medium volatile bituminous
stage (Ettinger et al., 1966;
Schwarzer and Byrer, 1983).

Trend in gas storage capacity against rank (%, Ro max) in

different coal lithotypes (Laxminarayana and Crosdale, 1999)
 Controls on Gas Content
porosity & surface area
• Porosity volume is distinct from surface area.
• Pore surface area is defined by pore size distribution and pore morphology, and
these factors influence how gas is stored.
• Microporosity is associated with a higher surface area (Mares et al., 2009)
• CSG is usually produced from shallow depths (less than 1000 m) under lower
pressures than conventional reservoirs.
• In the micropores gas molecules are stored under low pressures in high
concentration with direct bonds to the surface of the pore (Mahajan and Walker,
1978).
• If the coal is under high pressure, gas storage in the macropores, besides the gas
being adsorbed on the surface of the pore, is also by forming an additional layer on
top of this one.
• Any free gas that is present within the cleat system will not be significant compared
to the gas adsorption within the matrix.
 Controls on Gas Content
maceral composition

• The influence of maceral composition on gas content and gas

storage capacity is a controversial subject.
• Ettinger et al. (1966) suggests that the greater storage capacity of
gas is due to higher inertinite composition.
• Creedy (1979), Lamberson and Bustin (1993), Laxminarayana and
Crosdale (1999) and Levine et al. (1995) suggest that vitrinite has a
positive impact on the adsorption capacity of coal, although pointing
out that the rank can be an inhibitor to these effects.
• Direct comparison between telocollinite (bright coal) and
semifusinite (dull coal) rich coals from the Australian Bowen Basin
gave more pore volume to the inertinite but more surface area to
the vitrinite rich coal (Beamish and O’Donnell, 1992; Crosdale and
Beamish, 1993) indicating the higher importance of vitrinite.
 Controls on Gas Content
coal lithotype

• In terms of gas storage capacity the influence of different lithotypes

is as debatable as maceral composition.
• Ettinger et al. (1966) suggest that gas yield increases with dull bands,
although brighter coal is usually associated with vitrinite-rich
samples and thus more microporous and a higher methane
adsorption capability (Bustin and Clarkson, 1998; Clarkson and
Bustin, 1999; Crosdale and Beamish, 1993; Crosdale et al., 1998;
Hildenbrand et al., 2006; Lamberson and Bustin, 1993;
Laxminarayana and Crosdale, 1999; Mastalerz et al., 2004).
• Levine et al. (1993) also found that brighter coal has a higher
adsorption capacity than the same rank dull counterparts in the coal
of the Sydney Basin.
 Controls on Gas Content
coal composition
• yield and gas storage capacity (Bustin and Clarkson, 1998; Crosdale et al., 2008;
Joubert et al., 1974; Levine et al., 1993; Levy et al., 1997; Yalçin and Durucan, 1991;
Yee et al., 1993).
• Moisture is considered to affect gas holding capacity in coals by filling the
micropores which would otherwise be gas saturated, competing with methane for
adsorption sites, or by blocking the access of the gas into the micropores (Levy et al.,
1997; Mares et al., 2009).
• There are several relationships in the literature that relate the methane adsorption
capacity of coal to moisture content following the equation:

• The amount of fixed carbon content is associated positively with coal maturity and is
strongly related to gas storage capacity (Faiz et al., 1992; Levy et al., 1997).
 Controls on Gas Content
reservoir pressure & temperature

• Reservoir pressure & temperature are

both conflicting parameters when it
comes to gas storage capacity and gas
content.
• Gas storage capacity is directly related
to pressure.
• As pressure increases, so should the
gas storage potential.

Adsorption curves against temperature at a given

rank from (Kim, 1977).
 Coal Gas Saturaion
• CSG exploration tends to focus on gas content
estimation and generally disregards a
fundamental associated parameter, gas
saturation.
• The term saturated is used when the coal at a
given pressure has the maximum gas content it
can sustain.
• As in conventional reservoirs, besides the fact
that coal is also the “source rock”, gas is
created in coal by thermogenic or biogenic
Examples of vertical profiles of desorbed gas content. processes and not related with the physical
a) Gas adsorption capacity;
b) Subbituminous Waikato coal seams in New Zealand structure of the coal (Mares and Moore, 2008).
(Mares et al., 2009).
• Therefore gas content and gas saturation can
have distinctly different profiles downhole.
 • Permeable coal beds that are saturated will
produce gas immediately, while on the
contrary, under-saturated coals may or may
not produce.
• Since there is no measurement today that
can estimate gas saturation downhole, it
adds a significant margin of error to gas-in-
place and production estimation (Mares et
al., 2009).
• Gas saturation can change within a coal
Schematic gas generation against gas storage capacity
related with depth and time (Moore, 2012). seam group through time and with depth.
• The gas content could also be increased due
• Depending on gas saturation and to introduction of meteoric water in
reservoir pressure, coal as a reservoir will permeable coals creating conditions for
show different production behaviours bacteria to thrive and form secondary
with critical economic significance (Mares biogenic gas (Faiz and Hendry, 2006; Faiz et
et al., 2009a; Nelson et al., 2000). al., 2007).
Thank
You