Occurrence and Properties of CBM reservoir

The Petrology of Coal

Coal petrology is the study of the origin, occurrence, and structure of coal. This readily
combustible rock contains more than fifty percent by weight and seventy percent by volume
carbonaceous material. This material includes inherent moisture formed from compaction,
induration, and diagenesis of variously altered plant remains similar to those in peat.
Differences in the kinds of plant materials (type), in degree of metamorphism (rank), and in
the range of impurity (grade), are characteristic of coal and are used to classify coals. Several
significant differences between coal and conventional reservoir rock include: the greater
compressibility of coal, the relatively low effective porosity of coal, and the adsorption of gas
onto coal’s carbon structure.

The Origin and Formation of Coal:

Coal Bed Methane evolves during the transformation of the organic matter in the swamp,
which later converts into peat after burial under reducing conditions. As temperature
increases, the peat converts into lignite followed by sub-bituminous, bituminous low-volatile
medium-volatile, high volatile anthracite and graphite. This process is known as
Coalification and shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Coalification process

During this process at early stage biogenic methane evolves, later thermogenic methane is
formed. Much of the methane generated by the coalification process escapes to the surface or
migrates into adjacent reservoir or other rocks, but a portion is trapped within the coal itself.
In early stages of coalification, biogenic methane is generated as a by-product of bacterial
respiration. Aerobic bacteria (those that use oxygen in respiration) first metabolize any free
oxygen left in the plant remains and surrounding sediments. In fresh water environments,
methane production begins immediately after the oxygen is depleted. Species of anaerobic
bacteria (those that don’t use oxygen) then reduce carbon dioxide and produce methane
through anaerobic respiration.
When a coal’s temperature underground reaches about 122°F and after a sufficient amount of
time, most of the biogenic methane has been generated, and about two-thirds of the original

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moisture has been expelled, the coal attains an approximate rank of sub-bituminous. As the
temperature increases above 122°F through increased burial or increased geothermal
gradient, thermogenic processes begin and additional water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen are
generated as coalification proceeds to approximately the rank of high-volatile bituminous.
Maximum genertation of carbon dioxide, with little methane generation occurs at about 210°
F. Generation of thermogenic methane begins in the higher ranks of the high volatile
bituminous coals, and at about 250°F, generation of methane exceeds generation of carbon
dioxide. Maximum generation of methane from coal occurs at about 300°F. With even
higher temperatures and higher rank coals, methane is still generated, but at somewhat lower
volumes. Primarily adsorbed on or absorbed within micro pores of the coal. Coal bed
methane is found associated with the coal / lignite beds. This is the product that evolves
during the process of coalification generally more in quantity than the coal can hold. Some of
the gas escapes in the surroundings but some of it lie in the coal under hydraulic pressure.
Generally the gas content increases with rank. Although CBM is primarily methane gas, it
may also contain very small amounts of Ethane, Propane, Carbon Dioxide or Nitrogen.
As we all know that coal contains methane gas as an inherent component but in widely
variable proportions depending upon the rank of coal and depth of occurrence. Deep seated
coal seams comparatively high rank and contain considerable volume of Methane adsorbed
on coal surfaces.
Methane Storage in Coal is:
 Adsorbed on the surfaces of the coal
 Stored as free gas in the cleats and open pores.

Important geologic properties that influences gas-in-place an deliverability of methane

 Coal Source: Number, thicknessm and extent of the coal seams
 Coal rank, type and quality
 Coal cleats and natural fractures
 Gas content and composition
 Sorption, and diffusion properties of coal
 Geologic structure
 Stress setting
 Hydrological characteristics

Physical and Chemical Properties of Coal

Physical and chemical properties can vary significantly from seam to seam and over a short
distance within a seam. Coal is usually classified by three fundamental characteristics:
Grade. Represents the relative percentage of organic to mineral components.
Type. Represents the various organic constituents.
Rank. Represents the level of maturation reached, ranging from peat through anthracite.

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Figure 2: Coal Classification by rank (Stach et al., 1982)
Gas Transport System:
Micropores
Coal has a dual pore system of macropores and micropores. In laboratory tests, mercury is
accessible only to the macropores or cleats and other natural fissures, but helium is accessible
to micropores as well as to macropores. Mercury is excluded by the size of the small
openings of the micropores. The micropore cavities are estimated to have a maximum 40-
Angstrom diameter and have connecting passageways of 5–8 Angstroms diameter in coals of
interest in the CBM process. Van Krevelen estimates an average micropore cavity diameter
of 20 Angstroms based on surface area data. These pore sizes are not uniform. They are not
unimodal in distribution, and they change with the molecular reorientation of rank change.

Cleat System and Natural Fracturing

The network of natural fractures and cleats in a coal determines to a large extent the
mechanical properties of the coal and the permeability of the coal. Therefore, to complete a
well and produce CBM, it is necessary to understand the genesis and function of the variety
of natural fractures.
A fully fractured coal may have the following natural fractures:
• Face cleats (primary).
• Butt cleats (secondary).

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 • Tertiary cleats.
• Fourth-order cleats.
• Joints.
Face cleats are the continuous fissure of the common orthogonal set found in coals. These
primary cleats are longer and generally have wider aperture openings than the butt cleats
found approximately perpendicular to them. Face cleats form before butt cleats as evidenced
by their continuous nature.
Methane moves through the face and the butt cleats to the wellbore, and the permeability of
the coal is dependent on them. Permeability anisotropy results because the face cleats usually
give a directional permeability toward their orientation, for example, 25 md of face cleats vs.
9 md of accompanying butt cleats.

Figure 2: Process of Gas Transport through coal beds

Effect of Coal composition on gas content:

Gradation of coal under study:

The value of vitrinite reflectance ( Ro %) gives idea about the coal rank and grade. Vitrinite
reflectance may be determined indirectly from volatile matter content or by using
microscope. The relation between Ro and volatile matter (VM) is as follows:
Ro % = A log (VM) + B, with a negative slope of the Ro vs VM plot.

Estimation of Methane Content:

Most of the gas in the coal is adsorbed on the internal surface of micropores and varies
directly with pressure and inversely with temperature. The relationship between the volume
of adsorbed gas with pressure and temperature based on the moisture and ash content of coal
samples was estimated by Kim’s empirical equation as follows:

Gsaf =0.75×(1−a−wc )× ¿
x fc
k 0=0.8 +5.6
x vm
x fc
n 0=0.315−.01
x vm

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Relationship between Total Gas Content and Non- Coal content (ash + moisture
content):
Since it is generally true that methane is not adsorbed onto non-coal material, ash and
moisture values can be used to make appropriate corrections on the total measured gas
contents. Gas content is seen to increase with depth, and bituminous coals are associated with
the highest gas contents, followed by sub bituminous coals. Cross plot of Gas Content versus
non- coal content (ash + moisture content).
Moisture and ash content within the coal reduces the adsorption capacity of methane.
Adsorption capacity of methane decreases with increasing ash and moisture percentage
within the coal. As little as 1% moisture may reduce the adsorption capacity by 25%, and 5%
moisture results in a loss of adsorption capacity of 65%.

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3
Gsaf, m /ton
9 Best Fit Line
Dry Gas Content (m /ton)

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3

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Y= -10.61x+10.47
2
R =0.998
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0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
Ash + Moisture Content(fraction)

Figure 3: Relationship between Total Gas Content and Non- Coal content

Proximate analysis:

The coal samples are to be first crushed, ground and sieved through 72-BSS mesh openings.
Proximate analyses of the samples are performed using muffle furnace as per the standard
method. The equilibrium moisture content of the samples was determined using the standard
test method [ASTM D 1424 – 93]. Ash contents of samples were estimated in accordance
with the ASTM D3174-04 and elemental composition of coal samples were determined using
CHNS Analyzer .