Coal Bed Methane: From Prospect to Pipeline

Coal Bed Methane: From Prospect to Pipeline is the proceedings of the 25th anniversary of the North American Coal Bed Methane Forum. It provides the latest advancements in the production of coal bed methane covering a variety of topics, from exploration to gas processing, for commercial utilization. Additionally, it presents the origin of gas in coal, reservoir engineering, control of methane in coal mines, production techniques, water management, and gas processing.

The vast coal resources in the United States continue to produce tremendous amounts of natural gas, contributing to a diverse range energy assets. Following a rapid advancement and subsequent plateau in technological developments, this book captures the full life cycle of a well and offers petroleum geologists and engineers a single source of a broad range of coal bed methane applications. This book addresses crucial technical topics, including exploration and evaluation of coal bed reservoirs; hydraulic fracturing of CBM wells; coal seam degasification; and production engineering and processing, among others. It also covers legal issues, permitting, and economic analysis of CBM projects.

Edited by a team of coal bed methane experts from industry, academia and government who have more than 75 years of combined experience in the fieldAuthored by well-recognized members of the gas and coal industry, universities, US government departments, such as the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)More than 200 figures, photographs, and illustrations aid in the understanding of the fundamental conceptsPresents the full scope of improvements in US energy independence, coal mine safety, and greenhouse gas emissions

Ch. 1: Coal Bed Methane: From a Miner’s Curse to a valuable Resource Ch. 2: The Origin of Coal Bed Methane Ch. 3: The Geology of North American Coal Ch. 4: Exploration and Evaluation of Coal Bed Reservoirs Ch. 5: Wire Line Logging Ch. 6: Hydraulic Fracturing of CBM Wells Ch. 7: Horizontal Wells Drilled from Surface Ch. 8: Coal Seam Degasification Ch. 9: Gas Outburst in Coal Mines Ch. 10: CBM Production Engineering Ch. 11: Gas Processing Ch. 12: Produced Water Treatment Ch. 13: Plugging of Horizontal Boreholes Ch. 14: Economic Analysis of CBM Projects Ch. 15: CBM Legal Issues Ch. 16: CBM Permitting Ch. 17: US Lower 48 CBM Benchmark Ch. 18: Worldwide CBM and CMM Activities