Development of the Wyodak Coalbed Methane Resource in the Powder River Basin

Hower, T.L.; Jones, James E.; Goldstein, David; Harbridge, W.

doi:10.2118/84428-ms

Cited by 16 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…It appears that most of the sands that show similar pore pressure depletion trends to their paired coalbed are located in group 1, south of Gillette, where CBM production and coal mining first began in the Wyoming part of the PRB (Fig. 1) (Ayers, 2002;Hower et al, 2003).…”

Section: Hydraulic Communication Between Sands and Coalbeds In The Pomentioning

confidence: 99%

Sub-hydrostatic pore pressure in coalbed and sand aquifers of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, and implications for disposal of coalbed-methane-produced water through injection

Ross¹,

Zoback²

2008

Rocky Mountain Geology

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Coalbed methane (CBM) production in the Powder River Basin (PRB), Wyoming, is associated with the production of large volumes of water. Locally, water in coalbeds from the PRB has high saline and sodium contents, making it unsuitable for agricultural use and potentially environmentally damaging if discharged at the surface. One option for the disposal of CBM-produced water is injection into aquifers. For injection to be feasible, however, the porosity and permeability of the sands need to be high, the pore pressure ideally needs to be sub-hydrostatic, and the aquifer cannot be in hydraulic communication with coalbeds or aquifers used for irrigation use. In order to determine if pore pressures in the aquifers are low enough to allow for significant water injection (and to determine whether the coals and nearby sands are in hydraulic communication), we have compiled pore pressures in 250 wells that monitor water levels in coalbeds and adjacent sands within the PRB. All 250 wells have pore pressures below hydrostatic pressure, suggesting that injection of produced water should be feasible. Through the analysis of pore pressure changes with time for both the coals and their overlying/underlying sands, we find after 8 to 13 years of water-level monitoring that none of the sands more than 200 ft (61 m) vertically from producing coals appear to be in hydraulic communication with the coalbeds. Therefore, injection of CBM-produced water should be carried out in sands at least 200 ft (61 m) from adjacent coalbeds to be sure that the disposed water does not rapidly migrate back into the coalbeds. In addition, we constructed two 3D stochastic reservoir models of conceptualized sand units to determine the rates at which water can be injected into shallow (~300 ft (91 m)) and deep (~1000 ft (305 m)) sub-hydrostatic aquifers. We find that for shallow sands we can inject water at a rate of ~160 bbl/day, whereas for deeper sands, whose pore pressures are lower than the shallower sands, the rate is ~435 bbl/day. Both of these rates are higher than the average water production rate from CBM wells in the PRB of ~100 bbl/day. This implies that for deep aquifer injection sites, it would take only one injection well to dispose of the water production from approximately four CBM wells.

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Section: Hydraulic Communication Between Sands and Coalbeds In The Pomentioning

confidence: 99%

Sub-hydrostatic pore pressure in coalbed and sand aquifers of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, and implications for disposal of coalbed-methane-produced water through injection

Ross¹,

Zoback²

2008

Rocky Mountain Geology

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“…• An integration of disciplines (geophysical, geological, petrophysical) and reservoir data (reservoir engineering) to achieve a success in CBM Development Planning for Karaganda coal basin. Comprehensive planning will allow to increase the probability of drilling higher deliverability wells and higher GIP/km 2 wells (Hower et al, 2003).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploration Potential of Coalbed Methane in Karaganda Field

Sabitova¹

2015

MAS

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The problematics of the economic and technological state of the prospects for coalbed methane in the Karaganda coal basin has been outlined. Therefore, correspondently the current state of development of coalbed methane in the modern world economic infrastructure of the fossil fuels and energy generating complexes has been analyzed. The main emphasis of the article has been drawn to identify forward-looking and timely development of this area, which may be designated a priority in the transition of the energy sector of Kazakhstan to the "green economy," with the current requirements of environmental safety.

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“…We also found that several (6 pairs) of the sands within ~200 ft of an underlying coal show no change in pore pressure with time even though pore pressures in the underlying coals have decreased significantly (Figure 8.11, the NAPIER well, and Figure 8.12, the REDS well ( Figure 8.1b well for locations)). It appears that most of the coal and sand pairs that show similar pore pressure depletion trends are located in group 1, south of Gillette, where CBM production and coal mining first began in the Wyoming part of the PRB (Figure 8.1a) (Ayers, 2002;Hower et al, 2003).…”

Section: Hydraulic Communication Between Sands and Coalbeds In The Pomentioning

confidence: 98%

Produced Water Management and Beneficial Use

Brown¹,

Frost²,

Hayes³

et al. 2007

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Large quantities of water are associated with the production of coalbed methane (CBM) in the Powder River Basin (PRB) of Wyoming. The chemistry of co-produced water often makes it unsuitable for subsequent uses such as irrigated agriculture. However, co-produced waters have substantial potential for a variety of beneficial uses. Achieving this potential requires the development of appropriate water management strategies. There are several unique characteristics of co-produced water that make development of such management strategies a challenge. The production of CBM water follows an inverse pattern compared to traditional wells. CBM wells need to maintain low reservoir pressures to promote gas production. This need renders the reinjection of co-produced waters counterproductive. The unique water chemistry of co-produced water can reduce soil permeability, making surface disposal difficult. Unlike traditional petroleum operations where co-produced water is an undesirable by-product, co-produced water in the PRB often is potable, making it a highly valued resource in arid western states. This research project developed and evaluated a number of water management options potentially available to CBM operators. These options, which focus on cost-effective and environmentally-sound practices, fall into five topic areas: Minimization of Produced Water, Surface Disposal, Beneficial Use, Disposal by Injection and Water Treatment.

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Development of the Wyodak Coalbed Methane Resource in the Powder River Basin

Cited by 16 publications

References 5 publications

Sub-hydrostatic pore pressure in coalbed and sand aquifers of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, and implications for disposal of coalbed-methane-produced water through injection

Sub-hydrostatic pore pressure in coalbed and sand aquifers of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, and implications for disposal of coalbed-methane-produced water through injection

Exploration Potential of Coalbed Methane in Karaganda Field

Produced Water Management and Beneficial Use

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