RAPID EVALUATION AND TREND PREDICTION OF COALBED METHANE RECOVERABILITY

COALBED METHANE HAS GREAT POTENTIAL AS A RELATIVELY SECURE, CLEAN, AND COST EFFECTIVE U.S. ENERGY SUPPLY. HOWEVER, THE LACK OF GEOLOGIC KNOWLEDGE REGARDING FRACTURE DEVELOPMENT IN COALBEDS SERIOUSLY HINDERS RESERVE DEFINITION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THIS IMPORTANT RESOURCE. CLEAT SYSTEMS IN COAL ARE THE PRIMARY PERMEABILITY DETERMINANT FOR SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY OF COALBED METHANE FROM HIGH RANK COAL. COAL COMPOSITIONAL AND STRUCTURAL PARAMETERS WITH A HIGH PROBABILITY FOR PREDICTING COAL CLEAT DEVELOPMENT ARE BEING MEASURED AND EVALUATED IN A CONTROLLED STUDY AREA IN THE NORTHWEST PICEANCE BASIN, COLORADO. PARAMETERS THAT CAN PREDICT COAL CLEAT INTENSITY ARE BEING QUANTITATIVELY RELATED TO: (1) A DETAILED COAL STRATIGRAPHIC SYSTEM ENCODED FROM HIGH DENSITY SUBSURFACE CONTROL; (2) THE EXCELLENT STRUCTURAL CONTROL AVAILABLE. RESULTING TRENDS ARE BEING INTEGRATED TO YIELD MAPPABLE UNITS OF RELATIVE COALBED METHANE RECOVERABILITY POTENTIAL. PHASE I OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS DEVELOPING, CALIBRATING, AND TESTING AN INTEGRATED EVALUATION SYSTEM THAT DEFINES AREAS WITH FAVORABLE FRACTURE DEVELOPMENT FOR COALBED METHANE RECOVERY. AFTER THE RAPID SYSTEM OF EVALUATION IS CALIBRATED, IT CAN BE APPLIED TO OTHER AREAS WITH HIGH COALBED METHANE POTENTIAL TO EXPEDITE THE AVAILABILITY OF THIS IMPORTANT ENERGY RESOURCE TO THE NATION.