Managing the Impact of Coal Seam Gas Water Extraction in the Surat Basin

Author(s):  
Randall Cox
2020 ◽  
Vol 83 ◽  
pp. 103588
Author(s):  
Yiran Zhu ◽  
Huilin Xing ◽  
Victor Rudolph ◽  
Zhongwei Chen

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Strand ◽  
Reem Freij-Ayoub ◽  
Shakil Ahmed

Derived from a larger scale project, which studied geomechanical issues associated with coal seam gas (CSG) production, this paper investigates a hypothetical case study based on the Latrobe Valley, Gippsland Basin, Victoria. The paper focuses on examining aquifer water management associated with CSG production-related water extraction. As such, the paper limits itself to determining the volume of water production from a hypothetical case study area in the Latrobe Valley. A simplistic property model and methane production strategy has been used. The impact of extraction of this water on the hydraulic head in aquifers underlying the produced seams is quantified. The Latrobe Valley Depression contains 129,000 million tonnes of coal resources and is one of the world’s largest, and lowest cost, energy sources. Most of Victoria’s electricity is generated using coal from the Loy Yang, Morwell and Yallourn mines. In addition to these massive operations, significant additional coal resources are available and unallocated at this time. Opportunities exist for the continued usage of these resources for electricity production, gasification, liquefaction and other coal conversion processes, as well as solid fuel for industrial, domestic and other uses. The existence of data from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries 2003 coal resource model was the main reason for the selection of the case study, and their data was used to form a model of the stratigraphy of the Latrobe Valley. Aquifer models were simulated in MODFLOW, based on extraction figures modelled in the CSG simulator COMET3.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 597-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengdong Liu ◽  
Yuanping Cheng ◽  
Jingyu Jiang ◽  
Wei Li ◽  
Kan Jin

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 328
Author(s):  
Fengde Zhou ◽  
Glen Fernandes ◽  
Joao Luft ◽  
Kai Ma ◽  
Mahmoud Oraby ◽  
...  

Drilling horizontal wells in low permeability coal seams is a key technology to increase the drainage area of a well, and hence, decrease costs. It’s unavoidable that some parts of the horizontal section will be drilled outside the targeted coal seam due to unforeseen subsurface conditions, such as sub-seismic faulting, seam rolls, basic geosteering tools, drilling practices and limited experiences. Therefore, understanding the impact of horizontal in-seam drilling performance on coal seam gas (CSG) production and remaining gas distribution is an important consideration in drilling and field development plans. This study presents a new workflow to investigate the impact of horizontal in-seam performance on CSG production and gas distribution for coal seams with different porosity, permeability, permeability anisotropy, initial gas content (GC), initial gas saturation and the ratio of in-coal length to in-seam length (RIIL). First, a box model with an area of 2 km × 0.3 km × 6 m was used for conceptual simulations. Reduction indexes of the cumulative gas production at the end of 10 years of simulations were compared. Then, a current Chevron well consisting of a vertical well and two lateral wells, was selected as a case study in which the impact of outside coal drilling on history matching and remaining gas distribution were analysed. Results show that the RIIL plays an increasing role for cases with decreasing permeability or initial gas saturation, while it plays a very similar role for cases with varied porosity, permeability anisotropy and GC. The size and location of outside coal drilling will affect the CSG production and remaining gas distribution.


Author(s):  
Tracey Ollis

Abstract This paper outlines adult learning in the space of an important campaign against mining for coal seam gas (CSG). Recently, the government of Victoria became the first state to ban fracking for CSG in Australia. This significant legislative outcome could not have been achieved without the concerted campaigning of activists through the Lock the Gate Alliance (LTGA), in Central Gippsland. The campaign is mainly composed of circumstantial activists who have come together due to the serious threat from fracking to the quality of their land and water supply. This case study research examines adult learning in the field of a campaign. The findings from this research make clear activists learn to think critically about the environment and the impact of fracking for CSG. They learn communication skills, group work and networking skills. They develop a feel for the game of activism by learning informally through socialisation with experienced activists from the LTGA and the Environmental Non-Government Organisation Friends of the Earth (FOE). In turn, FOE resource the coalition and provide opportunities for both informal learning and nonformal learning to the protestors. Drawing on Bourdieu’s writing on practice, this paper outlines practices within the LTGA field that are influential in the knowledge and skill development of the activists.


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