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

2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. E. Ross ◽  
M. D. Zoback
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Coalbed Methane ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Powder River Basin

Split Estate and Wyoming’s Orphaned Well Crisis: The Case of Coalbed Methane Reclamation in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Bills Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Coalbed Methane ◽  
Powder River Basin ◽  
Gas Wells ◽  
Mineral Rights ◽  
Split Estate ◽  
Legal Condition

This case presents the stakeholder conflicts that emerge during the development and subsequent reclamation of abandoned natural gas wells in Wyoming where split estate, or the separation of surface land and mineral rights from one another, occurs. From 1998 to 2008, the Powder River Basin of northeastern Wyoming experienced an energy boom as a result of technological innovation that enabled the extraction of coalbed methane (CBM). The boom resulted in over 16,000 wells being drilled in this 20,000 square-mile region in a single decade. As of May 2017, 4,149 natural gas wells now sit orphaned in Wyoming as a result of industry bankruptcy and abandonment. The current orphaned wells crisis was partially enabled by the patchwork of surface and mineral ownership in Wyoming that is a result of a legal condition referred to as split estate. As the CBM boom unfolded in this landscape and then began to wane, challenges emerged most notably surrounding stalled reclamation activities. This case illuminates these challenges highlighting two instances when split estate contributed to issues between landowners and industry operators which escalated to litigation.

Using HEM surveys to evaluate disposal of by-product water from CBNG development in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming

Geophysics ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. B77-B84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian A. Lipinski ◽  
James I. Sams ◽  
Bruce D. Smith ◽  
William Harbert
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Geophysical Methods ◽  
Powder River Basin ◽  
Coal Bed ◽  
Coal Beds ◽  
Occam’S Inversion ◽  
Product Water ◽  
Location Strategies

Production of methane from thick, extensive coal beds in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming has created water management issues. Since development began in 1997, more than 650 billion liters of water have been produced from approximately 22,000 wells. Infiltration impoundments are used widely to dispose of by-product water from coal bed natural gas (CBNG) production, but their hydrogeologic effects are poorly understood. Helicopter electromagnetic surveys (HEM) were completed in July 2003 and July 2004 to characterize the hydrogeology of an alluvial aquifer along the Powder River. The aquifer is receiving CBNG produced water discharge from infiltration impoundments. HEM data were subjected to Occam’s inversion algorithms to determine the aquifer bulk conductivity, which was then correlated towater salinity using site-specific sampling results. The HEM data provided high-resolution images of salinity levels in the aquifer, a result not attainable using traditional sampling methods. Interpretation of these images reveals clearly the produced water influence on aquifer water quality. Potential shortfalls to this method occur where there is no significant contrast in aquifer salinity and infiltrating produced water salinity and where there might be significant changes in aquifer lithology. Despite these limitations, airborne geophysical methods can provide a broadscale (watershed-scale) tool to evaluate CBNG water disposal, especially in areas where field-based investigations are logistically prohibitive. This research has implications for design and location strategies of future CBNG water surface disposal facilities within the Powder River Basin.

scholarly journals Removal of Ions From Produced Water Using Powder River Basin Coal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaixing Huang ◽  
Fang-Jing Liu ◽  
Mingcheng Tang ◽  
Yangyan Gao ◽  
David Bagley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Resonance Effect ◽  
Powder River Basin ◽  
Hydroxyl Groups ◽  
Exchange Material ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Phenolic Hydroxyl Groups ◽  
Powder River Basin Coal

Abstract Although becoming less attractive as an energy source, coal has significant potential for other, more sustainable uses including water treatment. In this study, we present a simple approach to treat water that was produced during oil production and contained a total dissolved solids (TDS) content of over 150 g/L using Powder River Basin (PRB) coal. PRB coal used as packing material in a flow-through column effectively removed 60-80% of the cations and anions simultaneously. Additionally, 71-92% of the total organic carbon in the produced water was removed as was all of the total suspended solids. The removal mechanisms of both cations and anions were investigated. Cations were removed by ion exchange with protons from oxygen-containing functional groups such as carboxylic and phenolic hydroxyl groups. Anions, mainly Cl-1, appeared to be removed through either the formation of resonance structures as a result of delocalization of electrons within coal molecules or through ion-π interactions. We propose that coal is a “pseudo-amphoteric” exchange material that can remove cations and anions simultaneously by exchanging ions with both ionized and non-ionized acids that are ubiquitous in coal structure or resonance effect.

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