scholarly journals Defining Uncertainty: Comparing Resource/Reserve Classification Systems for Coal and Coal Seam Gas

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (19) ◽  
pp. 6245
Author(s):  
Tim Moore ◽  
Mike Friederich
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Mineral Resources ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Mining Investment ◽  
Petroleum Resource ◽  
High Level ◽  
Chinese Standard

Transparent, objective, and repeatable resource assessments should be the goal of companies, investors, and regulators. Different types of resources, however, may require different approaches for their quantification. In particular, coal can be treated both as a solid resource (and thus be mined) as well as a reservoir for gas (which is extracted). In coal mining, investment decisions are made based on a high level of data and establishment of seam continuity and character. The Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (the JORC Code) allows deposits to be characterised based on the level of geological and commercial certainty. Similarly, the guidelines of the Petroleum Resource Management System (PRMS) can be applied to coal seam gas (CSG) deposits to define the uncertainty and chance of commercialisation. Although coal and CSG represent two very different states of resources (i.e., solid vs. gaseous), their categorisation in the JORC Code and PRMS is remarkably similar at a high level. Both classifications have two major divisions: resource vs. reserve. Generally, in either system, resources are considered to have potential for eventual commercial production, but this has not yet been confirmed. Reserves in either system are considered commercial, but uncertainty is still denoted through different subdivisions. Other classification systems that can be applied to CSG also exist, for example the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation Handbook (COGEH) and the Chinese Standard (DZ/T 0216-2020) and both have similar high-level divisions to the JORC Code and PRMS. A hypothetical case study of a single area using the JORC Code to classify the coal and PRMS for the gas showed that the two methodologies will have overlapping, though not necessarily aligned, resource and reserve categories.

Informal and Nonformal Adult Learning in the Coal Seam Gas Protests: Mobilizing Practices and Building an Environmental Justice Movement for Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 074171362110053
Author(s):  
Tracey Ollis
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learning ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
The Public ◽  
Theory Of Practice ◽  
The Earth

This case study research examines informal adult learning in the Lock the Gate Alliance, a campaign against mining for coal seam gas in Central Gippsland, Australia. In the field of the campaign, circumstantial activists learn to think critically about the environment, they learn informally and incidentally, through socialization with experienced activists from and through nonformal workshops provided by the Environmental Nongovernment Organization Friends of the Earth. This article uses Bourdieu’s “theory of practice,” to explore the mobilization of activists within the Lock the Gate Alliance field and the practices which generate knowledge and facilitate adult learning. These practices have enabled a diverse movement to educate the public and citizenry about the serious threat fracking poses to the environment, to their land and water supply. The movements successful practices have won a landmark moratorium on fracking for coal seam gas in the State of Victoria.

Evaluation of social externalities in regional communities affected by coal seam gas projects: A case study from Southeast Queensland

2017 ◽  
Vol 131 ◽  
pp. 300-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna (Anya) Phelan ◽  
Les Dawes ◽  
Robert Costanza ◽  
Ida Kubiszewski
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Southeast Queensland

PESA industry review—2009 environmental update

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
Sue Slater
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Geological Sequestration ◽  
The Government

This paper provides a brief update on some of the key environmental issues that arose during 2009. In Queensland, activity is dominated by coal seam gas projects and specifically coal seam gas (CSG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. Environmental milestones for these projects are discussed, and the State Government’s response policy and regulation development response is reviewed. The progress of the more conventional LNG projects in Western Australia and the Northern Territory is also discussed. The final report on the mandated ten year review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 was released in December 2009. Seventy-one recommendations were made, and some key recommendations related to our industry are discussed here. Climate change has again dominated the media, with the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen in December 2009. In Queensland, the Government released a paper that presented a range of strategies and policies, building on a number of existing schemes and introducing new measures. Gas is identified as a key transitional fuel while low emission coal technology and emerging renewable energy sources are being developed. Greenhouse gas legislation is continuing to be developed across several states, but subordinate legislation is yet to be finalised. In Victoria, submissions on the Greenhouse Gas Geological Sequestration Regulations closed in October 2009, and the Greenhouse Gas Geological Sequestration Act 2008 came into effect on 1 December 2009. In March 2009, ten offshore acreage releases were made under the Commonwealth legislation; however, the closing date for submissions is dependent upon the development of the regulations. South Australia passed an Act amending the Petroleum and Geothermal Act 2000 on 1 October 2009 to allow geosequestration. A number of reviews of the regulatory framework or the administrative systems associated with the upstream oil and gas sector have been completed in the last decade. All these reviews make similar findings and recommendations, and most recently the Jones Report, tabled in Western Australian Parliament on 12 August 2009, found that most key recommendations from previous reports and reviews had not been addressed or properly implemented. There seems to be little point in undertaking regulatory and system reviews that consistently make similar findings, if these findings are never addressed. The hurdles to implementation of key recommendations need to be identified, so that progress can be made in improving the approvals processes for the industry, and improving the environmental outcomes.

Field trials of the use of hydrated bentonite for decommissioning oil and gas wells

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Towler ◽  
Mahshid Firouzi ◽  
Amin Mortezapour ◽  
Paul Hywel-Evans
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Gas Wells ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Water Wells ◽  
The Us ◽  
Oil And Gas Wells ◽  
The Many

Bentonite is widely used for plugging shallow water wells in the US. In the past 15 years Chevron has been plugging oil and gas wells with bentonite in the San Joaquin Basin in California, and has successfully plugged about 10,000 wells. In several previous publications the authors’ research team has reported laboratory data to predict pressure containment using bentonite to underpin the fundamentals for plugging both oil and gas wells. The authors propose bentonite as an alternative medium for decommissioning coal seam gas wells in Queensland. Gas producing companies in Queensland are proposing to drill and produce about 40,000 coal seam gas wells in the state, and all of these will have to be plugged eventually. Water wells are shallow and are usually plugged with coarse granulated bentonite that is simply poured down the hole and hydrated. The authors propose a process for compressing bentonite into cylinders of various shapes, which promises to improve the use of bentonite for plugging deeper wells. Oil and gas wells are presently plugged and abandoned with cement. Bentonite has a number of advantages when plugging oil and gas wells. It is cheaper and easier to deploy and it is more reliable than cement. In this extended abstract the application of bentonite for plugging conventional oil and gas and coal seam gas wells will be discussed. The many field trials will be reviewed and the fundamental theory for plugging wells with bentonite will be outlined.

From wells to decisions—data management for coal seam gas operators in Australia as compared to conventional oil and gas operators

2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 716
Author(s):  
Peter Smith ◽  
Iain Paton
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Conventional Oil

The large number of wells associated with typical coal seam gas (CSG) developments in Australia has changed the paradigm for field management and optimisation. Real time data access, automation and optimisation—which have been previously considered luxuries in conventional resources—are key to the development and operation of fields, which can easily reach more than 1,000 wells. The particular issue in Australia of the shortage of skilled labour and operators has increased pressure to automate field operations. This extended abstract outlines established best practices for gathering the numerous data types associated with wells and surface equipment, and converting that data into information that can inform the decision processes of engineers and managers alike. There will be analysis made of the existing standard, tools, software and data management systems from the conventional oil and gas industry, as well as how some of these can be ported to the CSG fields. The need to define industry standards that are similar to those developed over many years in the conventional oil and gas industry will be discussed. Case studies from Australia and wider international CSG operations will highlight the innovative solutions that can be realised through an integrated project from downhole to office, and how commercial off the shelf solutions have advantages over customised one-off systems. Furthermore, case studies will be presented from both CSG and conventional fields on how these enabling technologies translate into increased production, efficiencies and lift optimisation and move towards the goal of allowing engineers to make informed decisions as quickly as possible. Unique aspects of CSG operations, which require similarly unique and innovative solutions, will be highlighted in contrast to conventional oil and gas.

Simulating the impact of coal seam gas water production on aquifers

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Strand ◽  
Reem Freij-Ayoub ◽  
Shakil Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Hypothetical Case ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Coal Resources ◽  
Victorian Department ◽  
Gippsland Basin ◽  
The Impact

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.

Case study of the effects on coal seam gas well production with installation of well head compression (oil-flooded rotary screw type): early outcomes of an Australian trial of four wells in the Bowen Basin

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 629
Author(s):  
Terrance Presley ◽  
Evilia Kurnia ◽  
Basia Wronski
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Lower Surface ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Potential Wells ◽  
Energy Field ◽  
Operational Issues ◽  
Rotary Screw

This paper discusses the early outcomes of a trial of well head compression on coal seam gas (CSG) wells to lower surface pressure at the well head. This is a case study of four Johnson Controls Frick rotary screw compressor packages that were installed on CSG wells in an Origin Energy field in the Bowen basin and the early effects of lower well pressures on increased gas production due to the installation of compression. In mid-2016 Johnson Controls installed four compressor packages on Origin Energy wells with different characteristics (age, flow pressure), with a view of determining uplift of gas flow over the remaining life of the well, as well as operational issues with having well head compression. The expected versus actual uplift is compared for the different wells, with a view of providing some guidance on future potential wells that will benefit from this type of compression. Operational issues, such as effects on water flow, effect of oil and overall design considerations for well head compression, are also discussed.

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