Coal Bed Methane: From Prospect to Pipeline is the proceedings of the 25th anniversary of the North American Coal Bed Methane Forum. It provides the latest advancements in the production of coal bed methane covering a variety of topics, from exploration to gas processing, for commercial utilization. Additionally, it presents the origin of gas in coal, reservoir engineering, control of methane in coal mines, production techniques, water management, and gas processing. The vast coal resources in the United States continue to produce tremendous amounts of natural gas, contributing to a diverse range energy assets. Following a rapid advancement and subsequent plateau in technological developments, this book captures the full life cycle of a well and offers petroleum geologists and engineers a single source of a broad range of coal bed methane applications. This book addresses crucial technical topics, including exploration and evaluation of coal bed reservoirs; hydraulic fracturing of CBM wells; coal seam degasification; and production engineering and processing, among others. It also covers legal issues, permitting, and economic analysis of CBM projects. - Edited by a team of coal bed methane experts from industry, academia and government who have more than 75 years of combined experience in the field - Authored by well-recognized members of the gas and coal industry, universities, US government departments, such as the Department of Energy and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) - More than 200 figures, photographs, and illustrations aid in the understanding of the fundamental concepts - Presents the full scope of improvements in US energy independence, coal mine safety, and greenhouse gas emissions

Advanced Reservoir and Production Engineering for Coal Bed Methane presents the reader with design systems that will maximize production from worldwide coal bed methane reservoirs. Authored by an expert in the field with more than 40 years of' experience, the author starts with much needed introductory basics on gas content and diffusion of gas in coal, crucial for anyone in the mining and natural gas industries. Going a step further, chapters on hydrofracking, horizontal drilling technology, and production strategies address the challenges of dewatering, low production rates, and high development costs. This book systematically addresses all three zones of production levels, shallow coal, medium depth coal, and deep coal with coverage on gas extraction and production from a depth of 500 feet to upwards of 10,000 feet, strategies which cannot be found in any other reference book. In addition, valuable content on deep coal seams with content on enhanced recovery, a discussion on CO2 flooding, infra-red heating and even in-situ combustion of degassed coal, giving engineers a greater understanding on how today's shale activities can aid in enhancing production of coal bed for future natural gas production. - Delivers how to recover and degas deeper coal seams while lowering development costs - Addresses both sorption process and irreducible fraction of gas in coal, with examples based on the author's 40 plus years of direct experience - Explains how the same techniques used for production from deep shale activity can produce gas from deep coal seems with the help of enhanced recovery, leading to increased gas production

Coalbed gas has been considered a hazard since the early 19th century when the first mine gas explosions occurred in the United States in 1810 and France in 1845. In eastern Australia methane-related mine disasters occurred late in the 19th century with hundreds of lives lost in New South Wales, and as recently as 1995 in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Ventilation and gas drainage technologies are now in practice. However, coalbed methane recently is becoming more recognized as a potential source of energy; rather than emitting this gas to the atmosphere during drainage of gassy mines it can be captured and utilized. Both economic and environmental concerns have sparked this impetus to capture coalbed methane. The number of methane utilization projects has increased in the United States in recent years as a result, to a large extent, of development in technology in methane recovery from coal seams. Between 1994 and 1997, the number of mines in Alabama, Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia recovering and utilizing methane increased from 1 0 to 17. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that close to 49 billion cubic feet (Bet) of methane was recovered in 1996, meaning that this amount was not released into the atmosphere. It is estimated that in the same year total emissions of methane equaled 45. 7 Bcf. Other coal mines are being investigated at present, many ofwhich appear to be promising for the development of cost-effective gas recovery.