Strategies for Controlling Coal Permeability in CO₂-Enhanced Coal Bed Methane Recovery
Project # FEAA062

Primary Performing Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

In the context of mounting evidence that combustion of fossil fuels contributes to rising greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide (CO₂), the unusually favorable characteristics of CO₂-enhanced coal bed methane (ECBM) recovery have started to receive greater attention.  See photograph of coal oven.  This project seeks to gather additional information to most efficiently use ECBM technology, which has only been demonstrated at a few field sites.

There are four characteristics that make unproductive coal beds attractive for CO₂ storage:  (1) abandoned coal seams are widely distributed across the nation; (2) when CO₂ is injected into a coal bed, it displaces methane (natural gas), which can be captured and used as a fuel; (3) after injection, CO₂ remains bound to coal surfaces; and (4) many coal seams with CO₂ storage potential are near coal-fired power plants.

The specific objectives of this project are:

• Acquire and characterize sections of coal core obtained from the Black Warrior Basin in west central Alabama.
• Complete a set of sorption/de-sorption experiments on powdered coal samples from the Black Warrior Basin.
• Complete a set of gas permeability experiments on uncrushed coal samples from the Black Warrior Basin.

Brought to its full potential, CO₂-ECBM could become the leading technology for combined CO₂ storage and enhanced methane recovery.

Contact:
Project Director:  Andrea McNemar, andrea.mcnemar@netl.doe.gov

Related Papers and Publications:

• Controlling Coal Permeability Fact Sheet [PDF]