Geological controls and coalbed methane production potential evaluation: A case study in Liulin area, eastern Ordos Basin, China

Structural controls on coalbed methane accumulation and high production models in the eastern margin of Ordos Basin, China

“…Structure is a key factor affecting the gas and water production of the CBM wells (Pashin et al, 1995;Groshong Jr., 2004;Meng et al, 2014). Production data from CBM wells in the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin shows that the CBM wells located in the structural high part of the weak runoff-stagnant groundwater zone typically have the following characteristics: the reservoir pressure drops rapidly through drainage, gas production increases rapidly, and water production remains low.…”

“…The block is a SW trending monoclinic structure, with a burial depth that increases gradually from northeast to southwest, and the groundwater flows along the stratigraphic tendency from northeast to southwest. Hydrological conditions in the Liulin block can generally be regarded as the weak-runoff or stagnant zone (Gao et al, 2012;Meng et al, 2014;Li et al, 2014c), generally having a high gas content, except for a small area in the northeast (Fig. 16).…”

“…CBM resources in medium-rank coal are abundant in China, especially in the Ordos Basin (Tang et al, 2004;Yao et al, 2008;Li and Zhang, 2013;Meng et al, 2014). The successful development of CBM in the San Juan and Black Warrior Basin in the United States (Murray, 1996;Ayers, 2002;Pashin, 2010;Tong et al, 2014) has shown that low to medium-rank coal reservoirs are of significant importance in CBM development.…”

Geologic Structural Controls on Coalbed Methane Content of the No. 8 Coal Seam, Gujiao Area, Shanxi, China

“…However, previous resource evaluations haven't taken the geologic structure into consideration. Moreover, the researches of resource evaluation and geologic structure in China mainly have concentrated in the famous southern Qinshui basin (SQB) and eastern Ordos basin (EOB) (Lv et al, 2012;Meng et al, 2014b;. Related research is necessary but absent in many CBM-producing basins in China, especially in the Xishan coal field (XCF).…”

Characteristics of coal fractures and the influence of coal facies on coalbed methane productivity in the South Yanchuan Block, China

“…The fractures formed by tectonic stress are large, whereas unstressed fractures appear small (Gamson et al, 1993;Laubach et al, 1998;Su et al, 2001). The fracture characteristics influence the interstitial flow and production of coalbed methane (Karacan and Okandan, 2000;Fu et al, 2001aFu et al, , 2001bSu et al, 2005;Acosta et al, 2007;Meng et al, 2014), fractures and pores contribute to the permeability of coal reservoirs (Dawson and Esterle, 2010;Qu et al, 2011), and fracture surface morphology influences the methane flow (Karacan and Okandan, 2000). The exogenetic fractures are the primary location for interstitial flow, and endogenetic fractures are the bridge between the desorption and interstitial flow of coalbed methane (Fu et al, 2004;Su et al, 2005;Liu et al, 2012).…”