SPE

SPE 17765

Assessment of Gas Production Potential From Coalbeds and

Adjacent Strata
by A.W. Layne, U.S. DOE METC; H.J. Siriwardane, West Virginia U.; and C.W. Byrer,
U.S. DOE METC
SPE Members

Copyright 1988Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Gas Technology Symposium,held in Dallas,TX,June 13-15,1988.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee followingreview of informationcontained in an abstract submitted by the
author@). Contents of the paper,as presented,have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineersand are subjectto correction by the
authorfs).The material,as presented,doesnot necessarily reflectany position ofthe Societyof Petroleum Engineers,itsofficers,or members.Papers
presented at SPE meetings are subjectto publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.Permissionto copy is
restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrationsmay not be copied.The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgmentof
where and by whom the paper i s presented.Write PublicationsManager,SPE,P.O.Box 833836,Richardson,TX 75083.3836. Telex,730989 SPEDAL,

1.0 ABSTRACT 1 2.0 INTRODUCTION

Pipeline quality gas production from the highly frac-
tured methane-bearing strata above longwall coal mine
panels is predicted to be many times that of the gas-
in-place estimate for the minable coalbed. This pro-
duction is thought to come from relatively shallow
gas-bearing coals, organic shales, and sandstones.
In the mining process, permeability of shallower
strata is increased significantly because of the
fractured zone generated during longwall mining
activity and, hence, gas could be produced at volumes
many times that of an average conventional gas well.
This paper assesses the potential production and the
influence of well spacing on the drainage of gas from
the strata above mining operations in southern
Appalachia. In this assessment, gas reserves were
quantified for a typical failure zone, formation gas
content, and geologic cross section present in the
Appalachian Basin. A finite element method was used
to determine the size and shape of the affected
stratigraphic areas for which gas contents were esti-
mated (based on prior knowledge). A two-phase reser-
voir model was used to compute increased production
rates from methane wells that penetrate the multiple
Coal and coalbed methane are abundant, complementary,
fossil energy resources located in many of the
regions in the continental United States with various
types of coals underlying about 13 percent or
380,000 square miles (984,195 km2) in 37 states.
Mineable underground coal reserves in 25 of these
states are enormous (290 x lo9 tons; 236 ~g). l Esti-
mates of the coalbed methane resource in the United
States range from 400 trillion cubic feet ( ~ c f ) to~
850 Tcf3 of gas in these coal basins. The present
paper involves the minable coals of the Appalachian
Basin (northern, central, and southern regions),
which encompasses portions of eight states. Coalbed
methane estimates combined for the northern and cen-
tral Appalachian Basin are nearly 109 Tcf (3.087 Tm2)
of gas and the estimate for the southern portion
(Warrior) is nearly 20 Tcf f -566 ~m~). Methane pro-
duction from gob wells at longwall mines can be a
significant contribution to the nation's energy sup-
ply. One mining operation with 15 gob wells recently
produced about 4 billion cubic feet (113.27 Mm3) of
pipeline-quality gas in just a 2-year p e r i ~ d . ~The
gob-gas quality ranges from 90- to 95-percent meth-
- -

strata and coalbed. Production data from actual
wells above a longwall panel were history matched to
characterize flow mechanisms and reservoir proper-
ties. These properties were then evaluated in para-
metric studies to determine the influence of well
location on gas production. Results indicate that
cumulative gas production can be increased by placing
wells farther apart than 1,000 ft (304.8 m). The
model appears to make reasonable predictions of the
size of the multi-reservoir area in complex geologic
conditions. The study considered the influence of an
advancing mine face on gas production. Thus, the
methodology presented in this paper is applicable to
the location of gas wells in highly fractured reser-
voirs to optimize long-term gas production.
ane, and the level of production is much greater than
that expected from conventional wells. Both the coal
and the methane in the coal represent a tremendous
dual-energy resource in the eastern United States.
During the last decade, the coal industry has under-
gone many changes. Mining has become more efficient
and there have been periodic economic adjustments
because of fluctuating marketing conditions. Today's
longwall mining technology from coal panels (average
length of 5,500 feet; width of 900 feet) produces
coal much more efficiently than conventional room-
and-pillar mining. One of the major changes in min-
ing technology with a longwall operation is the wider
mine face. Conventional room-and-pillar operations
7 ASSESSMENT OF GAS PRODUCTION POTENTIAL FROM COALBEDS AND ADJACENT STRATA
1
averaged about 30 ft (9.144 m) for a mine face, while
most longwall systems have an average mining face of
500 to 600 ft (152.4 to 182.9 m), with some in excess
of 1,000 ft (304.8 m). However, declining coal mar-
kets have adversely affected the economic vitality in
many of the once-thriving coal fields. At the begin-
ning of this year (1988), there were 102 longwall
mining systems operated by 27 companies in 11 states.
In the Appalachian Basin (including the Warrior),
there are 79 longwall mining systems. West Virginia
has the most longwall mining systems with 33;
Virginia has 13; Pennsylvania, 11; Alabama, 10;
Kentucky, 6; Ohio, 5; and Maryland, 1. Consolidation
Coal operates more longwall systems (24) than any
other company, Peabody Coal and Jim Walter Resources
are next with 8 each. Island Creek Coal has 7 and
Bethenergy Mines has 6.
The gas potential from coal seams in both target- and
gob-area coal seams can be identified for three
specific regions in the Appalachian Basin. These
include the southern or first region, the central or
second region, and the northern or third region. The
locations of these target areas are shown in Fig-
ure 1. Table 1 depicts the coal seam thicknesses,
average gas content, and in-place estimates for both
the target or mined coals and the gob area for the
three regions. Both gas content and overburden coal
thickness play an important role in determining the
total panel gas potential for both target- and gob-
producing zones.
During longwall mining, several rock strata above the
mine roof fracture and collapse into the mine cavity.
The zone in which the overlying rock breaks and frac-
tures is referred to as the "gob" or the "fracture
zone" (Figure 2). Although the exact shape of the
cave zone is not known, it is generally believed to
have a dome shape. However, the shape of the cave
zone depends on many factors, such as geologic fea-
tures, overburden height, the amount of in situ
stresses, and rock properties. During mining, the
strata's permeability to gas flow increases signifi-
cantly, causing more gas release from upper-strata
coal seams and other gas bearing formations, such as
organic shales and porous sands located in the frac-
tured gob area.
The wide mine face in longwall operations presents
several critical mining issues in terms of maintain-
ing an efficient mining operation. One such area
is the greater potential for emission and buildup of
coalbed methane at the longwall mine face. Proper
ventilation control or pre-mining elimination of high
percentages of methane at the face is necessary to
sustain coal production and reduce the methane hazard
potential. One way to minimize the problem posed by
coalbed methane is to place vertical extraction wells
in the gob area, as shown in Figure 3, so that meth-
ane gas generated in the gob can be vented to the
surface.
The productivity of methane extraction wells depends
on their designed location in the gob area and the
spacing between the wells. The placement of these
wells in the gob area is currently based on a trial-
and-error method. The long-term goal of the research
work presented in this paper is to develop and verify
procedures to optimize the location and spacing
between such wells in the gob area. More accurate
prediction of the geometry of the highly fractured
gob cavity and increased permeability trends above
SPE 17765
the mined-out longwall panel will greatly benefit the
coal operator in more effectively placing these
vertical wells. Rock property data from the over-
burden rock strata is an essential ingredient in the
specific modeling efforts described in this paper.
This type of information could be generated by per-
forming standard laboratory tests on rock cores taken
by coal companies prior to the mining operation.
This research effort focuses upon regional in-place
gas potential for the northern, central, and southern
Appalachian Basin and prediction of gob-gas reserves
in these areas. The three regions studied are shown
in Figure 1. This investigation was conducted with
actual data furnished by a mine operator in Region I
and with reported data for Regions I1 and 111. In
Region I, data from the vertical wells drilled above
a longwall panel were evaluated together with exist-
ing geologic and rock properties. Since actual pro-
duction data was not available for Regions I1 and
111, results derived from the study on Region I were
used to extrapolate gob parameters into central and
northern portions of the basin. While there are
unknowns concerning the material properties and
initial state of stress in the local environment
above the longwall mining operations considered
herein, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first
time that site-specific geologic and rock property
data have been used to explain the production history
of the gob wells in the Appalachian Basin.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
In this study, the finite element method was used to
determine the geometry of the fracture zone above the
mine cavity, and a two-phase reservoir model was used
to compute the increased production rates resulting
from the fracturing process in the gob area.
The size and shape of the gob area depends on many
parameters, such as rock strength, mine dimensions,
overburden height, seam thickness, in situ stress
conditions, and ground topography. Geologic com-
plexities involved in this problem dictate that any
rational analysis procedure be numerical in nature.
The finite element method is a powerful computer-
based technique that has been widely used in many
disciplines of science and engineering.
a. Finite Element Modeling of the Fracture Zone
With this method, the domain of interest is sub-
divided into smaller regions called elements, and the
equilibrium equations for each element are formed.
The element equations are then assembled to obtain
global equations, which describe the equilibrium of
the entire domain. The element equilibrium equations
can be written as6
I where [k] is the element' stiffness matrix, {q) is the
element displacement vector, and {Q) is the element
load vector.
The material property matrix, adopted for modeling
the behavior of overburden rock mass, is based on
the Drucker-Prager yield criterion, which can be
considered as a generalization of the well-known
Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion.
SPE 17765 A. W. LAYNE, B. J. SIRIWARDANE, C. W. BYRER
The fracturing of the overburden strata could occur
according to two failure mechanisms. One mechanism
is the failure caused when the state of stress
exceeds the shear strength of the material, as
described by Equation 1 above. The second mechanism
is caused when the tensile state of stress exceeds
the tensile strength of the material; this can be
expressed as
where Tc is the value of tension cutoff, which is
related & the tensile strength, a t, of the mate-
rial. In this study, the gob are2 (fracture zone)
was assumed to be the zone in which Equation 2 is
satisfied. The failure zone was defined as the zone
in which the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is
satisfied.
Prior to mining, in situ stresses caused by the
weight of the strata exist in the overburden. The
in situ stresses have a significant influence on the
roof-collapse phenomenon, and, hence, it is important
to incorporate initial stresses in the analysis. The
vertical component of in situ stresses can be com-
puted simply as the weight of a vertical column of
materials. The vertical stresses cause horizontal
stresses in the overburden as defined through the
coefficient of earth pressure at rest, K . The hori-
zontal stress at a point can be cal%ulated from
where oh and a are effective horizontal and verti-
cal stresses, v respectively. The coefficient of
earth pressure at rest, K is a material property.
In this study, the initia?' stress method6 was used
for accurate modeling of initial stresses in the
overburden.
After introducing an initial stress field, it is nec-
essary to simulate the mining activity in the model.
In the case of longwall mining, the roof of the mine
fails and randomly collapses into the cavity. As a
result, the strata in the overburden tend to move
toward the opening. This causes fracturing in the
rock above the mine cavity. This was modeled by
prescribing the roof displacement to be equal to the
seam thickness. The resulting stresses in the over-
burden were computed by performing a finite element
analysis. These stresses were then checked to see
whether failure or fracturing had occurred, and the
analysis was performed incrementally to achieve con-
vergence. Some details of the computational schemes
used in the analysis and their application to mining
problems can be found elsewhere.' On the basis of
the finite element analysis, the size of the cave
zone was computed. This information was used as an
input parameter in the reservoir model to compute the
amount of gas resulting from the gob formation.
b. History-Matching Analysis
History matching of production data from gob wells
is necessary in order to characterize the dynamic
flow mechanism above the longwall panel. Since
3 years of production history were available for
the wells, an exponential and hyperbolic curve-
fitting routine was used to extrapolate the data
over a 10-year production life. The history match-
ing was based on the actual and projected gas
production in Region I.
3
The first step in a history match is to calculate
reservoir performance using the best available data
and to compare the simulated performance with the
actual recorded history of the well or field. Then,
if the agreement is not satisfactory, adjustments
must be made on input parameters until a match is
achieved.
A reservoir has many characteristics, only some of
which are measured. The reliability of a history
match is subject to the quantity and quality of data
available: the more measured variables available,
the more reliable the history match. The combination
of measured and unknown parameters gives a non-
unique, calculated prediction of reservoir behavior.
For example, an estimated natural-fracture system of
parallel sets of joints may not be the actual pattern
in the reservoir. Therefore, the history-matching
parameters may not be the actual values found in the
reservoir. They are the values required to charac-
terize the reservoir while compensating for the esti-
mated fixed-fracture pattern.
Reservoir modeling was used to history-match the pro-
duction rate by varying gob permeability distribution
while other parameters were held constant. The fixed
production thickness was based on predicted gob-zone
height, which was derived from the finite element
modeling. All coal seams that were included in the
gob area contributed to the formation's producing
thickness. These were the secondary seams, and for-
mation data measured from core samples for similar
coals were used as base case values.'
The SUGARWAT reservoir modelg was used to determine
history-matching parameters by simulating production
from gob wells in the panel. The SUGARWAT model is
a two-dimensional, two-phase, reservoir model that
simulates the production of gas and water from a con-
ventional reservoir. This reservoir is modeled as a
continuous natural fracture system filled with dis-
continuous matrix blocks. The matrix is represented
as discrete "blocks" or "elements," and exhibits a
high porosity and low permeability. These are the
major gas storage locations and contribute very
little flow to the reservoir. The natural fracture
system provides little storage and acts as the major
flow network in the reservoir.
The SUGARWAT~ gas flow mechanism is based on the
matrix/fracture dual porosity concept. The matrix
is the high-porosity, high-potential system, and is
the source of gas flow in the surrounding low-
porosity fractures. The fracture flow in SUGARWAT
was developed by combining the continuity equation,
Darcy's law, and a density pressure-dependent,
shrinkage factor relationship. The flow equation was
derived by developing the generalized mass balance or
continuity equation over a representative element in
a rectangular system. The fundamental conservation
relationship was then written in terms of the flux
rate of fluid being conserved, the fluid concentra-
tion, and the input rate. An equation for each fluid
phase was written with a relation of the flux and
concentration through a common dependent variable.
Since the reservoir was fractured, flow from the rock
matrix was accounted for by a pressure-difference
source term added to the fracture flow equation.
4 ASSESSMENT OF GAS PRODUCTION POTENT1 , FROM COALBEDS AND ADJACENT STRATA SPE 17765

The fluid flow from the rock matrix was described (1,372 m). Four gob wells were installed in the
with the matrix/fracture flow equations. These equa- panel and their locations are shown in Figure 6.
tions were derived from the definition of pseudo- Well Nos. 1 and 4 were the degasification wells prior
steady-state flow out of a matrix element. This was to the longwall advance. The well was then converted
expressed in terms of the matrix gas concentration, to degasify a gob well before the face reached its
porosity, and change of average matrix pressure with location. The face advance rate versus time for the
respect to time. panel is shown in Figure 7. This advance rate was
used in the simulation study to determine the time
A no-flow boundary condition at all exterior surfaces period when enhanced permeability took place along
was used for mathematical simplicity. This was done the panel.
by setting the external transmissibilities to zero.
The initial boundary conditions consisted of speci- The overburden strata consisted of four major rock
fied pressures and saturations for each grid block in types: shale, sandstone, sandy shale, and coal.
the system. Mechanical properties used in the stress analysis
are shown in Table 2; these values were estimated
Generally, methane desorbtion is simulated with a on the basis of available information in the lit-
kinetic Fickian Diffusion model. However, SUGARWAT erature.12'13 Base-case values used in the reser-
is based on the pseudo-steady-state desorbtion con- voir simulation study are shown in Table 3; these
cept, in which matrix porosity and permeability are values were based on information available in the
used to describe the gas desorbtion. Matrix permea- literature.
bility, which can represent the diffusion flow from
the coal matrix walls, can be calculated using b. Analysis of Cave Zone
relationship between Darcy's law, Fick's law, the
equation of state, and the concentration density The information pertinent to the mine panel analyzed
relationship. In the present study, permeability in Region I is given in the previous section. In
values of the matrix were modified so that the view of the large length-to-width ratio in longwall
SUGARWAT model simulates gas flow desorbtion accord- panels, a two-dimensional panel configuration was
ing to Fickian diffusion. considered in this study. The finite-element mesh
of a typical tranverse cross section is shown in
The governing differential equations that describe Figure 8; the strata thicknesses used herein were
gas flow processes are complex and, hence, will not obtained from the geologic column shown in Figure 5.
be presented herein. These can be found el~ewhere.~ The size and the shape of the fracture zone have to
These differential equations need to be solved in be known in order to estimate production rates and
order to determine production rates from gas wells. to determine the depth of the gob well.
In the SUGARWAT model, the differential equations
are solved numerically using the finite difference The tensile (fracture) and failure zones above the
method. mine panel obtained from the finite element analy-
sis are shown in Figure 9. The tensile zone (black
Before the measured data discussed in this paper were shading) extends to a height of about 339 ft
history-matched, the SUGARWAT model was enhanced by (103.3 m) (67 times the seam thickness) above the
adding a time-dependent permeability option into the mine roof. It can also be noted that two disjointed
code. This option simulated the increased reservoir smaller zones are present above this height. These
permeability front that advanced with the mine face disjointed zones were assumed to be supported by
as the fracture zone (gob) was created. A linear stronger strata above the fracture zone. The failure
distribution of permeability from the center of the zone extends to a height of about 815 ft (248.4 m)
panel to the edge was assumed to represent the gob above the mine roof. The gas-bearing strata located
flow potential. This is depicted in Figure 4. within the fracture zone are believed to produce gob
gas.
4.0 ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
c. Analysis of Production Data in Region I
a. General Information
It is commonly known that gas production from a gob
In order to illustrate the method of analysis pre- well increases rapidly as the mine face advances
sented in the foregoing section, this study is a beyond the location of the gob well. 10'11'14'15 This
typical mine configuration in an Region I. Measured is attributed to the increased permeability result-
production data on gob gas were available from this ing from rubble formation in the gob area. With an
site. The primary coal seam is assumed to be about increase in permeability, the gas-bearing strata in
5 ft (1.52 m) in thickness, and is extracted by long- the gob area start producing gas, which flows toward
wall mining. The primary seam is located about the gob well. In order to model gob-gas production,
2,000 ft (609.6 m) below the ground surface. The it is necessary to know the amount of increase in
geologic column used in this study is shown in Fig- permeability resulting from the fracturing process.
ure 5; this profile was selected on the basis of However, there are no data in the published litera-
available information5' "10'11 on this portion of the ture to estimate the increase in permeability.
Appalachian Basin. As shown in this figure, a number Therefore, the next step in the analysis was to his-
of secondary coal seams exist above the primary seam. tory match the production data using a reservoir
These secondary seams are believed to be the source model. The computer code used in this study was
of gob gas generated after the completion of longwall SUGARWAT.9 This code was modified to incorporate
mining. time-dependent variation of permeability with the
mine faces rate of advance. The permeability varia-
The layout of the mine panel considered in this tion across the transverse section was assumed to be
study is shown in Figure 6. The panel width was linear, for simplicity, as shown in Figure 4. The
550 ft (167.6 m) and the length was about 4,500 ft lower value of permeability near the rib side is
 SPE 17765 A. W. LAYNE, H. J. SIRIWARDANE, C. W. BYRER
I I
justified because of higher stresses resulting from
stress redistribution, and the higher values of
permeability at the center line are justified because
of the thickness of the fracture zone. The quantita-
tive information on the permeability increase factor,
a , as shown in Figure 4, was computed by trial-and-
error in the history-matching computation.
Initially, base-case parameters were used to simulate
production from the four wells as the longwall panel
advanced. As expected, these values did not match
the behavior of individual wells. The history match-
ing progressed until it reached a match of individual
well production with time. This match was achieved
by assuming the distribution of enhanced permeability
in the gob zone, as shown in Figure 4. An initial
thickness of 15 ft (4.57 m) was assumed. This was
based on the scenario that gas had migrated through
half of the coal thickness above and below the seam.
A 7-ft (2.134 m) thickness, which is the actual
thickness from logs of the coals that were in the
predicted gob area, was also simulated. These values
predicted premature reductions in the production
curves. This indicated that the productive thick-
ness, the gas content, or the porosity of the coal
may have been in error. Measured values of gas con-
tent and porosity were available, but the producing
thickness was an unknown, thus thickness appeared to
be the most logical choice to vary. The permeability
distribution was also varied in order to eliminate
the premature drop in cumulative production that was
experienced when the smaller producing thickness was
simulated. The history match for the four wells cor-
responding to a reservoir thickness of 15 ft (4.57 m)
are shown in Figures 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The
history-matching variables predict the actual well
production histories with a reasonable degree of
accuracy. The tendency for the predicted values to
be higher than the actual may be because the assumed
linear permeability distribution or another forma-
tion variable is not totally accurate. The history-
matched formation data are shown in Table 4.
d. Parametric Studx
After the parameters related to the size of the frac-
I nesses and geologic profiles characteristic in
ture zone and permeability changes were established,
a parametric study was performed to investigate the
influence of well location on the gas production
rate. Two configurations were considered. The
first study dealt with the four-well configuration
presented earlier (Figure 6). Here, the distance
between Well No. 2 and Well No. 3 was varied, as
shown in Figure 11. The second configuration was a
hypothetical case of two wells located on the same
mine panel. The distance between the two wells was
varied, as shown in Figure 12, and the production
rates were computed. Results from the parametric
study are given in the section below.
Four-Well Configuration
The predicted rates of gas production for the four-
well configuration corresponding to Case 1-1 (Fig-
ure 12) are shown in Figure 13. Cases 1-2 and 1-3
show similar trends, and hence, their production
curves are not presented here. For the purpose of
comparison, the predicted values of cumulative pro-
duction at the longwall panel are presented in Fig-
ure 14 for the three cases considered in the first
study.
5
Two-Well Configuration
The predicted rates of well production data for
Cases 2-1 and 2-2 are presented in Figures 15A and
15B. The predicted production at Well No. 1 appears
to be the same for both the cases, while the produc-
tion at Well No. 2 appears to be significantly
greater for Case 2-2 than for Case 2-1. This is
believed to be the result of a larger drainage area
available for Well No. 2 in Case 2-2 than that in
Case 2-1. Similar trends were observed for Case 2-3.
The total production data for Cases 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3
are shown in Figure 16 for the purpose of comparison.
Results suggest that more production over a given
time period can be expected if the two wells are
spaced far apart; this is the result of a larger
drainage area. However, larger well spacing can
cause higher gas concentrations at the mine face.
The predicted rates of gas production for Cases 3-1
and 3-2 are presented in Figures 17A and 17B. The
predicted production at Well No. 1 appears to be the
same for both cases. In fact, the differences in
production between Case 2-1 (Figure 15) and Case 3-1
appear to be insignificant. The production at Well
No. 2 appears to increase as the distance between the
two wells is increased. Total production data for
Cases 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3 are presented in Figure 18.
As with Case 2, more production over a long time
period can be expected if the wells are spaced far
apart. However, this may come at the expense of
having higher gas concentration near the mine face.
Figure 19 depicts total panel production when one to
three wells are drilled. Again, three wells produce
the highest total gas production.
e. Gas Production in Regions I1 and I11
Region I results were extrapolated to predict gob
production potential for Regions I1 and I11 in the
Appalachian Basin. The height of the tensile and
plastic zones were computed with the same methodology
reported in Sections 3a and bb. Overburden thick-
Regions 11 and 111 were used to compute the expected
gob zone geometry for each location. The production
potential was predicted with the SUGARWAT reservoir
model. Since actual gas production was not availa-
ble for history matching, the gob permeability multi-
plier, the distribution computed in the previous
study on Region I, was used for Regions I1 and 111.
Geologic data such as total gob formation thickness,
coal permeability, porosity, and gas content were
derived from the literature.l6
The predicted gob height for Region I1 is 255 ft
(77.7 m) with a 1,500-ft (457.2 m) overburden thick-
ness. The predicted gob height for Region I11 is
185 ft (56.39 m) with an overburden thickness of
565 ft (172.2 m). The gob height was used to deter-
mine the total producing thickness available in the
overburden in each region. The wells were located
in a pattern that is reported to be the most desira-
ble for these two study regions.
Reservoir modeling calculations were performed with
an average longwall face advance rate of 25 ft
(7.62 m) per day. The production increase caused by
formation of the gob at this rate was predicted for
a 10-year period. Results of these calculations are
shown in Figures 20 and 21.
5.0 DISCUSSION
This paper presents a procedure for predicting gas
production that considers factors influencing reser-
voir dynamics, such as time-dependent gob form-
tion and permeability changes. Depth and spacing
between wells are two major factors that influence
the design of gob wells. The depth of gob wells
depends on the gob zone height and the penetration
required to drain methane from the gas-bearing inter-
vals. The spacing between wells depends on the
methane production rate, which can be estimated by
using a reservoir model. In this paper the finite
element method was used to predict the size and shape
of the gob zone. Because of the large length-to-
width ratio in longwall panels, a two-dimensional
plane strain idealization was used. The height of
the gob zone was found to range from 185 to 339 ft
(56.39 to 103.3 m) above the primary coal seam. This
appears to be close to what is commonly assumed by
the mining industry. As a rule of thumb, the height
of the cave zone is taken as 50 times the seam thick-
ness, but there is little scientific proof for this
value. It was noticed in the current analysis that
the height of the gob zone decreases if the values of
the horizontal stress field were increased near the
mine roof. In other words, the size of the gob zone
is expected to be smaller at locations where the
tectonic stress field is larger. This type of infor-
mation is vital in determining the optimum depth of
gob wells. If the well casing is too close to the
primary coal seam, then the well casing could get
damaged during gob formation. With a knowledge of
the gob zone, the engineer could determine the opti-
mum depth of gob wells.
The results from the history matching indicate that
the gob-gas production over a longwall panel can be
predicted with the reservoir model used herein. Once
the history-matched reservoir parameters are estab-
lished, they can be used for predicting gob-gas pro-
duction in nearby locations. In this study, the
permeability was assumed to vary linearly over the
gob area for simplicity. The permeability increase
factor, a!, was found to be 2.5 for the mine panel.
This value can be considered as a weighted average
value for the increase in permeability over the gob.
In reservoir modeling of gob-gas production, it was
assumed that there is no interaction between adjacent
mine panels. The predicted gas production over one
panel appears to increase with well spacing. This
can be explained as a result of the larger area of
influence per well. Although the total methane pro-
duction appears to increase with increased well spac-
ing, this could come at the expense of higher methane
concentration at the mine face. Thus, the designed
well spacing should also consider the gas concentra-
tion at the mine face. More field data need to be
collected in order to establish relationships between
well spacing and gas concentration.
Results from the parametric study on the four-well
configuration indicate that the location of Well
No. 3 does not have a significant influence on the
total gas production at the panel. This suggests
that within certain values of well spacing, well
location might not influence the total production.
However, the well spacing could influence the gas
concentration in the gob area. This aspect was not
investigated in the current study.
The results of the two parametric studies indicate
that the distance between wells influences both the
rate of gob production and the total cumulative pro-
duction from the panel. Figures 17A and 17B indi-
cates that the rate of gas production increases when
the wells are closer together in the panel. In this
case they were 250 ft (76.2 m) apart. When the wells
were moved farther apart, the total cumulative pro-
duction increased, +yet the rate of production
decreased during the first 300 days of mine advance.
In addition, the influence of Well No. 2 on Well
No. 1 is evident when Figures 17A and 17B are com-
pared. As Well No. 2 is spaced farther away from
Well No. 1, the production of Well No. 1 shows an
increase in cumulative production and produces gas at
a higher rate than when the wells are spaced farther
apart. This would be the preferred well orientation
for degasification of the gob area. Wells spaced
farther apart on the panel would be the preferred
location for long-term gas production ventures.
Results indicate that the thickness of producing
horizons, gob-zone geometry, well spacing, and the
panel's permeability distribution have a significant
impact on well gas production. Knowledge of these
parameters would enhance future modeling studies of
panel degasification.
6.0 CONCLUSIONS
This paper presents a method for the analysis of
gob-well gas production that includes factors influ-
encing reservoir dynamics. The method is used to
analyze production data from a mine panel located in
the Appalachian Basin. The results indicate the
following:
The height of the cave zone is about 67 times
the seam thickness in Region I, 50 times the
seam thickness in Region 11, and 37 times the
seam thickness in Region 111.
The effective thickness of the reservoir is much
larger than the thickness of secondary coal
seams in the gob area, suggesting that other
strata produce gob gas.
The reservoir modeling technique used herein can
reproduce the production data from the Region I
mine panel. This suggests that the model is
applicable for predicting gob-gas production
rates.
Model predictions in this study indicate that
closely spaced wells produce gas at a higher
rate than wells spaced farther apart. However,
if the wells are spaced farther apart, this
would be more desirable for long-term gas pro-
duction. If the methane concentration at the
mine face is known, well spacing could be opti-
mized to provide a safe level of mine methane
concentration while maximizing long-term gas
production.
The computed gas production trends appear to be
similar for all three regions. Extrapolated gob
parameters appear to reproduce the influence of
the fracture zone on well production for three
regions in the Appalachian Basin.
This has been the first in-depth assessment of the
dynamics of coalbed methane generation and drainage
SPE 17765 A. W. LAYNE, M. J. SI .WARDANE,C. W. BYRER
associated with longwall mining. With the knowledge
gained from such studies, placement of effective
vertical wells in longwall mine development will be
beneficial to the coal operator.
Averitt, P.: "Coal Resources of the United
States, January 1974," U.S.G.S. Bull. No. 1712
(1975), 32-47.
Byrer, C. W., Mroz, T. H., Covatch, G. L.;
"U.S. DOE Coalbed Methane Production Potential
in U.S. Basins," J. Pet. Tech. (~uly19871,
821-834.
National Petroleum Council: "Coal Seams:
Unconventional Gas Resources," (June 1980)
45 (FERC 1979).
Hagood, D. W., Jones, J. E., and Price, K. R.:
"Use of Vertical Wells for Drainage of Methane
from Longwall Jobs," Proceedings of the Second
U.S. Mine Ventilation Symposium, Reno, Nevada
(September 19851.
Sprouls, M. W.: "Longwall Census '88," Coal
(February 1988), 65-77.
Zienkiewicz, 0. C.: The Finite Element Method
in Engineering Science, Third Edition, McGraw-
E l l , London (1977).
Siriwardane, H. J., and Amanat, A * : "Analysis
of Subsidence Caused by Underground Mining,"
Volume 2 (1984).
Boyer, C. M., and Stubbs, P. B.: Measurement of
Dynamic Reservoir Conditions, Final Report --
Volume I, submitted to DOE/METC by United States
Steel Corporation under Contract No. DE-AC21-
82~~19404-(December 1986).
7
Holiditch, S. A.: SUGARWAT, User's Guide and
Documentation, submitted to DOE/METC under
Contract No. DE-AC21-82MC-19239 (August 1983).
Maksimouic, S. D., Elder, C. H., and
Kissell, F. N.: "Hydraulic Stimulation of
a Surface Borehole for Gob Gasification,"
Bureau of Mines Report RI 8228 (1977).
Maksimouic, S. D., and Kissell, F. N.: "Three
Coal Mine Gob Degasification Studies Using Sur-
face Boreholes and a Bleeder System," Bureau of
Mines Report RI 8459 (1980).
Boyer, C. M., et al.: Measurement of Dynamic
Reservoir Conditions, Final Report-- Volume 11,
submitted to MlE/PIETC by United States Steel
Corporation under Contract No. DE-AC21-82MC19404
(1986).
Schrauf, T. W.: "Results of In Situ Stress
Measurements by Hydraulic Fracturing at the
Rock Creek, Alabama. Site," submitted to
United States Steel Corporation by Terra Tek
Research (1985).
Moore, T. D., Maurice, D., and Kissell, F. N.:
"Longwall Gob Degasification with Surface
Ventilation Boreholes Above the Lower Kittan-
ing Coalbed," Bureau of Mines Report No. 8195
(1976).
Moore, T. D., and Zabetakis, M. G.: "Effect of
a Surface Borehole on Longwall Gob Degasifica-
tion (Pocahontas No. 3 Coalbed)," Bureau of
Mines Report No. 7657 (1972).
Boyer, C. M., and Morrison, H. L.: Methane
Modeling -- Predicting the Inflow of Methane
Gas into Coal Mines, Final Report by United
States Steel under Contract No. AC22-80PC30123
(February 1982).
 TABLE 1
TABLE 3
Regional In-Place Gas Potential From Longwall Coal Panels1 and Gob ~ r e a a ~
Base Case Input Data
TOTAL GAS
COAL PANEL TARGET: GAS ESTIMATES OVGRBURDHN W B AREA: GAS ESTIMATES ESTIMATES Coal Eonation Properties Relion I Region I1 Region 111
Gaa
---

Average Potential Total Matrix Porosity (%) 1.0 1.0 1.0

Target Coal/ Gas In-Place Coals Above Target/Height/ Height of in In-Place
Depth/ Content Estimate Total Thickness/Gas Content Gob Area Gob Area Gas (Panel Uatrix Permeability (ed) 1.0~10-~ 1.0~10-~ 1.0~10-~
Thickness (CFIT) (Enlcf) Name Thicbness CFIT (Estimated) (Enlcf) and Gob)
Fracture Porosity (%) 5.0 5.0 5.0
REGION 1
Face Cleat Permeability (md) 30.0 15.0 30.0
Southern Blue Creek 450 cflton 535 Marker 1.5ft 250 340ft 486 1,245 Enlcf
Appalachian New Castle (2) 4.5 ft 350 Gob Producing Thickness (ft) 15.0 13.0 16.0
(Warrior)
2,000 ft = Ave.
Depth
nary Lee
Total
3.0 ft
9.0 ft
450 -
710 Gas Content at Reservoir 17.0 17.0 5.0
5.5 ft = Ava Pressure (scflrcf)
(Low Surface Thickness
Relief)

REGION 2
TABLE 4
Central Pocahontas 13 600 cflton 647 Pocahontas 17 3.0 ft 350 270 ft 226 1,855 )Mcf
Appalachian Pocahontas 16 3.5 ft 400 302 History-Matched Formation Data
1.500 ft = Ave. Pocahontas 65 2.0 ft 450 194 for Region I
(High Surface Depth Pocahontas 64 4.5 ft 500
Relief, High 5 ft = Ave. Total 13.0 ft
Rori~onte.1 Thickness
Stress) Producing Thickness (ft) 15.0
REGION 3 Panel Permeability
Northern Pittsbur~hCoal 200 eflton 302 Waynesburg 4.0 ft 90 255 ft 78 698 )Mcf - Butt Cleat Direction (d) 10.0
Appalachian Uoiontown 2.5 ft 100 54
800 ft = Ave. Sevickley 5.0 ft 120 129 - Face Cleat Direction (md) 10.0-30.0
(Hilly
Surface
Depth
7 ft = Ave.
Redstone
Total
5.0
16.5
ft
ft
125 -135
396 Wellbere Skin Factor - 2.0
Relief) Thickness
M a x i m Gob Permeability
Multiplier ( a )
' Panel Size = 118 acres (5,500 ft x 900 ft)
Calculated Gob Area Height

SI tiXTBIC CONVERSION FACTORS

bbl x 1.58987 E-01 = m3

TABLE 2
ft x 3.048 E-01 = s
Mechanical Properties of the Four Major Rock Types
psi x 6.894757 Et03 = Pa
Young's Earth md x 9.869233 E-04 = (na2
Modulus Poisson's Density Pressure Cohesion Cohesive
E(x )'01 Ratio p Coefficient + Strength cu ft x 2.831685 E-02 = m3
Haterial psi v lbe/ft3 Kn deg. psi
in x 2.4 E-02 = m
Shale 4.47 0.18 168 0.51 29 5,820
acre r 4.046873 8+03 = a2
Sand Stone 5.90 0.15 170 0.42 36 5,930

Sandy Shale 5.23 0.15 169 .46 32 5.875

Coal 0.66 0.35 80 0.48 31 433

Tensile Strength of the Roof = 958 psi

 -
Northem Central

Appalachlan /
Bash Mine Cavity

~ l g1-study
. areas In Me Appalachian Basln.
I4 Panel Width 1'
~ i g2-~nolum
. zone above longwall panel.

Permeabilitv

4
a. k

Base Value

Gob Area mTh 0

Methane
I
I
I
I
I
I
k
b
Distance

I i I
Bearing
Layers I !
Panel Width

Prlrnary Coal
Seam
 400 Shale

a Sandstone

350 a Sandy Shale feet

Coal

300
@ Primary Coal

@ Secondary Coal
250
@ Secondary Coal

Depth Depth
200
(feet) (feet)

150

too
I I I I I I I 1
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400
50
Time (Days)

Fig. 7-Mine-face advance va. time.

0

Fig. 5-Geologic proflie of the overburden. Fig. 6-Layout of longwall panel and gab wells.

Fig. 8-Finite-element mesh used In the analysis of longwall panel. Fig. 9-Computed fracture and failure mnes above the mine panel.
 - -
--
Actual
-- Aclual
Predicted
Predlcted

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 0 100 200 300 400 500
Time (Days)
Time (Days)

Wg. ton-Well one advance time match. Fig. 106-Well two advance time match.

Actual
-
-- Actual
Pledleled
Predicted

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Time (Days)

Fig. 1OC-Well thma advance tima match. Flg. 1oD-Wen four a d v a m tinm match.
 4500 ft.

4500 ft.
t4 Case 2-1 : dl= 250 ft.. d2 = 500 ft.
Case 2-2 : dl =250 ft., d, = 1000 ft.
Case 2-3 : dl =250 ft., d2 =1500ft.
Case 1-1 :d = 600 ft.
Case 3-1 : dl =500 ft.. d2 = 500 ft.
Case 1-2 : d =400ft
Case 3-2 : dl =500 ft.. d2 = 1000 ft.
Case 1-3 :d = 200 f t
Case 3-3 : d1=500 ft.. d, = 1500 ft.
Fig. 11-four-well paramatrle Uudy.
Fig. 12-Two-wdl pannutrlc study.

-Well 1
-
---
-..-
- We11 2
We11 3
We11 4
1600
1
Case 1-1
Case 1-2
Case 1-3
-
-
----

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

Time (Days) Time (Days)

Flg. 14-Total pnel pmductlon: four-well pnmeMc study.

-
-- Well 1
-
- /
/ -
We11 2
-- Well 1
wen 2
0
/
0
/
/
- /
/

Case 2-1

111 Case 2-2

J
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000
Time (Days)

Fb. 1SA-Twowell p n m m l c Uudy, Cau 2-1.

 ---
- - case Ca-2-1

- 2-2
Casc2-3

-
-- well 1
Well 2

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

Time (Days)

Fig. 176-Two-well pmnwtrfc study, C.u 3-2.

-
-- Case 3-1
--- Cam 3-2
case 3-3

Time (Days)

flg. I b T w o n m l l pnmatris study. W.. 3: m l . 1 p n . l production.

 -
--
- --
One Well
Two Wells
Three Wells
1- - - - Well 1
-- well 2
- Well 3

0 loo0 2000 3000 4000 5MH)

Time (days)

Flg, 19-Three-well pammMrlc study.

Tlme (Days)
Rg. 20-Expected gob pmduotlon: Region II.

I I I I I I I
0 500 loo0 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500
Time (Days)