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Technology: Enhanced coal bed methane Executive summary

recovery (ECBM) Introduction

Part 1: Technology
Technology: enhanced coal bed methane recovery (ECBM) Date: 18/06/10 investigation and evaluation
Technology Definition:ECBM involves flooding coal seams with injected CO2, where Part 2: Economic and
it’s adsorbed by coal, in turn displacing methane to the surface for it to be captured commercial evaluation
and consumed as fuel.
Part 3: Key findings,
Proponents:Proponents of CO2 ECBM concentrate around Western governments with
recommendations and
large coal reserves, such as the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand with
conclusions
funding to support development of the technology. ECBM could progress to
developing countries which possess large coal reserves, although this is only expected Appendices
to happen once research is more advanced and projects underway in the developed Appendix A: CO2 for use
world have proved successful. The Chinese government are interested in this in enhanced oil recovery
technology due to a high dependence on coal power plants.Companies such as Solid (EOR)
Energy UCG (underground coal gasification), Alkane Energy, Edeco, Thompson FW,
Appendix B: CO2 as a
and larger mining entities would play a role in the ECBM market. Others include
feedstock for urea yield
commercial gas companies such as Air Liquid, oil companies like BP, ConocoPhillips,
boosting
Dow Chemical and emerging companies such as Sproule Industry, Suncor Energy Inc.
and tesseract Corporation. Research institutions such as ETH Zurich, The Japan Coal Appendix C: CO2 as a
Energy Centre, Alberta University and the Netherlands Institute of Applied working fluid for
Geoscience are also researching the technology. enhanced geothermal
systems (EGS)
Specific sub-
Item Score Evaluation comments Appendix D: CO2 as a
criterion
feedstock for polymer
Technology Maturity processing
CO2 ECBM technology is still in a development phase.
Pilot plants have been operating since 1997, however as Appendix E: CO2 for use
its application is very location specific. Country and in algae cultivation
region research continues in the Western world through Appendix F: CO2 as
Timeframe to government funding while developing countries are not feedstock for carbonate
1.01 2
deployment investing in CO2 ECBM, apart from China due to the mineralisation
country’s high dependence on coal power plants
Appendix G: CO2 for
therefore, The timeframe to commercial deployment is
concrete curing
considered a minimum of five years away, potentially
accelerated through demand for natural gas supply. Appendix H: CO2 for use
Scale-Up Potential in bauxite residue
Coal seams are the most abundant fossil fuel deposits (in carbonation
comparison to oil and gas reservoirs) so there is potential Appendix I: CO2 as a
for ECBM to become widespread on unmineable coal feedstock for liquid fuel
seams if commercial deployment is achieved. Results production
Scale-up
2.01 3 from research held in 29 possible ECBM sites in China
potential Appendix J: Enhanced
have determined that CO2 sequestration potential is
coal bed methane
about 143 Gt in the country’s known coal beds. This could
recovery
sequester CO2 emissions for an estimated 50 years based
on China’s CO2 emission levels in 2000. Appendix K: Evaluation
2.02 Geographical 2 CO2 ECBM is specific to location, applicable to countries scores
 constraints on with large coal reserves, which are not being mined. CO2 Technology: Enhanced
the production source, transport options and associated cost compared oil recovery
system to the revenue of gas production will determine if ECBM Technology: Boosting
is cost effective for investment.While scale-up potential yields of conventional
exists, coal beds need to be assessed on a case by case fertiliser production
basis to determine if a cost effective method for ECBM. facilities
Other factors will affect ECBM application, such as
competition from companies wanting to mine coal. If un- Technology: Enhanced
mineable (e.g. due to being offshore, in a residential area geothermal systems
or deep underground), The cost of ECBM recovery will (EGS)
increase. Technology: CO2
Value for Money feedstock for polymers
CO2/nitrogen injection into coal seams can be economic if Technology: CO2
the value of the produced gas exceeds the cost of absorption by
producing the gas, plus the cost of transporting the gas microalgae to generate
minus the cost of taxes or CO2 credits.Theoretically, coal biomass
bed methane fairway shows exceptional promise for
commercial application because (1) The coal bed Technology:
methane industry represents a substantial market for Mineralisation
CO2 and (2) if there are local coal-fired power plants, Technology: Concrete
They could potentially produce CO2 in enough quantity to curing
facilitate enhanced coal bed methane recovery at a large
Technology: Bauxite
scale. Generally however, ECBM technology would have
residue carbonation
to improve to ensure economical recovery.In a recent
study performed by the Alberta Research Council testing Technology: Renewable
CO2 and ECBM in Alberta’s coal beds, it was concluded methanol
that since it took at least two cubic feet of CO2 for each Technology: Formic
cubic foot of methane produced, The CO2 cost would take acis/hydrogen economy
up more than $2 of the gas price on a per thousand cubic
Technology: Enhanced
feet of methane basis (assuming CO2 at $1 per thousand
coal bed methane
standard cubic feet or $19 per tonne.) Flue gas (CO2 and
Commercial recovery (ECBM)
3.01 2 N2) potentially offers a more commercially viable
viability solution.Despite this and a few other studies that have Appendix L: Emerging
taken place, The factors still limiting the implementation technologies –
of ECBM recovery are economical, e.g. lack of penalties demonstration projects
for CO2 emissions, as well as technological and scientific, and R&D studies
e.g. limited understanding of fundamental issues related Appendix M: Edge
to ECBM. For example, if CO2 credits increase in value, it Environment report
could make a commercially unviable project
viable.Actual project economics will depend on site- Appendix N: Reference list
specific considerations, operational characteristics, and Glossary
numerous other factors, and the economics for a specific
situation could differ considerably from others. The main
considerations would be:

cost of CO2;
availability of injectant gas;
value of methane;
cost of processing;
cost of implementation; and
transportation.

3.02 Competitiveness 3 The ECBM process appears always to rely on the use of
with other CO2, although this may be mixed with nitrogen. The
emerging Alberta study has shown that flue gas (which comprises
technologies mainly of nitrogen and carbon dioxide) injection has its
merits. From an economic perspective, flue gas injection
Back to download page for
offered better economics than pure CO2 injection (unless
Accelerating the uptake of CCS:
there is a credit for CO2). Flue gas injection appears to
 enhance methane production to a greater degree possible industrial use of captured carbon
than with CO2 alone while still sequestering CO2, albeit in dioxide
smaller quantities therefore, considering both economic Copyright
and CO2 sequestration factors, There might be an ideal
CO2/N2 composition where both factors will be We have taken reasonable care to
optimised.ECBM’s predecessor, ‘Coal Bed Methane’, ensure this information is correct
involved burning or gasifying the subterranean coal and and current at the time of
collecting the resulting methane, but this was difficult publication - check with the
and hard to control. Therefore ECBM is an improvement publisher for updates.
on previous methods.
The potential barriers or limitations to ECBM fall into the
three broad categories: geologic, economic, and policy.
The geologic limitations are fixed in the absence of
advances in technology; if the gas is not present in
commercial quantities or if the gas cannot be produced,
The project would not support an ECBM project,
especially given the additional costs.Assuming favourable
geologic characteristics, The operator must then examine
Barriers / the economics of the project. A wide variety of factors can
3.03 Incentives / 2 influence project economics, and thus, The likely
Drivers application of ECBM processes in mineable coal seams.
Finally, regulatory requirements and/or potential
financial incentives can tip the balance for or against
marginal projects.ECBM recovery operations will make
use of existing facilities by converting production wells
for injection and will use time-tested technological
approaches, such as organisation of injection wells and
production wells in five-spot patterns, so there is scope
for ECBM to take advantage of existing infrastructure.
CO2 Abatement Potential, Environmental and Social Benefits
ECBM floods coal beds where the CO2 is adsorbed by the
coal, in turn displacing methane to the surface for it to be
captured and consumed as fuel. Unlike EOR where CO2
Permanence of
4.01 3 forms a miscible solution with the oil and returns to the
Storage
surface, injected CO2 remains with the coal bed.
Therefore CO2 sequestered will have permanent storage
if the coal is not mined and combusted post ECBM.
4.02 Lifecycle CO2 3 While having permanent storage for the injection stream,
analysis a secondary CO2 source is created in the ECBM process
assuming the natural gas produced is combusted as
heating fuel. Natural gas is cleanest fossil fuel in that it
produces the least amount of CO2 when burnt so this
could be considered a benefit over the emissions created
from mining and combusting the coal deposit directly.A
study carried out in Alberta, Canada, where pure CO2 was
injected into an 80-acre plot via a 5-spot pattern indicated
that low-rank coal can store 1.27–2.25 BCF of CO2, whilst
ECMB recovery reached levels of 0.62 – 1.10 BCF of
natural gas.Therefore, The injection recovery rate for CO2
to CH4 is 2:1 across the range stated above. As an
example, when 2000CF of CO2 (112kg CO2) is injected,
1000CF of NG (assuming pure) will be produced. If this
gas is then combusted in entirety at STP (0°C, 1atm),
approximately 56kg of CO2 is produced.Another CO2
contribution needs to be considered in the ECBM life
cycle, assuming grid power dependence to capture,
compress and inject CO2 from a point source, for every
tonne of CO2 injected into a well, 310 kg CO2 is released
 from power generation with a carbon density of 0.89
tCO2/ MWh, to supply the CCS chain with 350 KWh/tCO2
injected.Combined feedstock generation and natural gas
combustion emissions tCO2 per tCO2 reused will be >
0.5t/t.Edge Environment Case Study Result: 0.44t CO2-
e/t reusedCase Study Description: Capture from a
coal-fired power station in China (Yancheng),
supplying a commercial ECBM operation in the South
Quinshui Basin via a 50km pipeline
Environmental
Benefit (Non No additional specific environmental benefits have been
4.03 0
CO2 abatement identified.
related)
Social Benefit
(Non CO2
4.04 0 No specific social benefits have been identified.
abatement
related)
Developing Countries
With significant interest from developing countries such
as China and Indonesia, who have an increasing demand
Applicability to
for reliable energy supply in growing economies, ECBM
5.01 developing 3
being economically viable without a carbon price, is
countries
considered to have greater potential of deployment in
developing countries than developed countries.

‹ Technology: Formic up Appendix L: Emerging

acis/hydrogen economy technologies – demonstration
projects and R&D studies ›

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