Seismic characteristics and strain of coal during the sorption of CO2 and CH4
Abstract
Coal has been studied for its extensive capability of adsorbing CO2 in exchange for
coalbed CH4. Various sorption models have been developed and enhanced in order to
precisely understand the implications of carbon sequestration and enhanced coalbed CH4
recovery processes. Our study aims at analyzing the characteristic behavior of a bituminous
coal in various CO2 and CH4 pressure environments through seismic waveform and strain
analyses. Laboratory-scale geophysical investigation of a coal specimen was performed
under pressures of up to 1000 psi for CH4 and up to 700 psi for CO2. The results show that
the coal specimen has a significantly higher rate of swelling from CO2 injection than CH4.
The coal specimen shows instability to reach equilibrium at higher CO2 pressure level;
micro-bedding layers of the coal specimen exhibit high seismic impedance at atmospheric
pressure, which decreases concurrently as CO2/CH4 pressure increases. The results also show that the coal experiences different rates of swelling and shrinkage for CO2 and CH4 in a
confined pressure environment, after a given time interval.
Table of Contents
Introduction -- Background -- Literature review -- Methodology -- Results and discussions -- Conclusion -- Future scope of work -- Appendix A. Seismic waves through the coal specimen during adsorption phase of CO2 cycle -- Appendix B. Seismic waves through the coal specimen during desorption phase of CO2 cycle -- Appendix C. Seismic waves through the coal specimen during adsorption phase of CH4 cycle -- Appendix D. Seismic waves through the coal specimen during desorption phase of CH4 cycle -- Appendix E. Preparation and installation of strain gauge
Degree
M.S.