OVERVIEW OF CBM & IT’S WORKOVER

OPERATIONS
WHAT IS COAL BED METHANE ?
•  Standard Natural Gas C
• CBM is generated either through chemical reaction or bacterial action
• Chemical reaction occur over time as heat and pressure are applied to coal in sedimentary
basin, referred to as thermogenic methane.
• Bacteria obtain nutrition from organic matter and produce methane as a by product, is
referred to biogenic methane.
• Methane is held in the cleats with the coal
• Substantial water pressure is needed to keep the methane in the coal
FORMATION OF METHANE DURING COALIFICATION PROCESS
METHANE STORAGE IN COAL
Methane in coal is:
• Adsorbed on the surface of the coal
• Stored as free gas in the cleats and open pores
Conventional Gas
• Inorganic reservoir rock
• Reservoir and source rock independent
• Gas storage in macropores, Real gas law
• Macropore Size
• Darcy’s flow of gas to wellbore
• Gas content from logs
• Gas to water ratio decreases with time
• Permeability not stress dependent
• Well interference detrimental to production •
• Production Schedule according to set
decline curves
Coal Bed Methane
• Organic reservoir rock
• Reservoir and source rock are same
• Gas storage by adsorption on micropore
surfaces
• Micropore size
• Diffusion through micropores by Fick’s law
and Darcy’s flow through fractures
• Gas content from cores and cannot obtain
from logs
• Gas to water ratio increases with time in
stages
• Permeability highly stress dependent
Well interference increases production
• Initial negative decline
 STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT (CBM)

1) Coring
CORE ANALYSIS
Gas volume
Gas composition
Coal description
Adsorption isotherm
Proximate analysis
Ultimate analysis
Vitrinite reflectance
Bulk density determination
TECHNIQUES
Conventional Coring,
Wireline Coring,
Pressure Coring.
2) Drilling & Well Logging
3) Casing
1) Drilling
2) Casing &
Cementation
3) Cased hole Logging
& Perforation
4) Well Testing
5) Hydraulic Fracking
String Details Production Casing 6) Well Completion
Hole size 7 7/8” or 8 ½” 7) Production
Casing size 5 ½”
Setting depth +/- 1000m MD/TD
Grade K-55
Weight 15.5 ppf
Safety factor required Actual Load Design (based on
strength)
1.1/1.0/1.34094.2/1460.5/929101.18/2.77/2.67
Design Assumption Burst Collapse Tension Frac
Stimulation @3000 psi Full evacuation Running in
hole @ 4ft/sec
Connection BTC
Logging
Analyses
 low density, coals are
identified most easily from
a density log
 High apparent neutron and
sonic porosities
 High resistivities
 Low gamma ray values
CBM PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
 METHANE DESORPTION
• CBM is produced by removing water pressure that holds the CBM in place.
• Methane that was held in place by water pressure.
 PROGRESSIVE CAVITY PUMP
• PCP is a positive displacement pump, where produced fluid is displaced axially at a constant rate.
• PCP’S are comprised of two helicoidal gears, where the rotor is positioned inside the stator.
• Combination of rotational movement and geometry of the rotor inside the stator results in the
formation of cavities that move axially from pump suction to pump discharge.

Bottom Hole Equipment:

• Stator
• Rotor
• No Turn Tool
• Rotor bushing
• Necessary X-overs & Gas anchors
Surface Equipment:
• Flow Tee
• Hollow Shaft drive head
• Intrinsically safe electric
motor/hydraulic motor driven by
duel fuel engines
• Polished rod
• Polished rod clamp
 PRODUCTION PROBLEMS & NEED FOR WORKOVER
Parameter Causes Workover type
  Low water Downsize The Pump
• Workover refers to any kind of well   head in the
intervention involving invasive   Annulus
techniques Sand Sand Cleaning
High Torque
Production
• It can also be described as the process of
Increases
performing major maintenance or Gas Influx In Lower the PID
remedial treatment on a oil or gas well. Tubing
• In all the operations, pump is required to Elastomer Downsizing Rotor

stop and in some of the operations Swelling (Slim Hole Rotor)

  Pump Fishing
downhole pump is to be retrieved.
  Unscrewed
• Most common workover operations  
Sucker Rod Fishing
includes Sand cleaning & Flushing, Unscrew
Low Torque
Downsizing the pump, Fishing, etc..,  
(Mostly Means
Tubing / Sucker Fishing
Fishing)
Rod Shear
NTT Fail Change NTT –
Fishing
Low Production Tubing Replace Tubing
Puncture
 CONSTRAINTS OF CBM AND THEIR POSSIBLE
SOLUTONS
• Failure in Attainment of Continuous Dewatering (Due to sand production, scaling, sucker rod
unscrew, tubing puncture, high torque etc..,)
SOLUTION: Eliminating workover is an impossible target but it can definitely be reduced.
I. if a high percentage of sand is pumped out continuously, it may lead to abrasive wear of the rotor and stator. So
running a pump with larger displacement per RPM and lower pump speed reduces velocity of the particles
within the pump preventing abrasive wear.
II. The well must be properly swabbed after acid job till the pH of the fluid is back to its original level to avoid acid
attack on the rotor and stator.
III. Proper space-out is mandatory keeping in mind every small factor to avoid the pump locking up and other
torsional stresses.
IV.  To avoid elastomer swell, dry run and burning of the elastomer due to friction, the selection of pump model,
elastomer-fluid compatibility check and PID selection must be appropriate so that it does not require frequent
changes.
V. If dry run is the result of high percentages of free gas, lowering the pump setting depth or running a gas anchor
will limit the gas entry.
VI. There are some mechanical failures like tubing punctures and sucker rods being worn out, and to reduce this,
centralizers should be used for each sucker rod and the pump should be operated at an optimum RPM which will
decrease the vibrations.
 CONTINUED…

•LOW PERMEABILITY- (permeability of CBM is extremely low i.e. below 0.1 mD)
SOLUTION- H F
• SAND PRODUCTION
SOLUTION- If the permeability even after the HF job is low, therefore gravel packing
cannot be used. The only changes which we can make is increasing the total depth of
the well i.e. the sump.
•SCALE FORMATION
SOLUTION: Injection of biodegradable scale inhibitors in the formation to reduce
frequent acid jobs.
•WATER INFLUX DURING DRILLING
SOLUTION: Shift from air drilling to mud drilling.
•SURFACE WATER DISCHARGE
SOLUTION: Before disposal it has to be treated, as it contains Trace metals and
organics which are carcinogenic .
THANK YOU