Numerical analysis of matrix swelling and its effect on microstructure of digital coal and its associated permeability during CO_(2)-ECBM process based on X-ray CT data

Matrix swelling effect will cause the change of microstructure of coal reservoir and its permeability,which is the key factor affecting the engineering effect of CO_(2)-ECBM technology.The Sihe and Yuwu collieries are taken as research objects.Firstly,visualization reconstruction of coal reservoir is realized.Secondly,the evolution of the pore/fracture structures under different swelling contents is discussed.Then,the influence of matrix phase with different swelling contents on permeability is discussed.Finally,the mechanism of swelling effect during the CO_(2)-ECBM process is further discussed.The results show that the intra-matrix pores and matrix-edge fractures are the focus of this study,and the contacting area between matrix and pore/fracture is the core area of matrix swelling.The number of matrix particles decreases with the increase of size,and the distribution of which is isolated with small size and interconnected with large size.The swelling effect of matrix particles with larger size has a great influence on the pore/fracture structures.The number of connected pores/fractures is limited and only interconnected in a certain direction.With the increase of matrix swelling content,the number,porosity,width,fractal dimension,surface area and volume of pores/fractures decrease,and their negative contribution to absolute permeability increases from 0.368% to 0.633% and 0.868%-1.404%,respectively.With the increase of swelling content,the number of intra-matrix pores gradually decreases and the pore radius becomes shorter during the CO_(2)-ECBM process.The matrix continuously expands to the connected fractures,and the width of connected fractures gradually shorten.Under the influence of matrix swelling,the bending degree of fluid flow increases gradually,so the resistance of fluid migration increases and the permeability gradually decreases.This study shows that the matrix swelling effect is the key factor affecting CBM recovery,and the application of this effect in CO_(2)-ECBM process can be discussed.

Numerical simulation of enhancing coalbed methane recovery by injecting CO_2 with heat injection

The technology used to enhance coalbed methane(CBM) recovery by injecting CO_2(CO_2-ECBM) with heat, combining heat injection with CO_2 injection, is still in its infancy; therefore, theoretical studies of this CO_2-ECBM technology should be perused. First, the coupling equations of the di usion–adsorption–seepage–heat transfer fields of gas are established. The displacement processes under di erent pressures and temperatures are simulated by COMSOL. Finally, the displacement effects, a comparison of the CO_2 storage capacity with the CH_4 output and the e ective influencing radius of CO_2 injection are analyzed and discussed. The results show that(1) the displacement pressure and temperature are two key factors influencing the CH_4 output and the CO_2 storage capacity, and the increase in the CO_2 storage capacity is more sensitive to temperature and pressure than the CH_4 output.(2) The gas flow direction is from the injection hole to the discharge hole during the displacement process, and the regions with high velocity are concentrated at the injection hole and the discharge hole.(3) A reduction in the CH_4 concentration and an increase in the CO_2 concentration are obvious during the displacement process.(4) The e ective influencing radius of injecting CO_2 with heat increases with the increase in time and pressure. The relationship between the e ective influencing radius and the injection time of CO_2 has a power exponential function, and there is a linear relationship between the functional coe cient and the injection pressure of CO_2. This numerical simulation study on enhancing CBM recovery by injecting CO_2 with heat can further promote the implementation of CO_2-ECBM project in deep coal seams.

Characteristics of high-rank coal structure parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane via NMR and X-ray CT

Pores and fractures and their connectivity play a significant role in coalbed methane production.To investigate the growth characteristics and connectivity of pores and fractures in coal parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane,the pores and fractures of high-rank coal samples collected from the southern Qinshui Basin were measured by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance,X-ray-computed tomography and field emission scanning electron microscopy.Then,the determinants of their connectivity were further discussed.The results show that the high-rank coal samples have similar pore size distributions both parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane.They primarily contain mesopores(2-50 nm in width),followed by macrospores(> 50 nm in width).The research indicated that the high-rank coal connectivity parallel to the bedding plane is significantly better than that perpendicular to the bedding plane.The connectivity of high-rank coal is mainly determined by throats,and the orientation of the pores and fractures.The two connectivity modes in high-rank coal are "pore connectivity," in which the throats are mainly pores with a low coordination number,and "microfissure connectivity",in which the throats are mainly microfissures with a high coordination number.

Three-dimensional spatial structure of the macro-pores and flow simulation in anthracite coal based on X-ray μ-CT scanning data

The three-dimensional(3 D) structures of pores directly affect the CH4 flow.Therefore,it is very important to analyze the3 D spatial structure of pores and to simulate the CH4 flow with the connected pores as the carrier.The result shows that the equivalent radius of pores and throats are 1-16 μm and 1.03-8.9 μm,respectively,and the throat length is 3.28-231.25 μm.The coordination number of pores concentrates around three,and the intersection point between the connectivity function and the X-axis is 3-4 μm,which indicate the macro-pores have good connectivity.During the single-channel flow,the pressure decreases along the direction of CH4 flow,and the flow velocity of CH4 decreases from the pore center to the wall.Under the dual-channel and the multi-channel flows,the pressure also decreases along the CH4 flow direction,while the velocity increases.The mean flow pressure gradually decreases with the increase of the distance from the inlet slice.The change of mean flow pressure is relatively stable in the direction horizontal to the bedding plane,while it is relatively large in the direction perpendicular to the bedding plane.The mean flow velocity in the direction horizontal to the bedding plane(Y-axis) is the largest,followed by that in the direction horizontal to the bedding plane(X-axis),and the mean flow velocity in the direction perpendicular to the bedding plane is the smallest.

A small-scale experimental study of CO_(2) enhanced injectivity methods of the high-rank coal

The attenuation of CO_(2)injectivity has become the biggest technical barrier for the application of CO_(2)enhanced coalbed methane recovery(CO_(2)-ECBM).Commonly,the intermittent CO_(2)injection,N2 displacing CO_(2)and pre-fracturing are the potential CO_(2)enhanced injectivity methods for coal reservoirs,but their mechanism and effectiveness remain to be clarified.This paper thus conducted small-scale experiments to simulate the working process of these engineering measures by an independently developed experimental device.Results show that the CO_(2)injectivity of coal is remarkably improved by the intermittent injection mode since the CO_(2)injection time is increased by folds and the loss of reservoir pressure can be complemented in time.The N_(2)displacing CO_(2)method promotes the desorption of CO_(2)and reduces the swelling strain,with the result that the permeability of coal is improved by 74.82%and 64.95%compared with the methods of the primary subcritical CO_(2)(Sub CO_(2))and supercritical CO_(2)(Sc CO_(2))injection.However,the permeability reduces again with the secondary CO_(2)injection.The permeability of the coal sample after pre-fracturing is averagely improved by 1-2 orders of magnitude,the irreversible permeability loss rate,average stress sensitivity coefficient and the permeability loss rate due to adsorption are averagely reduced by 95.885%,61.538%and 96.297%,respectively.This indicates that the permeability of coal after pre-fracturing is no longer sensitive to both the effective stress and Sc CO_(2)adsorption,the injectivity is thus improved and stable.The CO_(2)enhanced injectivity effects of the intermittent CO_(2)injection,the N_(2)displacing CO_(2)and the pre-fracturing are various,which thus can be selected individually or jointly to improve the CO_(2)injectivity according to the reservoir physical properties and geological conditions.This research deepens the understanding of the functional mechanism of CO_(2)enhanced injectivity methods and provides some guidance for their selection and application in engineering practices.

The effect of the density difference between supercritical CO_(2) and supercritical CH_(4) on their adsorption capacities: An experimental study on anthracite in the Qinshui Basin

Deep unmineable coals are considered as economic and effective geological media for CO_(2) storage and CO_(2) enhanced coalbed methane(CO_(2)-ECBM) recovery is the key technology to realize CO_(2) geological sequestration in coals. Anthracite samples were collected from the Qinshui Basin and subjected to mercury intrusion porosimetry, low-pressure CO_(2) adsorption, and high-pressure CH_(4)/CO_(2) isothermal adsorption experiments. The average number of layers of adsorbed molecules(ANLAM) and the CH_(4)/CO_(2) absolute adsorption amounts and their ratio at experimental temperatures and pressures were calculated. Based on a comparison of the density of supercritical CO_(2) and supercritical CH_(4), it is proposed that the higher adsorption capacity of supercritical CO_(2) over supercritical CH_(4) is the result of their density differences at the same temperature. Lastly, the optimal depth for CO_(2)-ECBM in the Qinshui Basin is recommended. The results show that:(1) the adsorption capacity and the ANLAM of CO_(2) are about twice that of CH_(4) on SH-3 anthracite. The effect of pressure on the CO_(2)/CH_(4) absolute adsorption ratio decreases with the increase of pressure and tends to be consistent.(2) A parameter(the density ratio between gas free and adsorbed phase(DRFA)) is proposed to assess the absolute adsorption amount according to the supercritical CO_(2)/CH_(4) attributes. The DRFA of CO_(2) and CH_(4) both show a highly positive correlation with their absolute adsorption amounts, and therefore, the higher DRFA of CO_(2) is the significant cause of its higher adsorption capacity over CH_(4) under the same temperature and pressure.(3) CO_(2) adsorption on coal shows micropore filling with multilayer adsorption in the macro-mesopore, while methane exhibits monolayer surface coverage.(4) Based on the ideal CO_(2)/CH_(4) competitive adsorption ratio, CO_(2) storage capacity, and permeability variation with depth, it is recommended that the optimal depth for CO_(2)-ECBM in the Qinshui Basin ranges from 1000 m to 1500 m.