Some parameters of coal methane system that cause very slow release of methane from virgin coal beds(CBM)

In some worldwide hard coal basins recovery of methane from virgin coal beds is difficult. In general,mentioned difficulties are related to geo-mechanical, petrographical and physical-chemical properties of coals in question, occurring for example in the Bowen Basin(Australia) or the Upper Silesian Coal Basin(Poland). Among numerous properties and parameters, the following are very essential: susceptibility of coal beds to deformation connected with coal stress state change and contemporary shrinkage of the coal matrix during methane desorption. Those adverse geo-mechanical and physical-chemical effects are accompanied by essential change of the porous coal structure, which under these disadvantageous conditions is very complex. This study aims to show difficulties, which occur in phase of recognition of the methane-reach coal deposit. Volume absorbed methane(not surface adsorbed) in sub-micropores having minimal size comparable with gas molecule diameter must possess energy allowing separation of the nodes and methane release to micropores.

Computer study of the spectral characteristics of the disperse water methane system

The interaction of water clusters that adsorbed methane molecules with infrared radiation is studied by molecular dynamics. The presence of methane molecules in the disperse water system leads to an increase in absorption and emission of infrared radiation and a strong depletion of the Raman spectrum. In this case, the reflection coefficient of a monochromatic plane electromagnetic wave increases and its frequency spectrum significantly changes. The comparison of experimental data for similar characteristics of water, methane, or their mixtures is presented.

Steam Methane Reforming(SMR)Combined with Ship Based Carbon Capture(SBCC)for an Efficient Blue Hydrogen Production on Board Liquefied Natural Gas(LNG)Carriers

The objective of this study is to propose an optimal plant design for blue hydrogen production aboard a liquefiednatural gas(LNG)carrier.This investigation focuses on integrating two distinct processes—steam methanereforming(SMR)and ship-based carbon capture(SBCC).The first refers to the common practice used to obtainhydrogen from methane(often derived from natural gas),where steam reacts with methane to produce hydrogenand carbon dioxide(CO_(2)).The second refers to capturing the CO_(2) generated during the SMR process on boardships.By capturing and storing the carbon emissions,the process significantly reduces its environmental impact,making the hydrogen production“blue,”as opposed to“grey”(which involves CO_(2) emissions without capture).For the SMR process,the analysis reveals that increasing the reformer temperature enhances both the processperformance and CO_(2) emissions.Conversely,a higher steam-to-carbon(s/c)ratio reduces hydrogen yield,therebydecreasing thermal efficiency.The study also shows that preheating the air and boil-off gas(BOG)before theyenter the combustion chamber boosts overall efficiency and curtails CO_(2) emissions.In the SBCC process,puremonoethanolamine(MEA)is employed to capture the CO_(2) generated by the exhaust gases from the SMR process.The results indicate that with a 90%CO_(2) capture rate,the associated heat consumption amounts to 4.6 MJ perkilogram of CO_(2) captured.This combined approach offers a viable pathway to produce blue hydrogen on LNGcarriers while significantly reducing the carbon footprint.

Multi-Layer Superposed Coalbed Methane System in Southern Qinshui Basin, Shanxi Province, China

Multi-coalbed developed in Carboniferous–Permian coal-bearing strata of southern Qinshui Basin, and different coal-bearing segments have different coalbed methane（CBM） reservoiring characteristics. Analysis of previous studies suggests that the essence of an unattached CBM system is to possess a unified fluid pressure system, which includes four key elements, namely, gas-bearing coal-rock mass, formation fluid, independent hydrodynamic system and capping layer condition. Based on the exploration and exploitation data of CBM, it is discovered that the gas content of coal seams in southern Qinshui Basin presents a change rule of non-monotonic function with the seam dipping, and a turning point of the change appears nearby coal seam No. 9, and coal seams of the upper and the lower belong to different CBM systems respectively; well test reservoir pressure shows that the gradient of coal seam No. 15 of the Taiyuan Formation is significantly higher than that of coal seam No. 3 of the Shanxi Formation; the equivalent reservoir pressure gradient of coal seam No. 15 ＂jumps＂ obviously compared with the reservoir pressure gradient of coal seam No. 3 in the same vertical well, that is, the relation between reservoir pressure and burial depth takes on a characteristic of nonlinearity; meanwhile, the vertical hydraulic connection among the aquifers of Shanxi Formation and Taiyuan Formation is weak, constituting several relatively independent fluid pressure systems. The characteristics discussed above reveal that the main coal seams of southern Qinshui Basin respectively belong to relatively independent CBM systems, the formation of which are jointly controlled by sedimentary, hydrogeological and structural conditions.

Methane concentration detection system based on differential infrared absorption

The infrared absorption method for methane concentration detection is an ideal way to detect methane at present. However, it is difficult to spread this method due to its high cost. In this paper, by using a wideband infrared light emitting di- ode （LED） accompanied with a PIN photo electric diode, a low-cost methane detection system was designed. To overcome the shortcomings caused by the wide working band, a differential light path was designed. By means of a differential ratio algo- rithm, the stability and the accuracy of the system were guaranteed. Finally, the validity of the system with the proposed algo- rithm was verified by the experiment results.

Methane and Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Rice-Duck and Rice-Fish Complex Ecosystems and the Evaluation of Their Economic Significance

Rice-duck （RD） and rice-fish （RF） ecological systems are major complex planting and breeding models of rice paddy fields in southern China. Studying the methane （CH4） and nitrous oxide （N2O） emissions and their economic value from these two ecosystems can provide theoretical and practical basis for further development and utilization of these classical agricultural techniques. CH4 and N2O emissions from RD and RF ecological systems were measured in situ by using static chambers technique. Using global warming potentials （GWPs）, we assessed the greenhouse effect of CH4 and N2O and their economic value. Results showed that the peaks of CH4 emission fluxes from RD and RF appeared at full tillering stage and at heading stage, and the average emission fluxes were significantly （P〈 0.05） lower than that from CK. N2O fluxes remained low when the field is flooded and high after draining the water. Compared with CK, the total amount of N2O emissions was significantly （P〈0.05） higher and slightly lower than those from RD and RF, respectively. In 2006 and 2007, the total greenhouse effect of CH4 and N20 from RD and RF were 4 728.3 and 4 611 kg CO2 ha^-1, 4 545 and 4 754.3 kg CO2 ha^-1, respectively. The costs of greenhouse effect were 970.89 and 946.81 RMB yuan ha^-1, and 933.25 and 976.23 RMB yuan ha^-1, respectively, which were significant lower than those from CK （5 997.6 and 5 391.5 RMB yuan ha^-1）. Except for the environment cost of CH4 and N2O, the economic benefits from RD and RF were 2 210.64 and 4 881.92 RMB yuan ha^-1; 3 798.37 and 5 310.64 RMB yuan ha^-1, respectively, higher than those from CK. Therefore, RD and RF complex ecological planting and breeding models can effectively decrease and control CH4 and N2O emissions, and they are two of the effective strategies to reduce greenhouse gases from rice paddy fields and contribute in alleviating global warming. Thus, their adoption is important to the environment together with their economy benefits.

Kinetics of Methane Hydrate Formation in Pure Water and Inhibitor Containing Systems

Kinetic data of methane hydrate formation in the presence of purewater, brines with single salt and mixed salts, and aqueous solutionsof ethylene glycol (EG) and salt + EG were measured. A new kineticmodel of hydrate formation for the methane + water systems wasdeveloped based on a four-step formation mechanism and reactionkinetics approach. The proposed kinetic model predicts the kineticbehavior of methane hydrate formation in pure water with goodaccuracy. The feasibility of extending the kinetic model to salt (s)and EG containing systems was explored.

Studies on Technique of Reducing Methane Emission in a Rice-Duck Ecological System and the Evaluation of Its Economic Significance

The rice-duck ecological system is one of the major practices of the traditional Chinese agriculture. A study on the effect of reducing methane emission using this practice provided theoretical and practical basis for further development and utilization of this classical agricultural technique. The effect of reducing methane emission and the economic benefits of rice-duck ecological system were studied by carrying out a field experiment and by using economic methodology. The daily variation of CH4 emission in late rice paddy field was basically consistent with the daily variation of atmospheric temperature. The highest emission occurred at the full tillering stage of late rice with a rate of 24.1 or 32.2 or 40.5 mg m^-2 h^-1 in no-tillage area with duck and no-tillage area without duck and conventional-tillage area without duck, respectively. The inhibition of methane emission was apparently effective in the rice-duck ecological system during the initial tillering stage and the full tillering stage. Compared to the no-tillage area without duck, methane emission decreased by 2.333 g m^-2. Compared to the conventional-tillage area without duck, methane emission decreased by 4.723 g m^-2. During the production period of late rice, the amount of methane emission in no-tillage area with duck was 3.373 g m^-2 lesser than that of no-tillage area without duck, and 5.59 g m^-2 less than that of conventional-tillage without duck area. The economic significance was analyzed. Farmers adopting the rice-duck ecological system obtained 2 166 and 4 207 RMB yuan ha^-1 more income than those who adopted a no-tillage without duck technique or conventional-tillage without duck technique, respectively. In addition to the reduction of the environmental pollution by methane emission, the farmers who adopted the rice-duck ecological system achieved economic benefits of 5 000 RMB yuan ha^-1, which was 2 206 and 4 274 RMB yuan ha^-1 more than those who adopted a no-tillage without duck technique and a conventional-tillage without duck technique, respectively. The rice-duck ecological system not only increased the economic benefits for farmers, but also reduced methane emission in rice paddy field. A sustainable agricultural production mode was formed.

Application of a neural network system combined with genetic algorithm to rank coalbed methane reservoirs in the order of exploitation priority

A new method based on the combination of a neural network and a genetic algorithm was proposed to rank the order of exploitation priority of coalbed methane reservoirs. The neural network was used to acquire the weights of reservoir parameters through sample training and genetic algorithm was used to optimize the initial connection weights of nerve cells in case the neural network fell into a local minimum. Additionally, subordinate functions of each parameter were established to normalize the actual values of parameters of coalbed methane reservoirs in the range between zero and unity. Eventually, evaluation values of all coalbed methane reservoirs could be obtained by using the comprehensive evaluation method, which is the basis to rank the coalbed methane reservoirs in the order of exploitation priority. The greater the evaluation value, the higher the exploitation priority. The ranking method was verified in this paper by ten exploited coalbed methane reservoirs in China. The evaluation results are in agreement with the actual exploitation cases. The method can ensure the truthfulness and credibility of the weights of parameters and avoid the subjectivity caused by experts. Furthermore, the probability of falling into local minima is reduced, because genetic the algorithm is used to optimize the neural network system.

Experimental study on methane dissolved in surfactant-alkane system

A surfactant-polyalkane system is investigated using chemical reagents to dissolve methane and control coal seam gas from low-energy,high-efficiency,safety,and environmental protection perspectives.At different temperatures and pressures,a high-temperature and high-pressure reactor,gas chromatograph,and other related experimental equipment were used to perform methane dissolution experiments,and a single surfactant sodium oleate(NaOA)and n-hexane demonstrated superior results.The single-factor experiments of temperature,pressure,and NaOA addition were performed and fitted via a response surface analysis.The optimal conditions for methane solubility were as follows:temperature of 34C,pressure of 4.5 MPa,NaOA addition of 85 g/L,and time of 1 h.The optimal effect of the surfactant-polyalkane system in dissolving methane was achieved with 32.31 mL/100 mL.Meanwhile,the change in the surface structure of coal before and after washing with the system was compared using scanning electron microscopy.The results indicated that the gas after washing with the surfactant-polyalkane system dissolved,and the surface pore structure of the coal changed.Moreover,the specific surface area and pore size of the coal surface increased after washing.Hence,the desorption of gas from the coal surface into the system becomes easy,thereby reducing the gas content in the coal sample.

Simulation of Methane Oxidation by Paddy Soils in a Closed System

Methane oxidation by paddy soils in a closed system could be simulsted by the equation where xo and x are the CH4 concentrations at time zero and t, respectively; k1 and k2 are constants related to the constant of first-order-kinetics. According to the equation the change of soil ability to oxidize CH4 could be estimated by the equstion The results showed that the soil ability to oxidize CH4 varied, depending on the initial CH4 concentration.High initial CH4 concentration stimulated soil ability to consume CH4, while low concentration depressed the ability. This characteristic of paddy soil seemed to be of considerable significance to self-adjusting CH4 emission from flooded rice fields if there exist oxic microsites in the soil.

Quantification of Methane Fluxes from Hydrocarbon Seeps to the Ocean and Atmosphere:Development of an in situ and Online Gas Flux Measuring System

Natural hydrocarbon seeps in the marine environment are important contributors to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Such gases include methane, which plays a significant role in global carbon cycling and climate change. To accurately quantify the methane flux from hydrocarbon seeps on the seafloor, a specialized in situ and online gas flux measuring(GFM) device was designed to obtain high-resolution time course gas fluxes using the process of equal volume exchange. The device consists of a 1.0-m diameter, 0.9-m tall, inverted conical tent and a GFM instrument that contains a solenoid valve, level transducer, and gas collection chamber. Rising gas bubbles from seeps were measured by laboratory-calibrated GFM instruments attached to the top of the tent. According to the experimental data, the optimal anti-shake time interval was 5 s. The measurement range of the device was 0–15 L min^(-1), and the relative error was ± 1.0%. The device was initially deployed at an active seep site in the Lingtou Promontory seep field in South China Sea. The amount of gas released from a single gas vent was 30.5 m^3 during the measurement period, and the gas flow rate ranged from 22 to 72 Lh^(-1), depending on tidal period, and was strongly negatively correlated with water depth. The measurement results strongly suggest that oceanic tides and swells had a significant forcing effect on gas flux. Low flow rates were associated with high tides and vice versa. The changes in gas volume escaping from the seafloor seeps could be attributed to the hydrostatic pressure induced by water depth. Our findings suggest that in the marine environment, especially in the shallow shelf area, sea level variation may play an important role in controlling methane release into the ocean. Such releases probably also affect atmospheric methane levels.

Profile of Methane Concentrations in Soil and Atmosphere in Alpine Steppe Ecosystem on Tibetan Plateau

The methane concentration profile from -1.5m depth in soil to 32m height in air was measured in alpine steppe lo-cated in the permafrost area. Methane concentrations showed widely variations both in air and in soil during the study period. The mean concentrations in atmosphere were all higher than those in soil, and the highest methane concentration was found in air at the height of 16m with the lowest concentration occur-ring at the depth of 1.5m in soil. The variations of atmospheric methane concentrations did not show any clear pattern both temporally and spatially, although they exhibited a more steady-stable state than those in soil. During the seasonal variations, the methane concentrations at different depths in soil were sig-nificantly correlated (R2>0.6) with each other comparing to the weak correlations (R2<0.2) between the atmospheric concentra-tions at different heights. Mean methane concentrations in soil significantly decreased with depth. This was the compositive influence of the decreasing production rates and the increasing methane oxidation rates, which was caused by the descent soil moisture with depth. Although the methane concentrations at all depths varied widely during the growing season, they showed very distinct temporal variations in the non-growing season. It was indicated from the literatures that methane oxidation rates were positively correlated with soil temperature. The higher methane concentrations in soil during the winter were deter-mined by the lower methane oxidation rates with decreasing soil temperatures, whereas methane production rates had no reaction to the lower temperature. Relations between methane contribution and other environmental factors were not discussed in this paper for lacking of data, which impulse us to carry out further and more detailed studies in this unique area.

Design of a Methane Monitoring System for Landfill and Duct Emissions

Methane is released from waste disposal areas as a result from anaerobic decay of food. Methane causes more greenhouse effects than carbon dioxide so a methane monitoring system is required to warn its release from gas emitting environments. The low explosive limit of methane is 5% in ambient air, so gas leakage is dangerous and can produce explosions. An entire head monitoring system was built around a MQ-4 methane gas sensor as it is cheap and reliable. The design proves to be flexible enough as it can measure CH4 emissions in ducts, CH4 in landfills at different depths and even in cattle barns. The measuring system head consists of a suction pump, solenoids, and a methane sensor. Measurements are taken 13 seconds after methane gas sucking. A timing of 100 seconds is required for purging the chamber before the second solenoid is turned-on. Devices temperature during operation was sampled with a thermal Flir-One camera and solenoid coil temperature was of 24.9˚C after a continuous operation of 30 seconds. As hoses for emission sampling become larger time for sampling increases as well as energy consumption.

Micro segment analysis of supercritical methane thermal-hydraulic performance and pseudo-boiling in a PCHE straight channel

The printed circuit heat exchanger(PCHE) is receiving wide attention as a new kind of compact heat exchanger and is considered as a promising vaporizer in the LNG process. In this paper, a PCHE straight channel in the length of 500 mm is established, with a semicircular cross section in a diameter of 1.2 mm.Numerical simulation is employed to investigate the flow and heat transfer performance of supercritical methane in the channel. The pseudo-boiling theory is adopted and the liquid-like, two-phase-like, and vapor-like regimes are divided for supercritical methane to analyze the heat transfer and flow features.The results are presented in micro segment to show the local convective heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop. It shows that the convective heat transfer coefficient in segments along the channel has a significant peak feature near the pseudo-critical point and a heat transfer deterioration when the average fluid temperature in the segment is higher than the pseudo-critical point. The reason is explained with the generation of vapor-like film near the channel wall that the peak feature related to a nucleateboiling-like state and heat transfer deterioration related to a film-boiling-like state. The effects of parameters, including mass flow rate, pressure, and wall heat flux on flow and heat transfer were analyzed.In calculating of the averaged heat transfer coefficient of the whole channel, the traditional method shows significant deviation and the micro segment weighted average method is adopted. The pressure drop can mainly be affected by the mass flux and pressure and little affected by the wall heat flux. The peak of the convective heat transfer coefficient can only form at high mass flux, low wall heat flux, and near critical pressure, in which condition the nucleate-boiling-like state is easier to appear. Moreover,heat transfer deterioration will always appear, since the supercritical flow will finally develop into a filmboiling-like state. So heat transfer deterioration should be taken seriously in the design and safe operation of vaporizer PCHE. The study of this work clarified the local heat transfer and flow feature of supercritical methane in microchannel and contributed to the deep understanding of supercritical methane flow of the vaporization process in PCHE.

A review of methane leakage from abandoned oil and gas wells:A case study in Lubbock,Texas,within the Permian Basin

In the pursuit of global net zero carbon emissions and climate change mitigation,ongoing research into sustainable energy sources and emission control is paramount.This review examines methane leakage from abandoned oil and gas(AOG)wells,focusing particularly on Lubbock,a geographic area situated within the larger region known as the Permian Basin in West Texas,United States.The objective is to assess the extent and environmental implications of methane leakage from these wells.The analysis integrates pertinent literature,governmental and industry data,and prior Lubbock reports.Factors affecting methane leakage,including well integrity,geological characteristics,and human activities,are explored.Our research estimates 1781 drilled wells in Lubbock,forming a foundation for targeted assessments and monitoring due to historical drilling trends.The hierarchy of well statuses in Lubbock highlights the prevalence of“active oil wells,”trailed by“plugged and abandoned oil wells”and“inactive oil wells.”Methane leakage potential aligns with these well types,underscoring the importance of strategic monitoring and mitigation.The analysis notes a zenith in“drilled and completed”wells during 1980-1990.While our study's case analysis and literature review reiterate the critical significance of assessing and mitigating methane emissions from AOG wells,it's important to clarify that the research does not directly provide methane leakage data.Instead,it contextualizes the issue's magnitude and emphasizes the well type and status analysis's role in targeted mitigation efforts.In summary,our research deepens our understanding of methane leakage,aiding informed decision-making and policy formulation for environmental preservation.By clarifying well type implications and historical drilling patterns,we aim to contribute to effective strategies in mitigating methane emissions from AOG wells.

Extreme massive hydraulic fracturing in deep coalbed methane horizontal wells:A case study of the Linxing Block,eastern Ordos Basin,NW China

Deep coal seams show low permeability,low elastic modulus,high Poisson’s ratio,strong plasticity,high fracture initiation pressure,difficulty in fracture extension,and difficulty in proppants addition.We proposed the concept of large-scale stimulation by fracture network,balanced propagation and effective support of fracture network in fracturing design and developed the extreme massive hydraulic fracturing technique for deep coalbed methane(CBM)horizontal wells.This technique involves massive injection with high pumping rate+high-intensity proppant injection+perforation with equal apertures and limited flow+temporary plugging and diverting fractures+slick water with integrated variable viscosity+graded proppants with multiple sizes.The technique was applied in the pioneering test of a multi-stage fracturing horizontal well in deep CBM of Linxing Block,eastern margin of the Ordos Basin.The injection flow rate is 18 m^(3)/min,proppant intensity is 2.1 m^(3)/m,and fracturing fluid intensity is 16.5 m^(3)/m.After fracturing,a complex fracture network was formed,with an average fracture length of 205 m.The stimulated reservoir volume was 1987×10^(4)m^(3),and the peak gas production rate reached 6.0×10^(4)m^(3)/d,which achieved efficient development of deep CBM.

Newly Launched Satellite Seeks to Keep Methane Emitters Honest

On 4 March 2024,a new methane-observing satellite,MethaneSAT,was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and successfully placed in orbit[1].Developed by the New York City,NY,USA-headquartered Environmental Defense Fund(EDF)in partnership with the New Zealand Space Agency and funded by multiple philanthropic donors including the Bezos Earth Fund,the spacecraft promises to greatly improve scientists’ability to pinpoint and monitor methane emissions,particularly those related to the oil and gas industry.

Calculation of Gas-Liquid Critical Curves for Binary Systems Containing Methane

The critical curves for binary systems of methane combined with nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ethane, propane, butane and water at temperatures from 125 K to 650 K and pressures from 3.5 MPa to 250 MPa were calculated by using Heilig-Franck equation of state. This equation of state contains a repulsion term and an attraction term for intermolecular interaction. With pairwise combination rules for these potentials, three adjustable parameters are needed. The results showed that the critical curves of the former six binary systems belonged to type I, and CH4＋H2O system belonged to type III. The calculated data were compared with the experimental data,which yielded good results for the pressure-temperature, pressure-composition and temperature-composition behaviors of the seven systems. Moreover, the values of the adjustable parameters were obtained from the calculation of the critical curves. They can also be used for other relevant calculation.

Effect of Steam on the Oxidative Coupling of Methane over La-Ba System Catalysts

The influence of steam on catalytic performance for the oxidative coupling of methane(OCM) over Ba 2+ promoted La 2 O 3 catalysts was studied. It was shown that the presence of a suitable amount of steam led to a significant increase of the yield and selectivity to C 2 hydrocarbons, a decrease of selectivity to carbon monoxide and some increase of selectivity to carbon dioxide with increasing the amount of water in the feed was also observed. The activity and selectivity of the catalysts are more sensitive to the effect of steam with the variation of Ba 2+ content in the catalysts at a relatively low temperature(650℃). The comparative experiments for OCM with methane oxygen mixture diluted with nitrogen or steam were carried out in order to investigate the role of steam.