Geological characteristics and exploration breakthroughs of coal rock gas in Carboniferous Benxi Formation,Ordos Basin,NW China

To explore the geological characteristics and exploration potential of the Carboniferous Benxi Formation coal rock gas in the Ordos Basin,this paper presents a systematic research on the coal rock distribution,coal rock reservoirs,coal rock quality,and coal rock gas features,resources and enrichment.Coal rock gas is a high-quality resource distinct from coalbed methane,and it has unique features in terms of burial depth,gas source,reservoir,gas content,and carbon isotopic composition.The Benxi Formation coal rocks cover an area of 16×104km^(2),with thicknesses ranging from 2 m to 25 m,primarily consisting of bright and semi-bright coals with primitive structures and low volatile and ash contents,indicating a good coal quality.The medium-to-high rank coal rocks have the total organic carbon(TOC)content ranging from 33.49%to 86.11%,averaging75.16%.They have a high degree of thermal evolution(Roof 1.2%-2.8%),and a high gas-generating capacity.They also have high stable carbon isotopic values(δ13C1of-37.6‰to-16‰;δ13C2of-21.7‰to-14.3‰).Deep coal rocks develop matrix pores such as gas bubble pores,organic pores,and inorganic mineral pores,which,together with cleats and fractures,form good reservoir spaces.The coal rock reservoirs exhibit the porosity of 0.54%-10.67%(averaging 5.42%)and the permeability of(0.001-14.600)×10^(-3)μm^(2)(averaging 2.32×10^(-3)μm^(2)).Vertically,there are five types of coal rock gas accumulation and dissipation combinations,among which the coal rock-mudstone gas accumulation combination and the coal rock-limestone gas accumulation combination are the most important,with good sealing conditions and high peak values of total hydrocarbon in gas logging.A model of coal rock gas accumulation has been constructed,which includes widespread distribution of medium-to-high rank coal rocks continually generating gas,matrix pores and cleats/fractures in coal rocks acting as large-scale reservoir spaces,tight cap rocks providing sealing,source-reservoir integration,and five types of efficient enrichment patterns(lateral pinchout complex,lenses,low-amplitude structures,nose-like structures,and lithologically self-sealing).According to the geological characteristics of coal rock gas,the Benxi Formation is divided into 8 plays,and the estimated coal rock gas resources with a buried depth of more than 2000 m are more than 12.33×10^(12)m^(3).The above understandings guide the deployment of risk exploration.Two wells drilled accordingly obtained an industrial gas flow,driving the further deployment of exploratory and appraisal wells.Substantial breakthroughs have been achieved,with the possible reserves over a trillion cubic meters and the proved reserves over a hundred billion cubic meters,which is of great significance for the reserves increase and efficient development of natural gas in China.

CLAY MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN SHIHEZI FORMATION FROM THE HUAIBEI COAL-BEARING STRATA

Clay mineral assemblages in Shihezi Formation of Huaibei coal-bearing strata are determined by X-ray diffraction and Differential Thermal Analyzer, that is restated to the sediment faces and climatic changes in the source area, and to a lesser extent, alterations during burial diagenesis. In the Upper Shihezi Formation, the clay fraction is dominated by kaolinite in northern part of the coal field, which was formed in alluvial sediment environment. But in the South of Huaibei coal field, the clay mineral assemblage consists of mainly illite that reflects the influence of sea water. The predominately kaolinite and sederite composition of the clay fraction in the lower Shihezi Formation sediments documents less relief and gentle erosion of kaolinite rich soils developing under warm source area. In the lower part of Shihezi Formation, some chlorite is detected, which suggests transformation of illite or kaolinite to chlorite under conditions of burial diagenesis.

Ground fissure development regularity and formation mechanism of shallow buried coal seam mining with Karst landform in Jiaozi coal mine: a case study

A comprehensive study was undertaken at Jiaozi coal mine to investigate the development regularity of ground fissures in shallow buried coal seam mining with Karst landform,shedding light on the development type,geographical distribution,dynamic development process,and failure mechanism of these ground fissures by employing field monitoring,numerical simulation,and theoretical analysis.The findings demonstrate that ground fissure development has an obvious feature of subregion,and its geographical distribution is significantly affected by topography.Tensile type,open type,and stepped type are three different categories of ground fissure.Ground fissures emerge dynamically as the panel advances,and they typically develop with a distance of less than periodic weighting step distance in advance of panel advancing position.Ground fissures present the dynamic development feature,temporary fissure has the ability of self-healing.The dynamic development process of ground fissure with closed-distance coal seam repeated mining is expounded,and the development scale is a dynamic development stage of“closure→expansion→stabilized”on the basis of the original development scale.From the perspective of topsoil deformation,the computation model considering two points movement vectors towards two directions of the gob and the ground surface is established,the development criterion considering the critical deformation value of topsoil is obtained.The mechanical model of hinged structure of inclined body is proposed to clarify the ground fissure development,and the interaction between slope activity and ground fissure development is expounded.These research results fulfill the gap of ground fissures about development regularity and formation mechanism,and can contribute to ground fissure prevention and treatment with Karst landform.

Evaluation of roof cutting by directionally single cracking technique in automatic roadway formation for thick coal seam mining

Automatic roadway formation by roof cutting is a sustainable nonpillar mining method that has the potential to increase coal recovery,reduce roadway excavation and improve mining safety.In this method,roof cutting is the key process for stress relief,which significantly affects the stability of the formed roadway.This paper presents a directionally single cracking(DSC)technique for roof cutting with considerations of rock properties.The mechanism of the DSC technique was investi-gated by explicit finite element analyses.The DSC technique and roof cutting parameters were evaluated by discrete element simulation and field experiment.On this basis,the optimized DSC technique was tested in the field.The results indicate that the DSC technique could effectively control the blast-induced stress distribution and crack propagation in the roof rock,thus,achieve directionally single cracking on the roadway roof.The DsC technique for roof cutting with optimized parameters could effectively reduce the deformation and improve the stability of the formed roadway.Field engineering application verified the feasibility and effectiveness of the evaluated DSC technique for roof cutting.

Organic Geochemical and Petrographic Characteristics of the Coal Measure Source Rocks of Pinghu Formation in the Xihu Sag of the East China Sea Shelf Basin: Implications for Coal Measure Gas Potential

Coal measure source rocks, located in the Xihu Sag of the East China Sea Shelf Basin, were analyzed to define the hydrocarbon generation potential, organic geochemistry/petrology characteristics, and coal preservation conditions. The Pinghu source rocks in the Xihu Sag are mainly gas-prone accompany with condensate oil generation. The coals and shales of the Pinghu Formation are classified from "fair" to "excellent" source rocks with total organic carbon(TOC) contents ranging from 25.2% to 77.2% and 1.29% to 20.9%, respectively. The coals are richer in TOC and S1+S2 than the shales, indicating that the coals have more generation potential per unit mass. Moreover, the kerogen type of the organic matter consists of types Ⅱ-Ⅲ and Ⅲ, which the maturity Ro ranges from 0.59% to 0.83%. Petrographically, the coals and shales are dominated by vitrinite macerals(69.1%–96.8%) with minor proportions of liptinite(2.5%–17.55%) and inertinite(0.2%–6.2%). The correlation between maceral composition and S1+S2 indicates that the main contributor to the generation potential is vitrinite. Therefore, the coals and shales of the Pinghu Formation has good hydrocarbon generation potential, which provided a good foundation for coal measure gas accumulation. Furthermore, coal facies models indicates that the Pinghu coal was deposited in limno-telmatic environment under high water levels, with low tree density(mainly herbaceous) and with low-moderate nutrient supply. Fluctuating water levels and intermittent flooding during the deposition of peat resulted in the inter-layering of coal, shale and sandstone, which potentially providing favorable preservation conditions for coal measure gas.

Pyrite Formation in Organic-rich Clay, Calcitic and Coal-Forming Environments

The early diagenetic characteristics of pyrite formation processes in a Miocene freshwater sequence of mixed sediments （coal fragments in clays, sandstones or shales） alternating with continuous brown coal layers was investigated. Based on abundant minerals, the following main sedimentary environments were distinguished： the illite-montmorillonitic （I-M）, calcitic （Ct） and coal-forming environment （CL）. For these hydrogeochemically differing environments the effects of limiting factors on the pyrite formation process （availability of sulphate and Fe, amount of organic matter and participation of organic sulphur） were assessed by correlation analysis. Significant differences in the effects of these limiting factors in the particular environments were observed. These differences were explained taking in account the different oxidative activity, Fe-complex and surface complex forming properties of humic substances in dependence of pH of environment and the abundance of sorptionally active clay minerals. In environments having a relatively low pH and containing clay minerals （I-M- and CL-environments） the oxidative activity of humic substances （Hs） on pyrite precursors was greatly prevented however pyrite formation depended on reactive Fe availability as the consequence of complex formation. On the contrary, in environments with a relatively high pH, as it was the calcitic, the oxidative activity of Hs was greatly enhanced, thus oxidizing the sulfur precursors of pyrite. The oxidation degree of organic matter was probably also a consequence of the differing activity of the humic electron-acceptors.

Formation mechanism of methane during coal evolution:A density functional theory study

The formation mechanism of methane （CH4） during coal evolution has been investigated by density functional theory （DFT） of quantum chemistry. Thermogenic gas, which is generated during the thermal evolution of medium rank coal, is the main source of coalbed methane （CBM）. Ethylbenzene （A） and 6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1-hydroxynaphthalene （B） have been used as model compounds to study the pyrolysis mechanism of highly volatile bituminous coal （R）, according to the similarity of bond orders and bond lengths. All possible paths are designed for each model. It can be concluded that the activation energies for H-assisted paths are lower than others in the process of methane formation; an H radical attacking on β-C to yield CH4 is the dominant path for the formation of CH4 from highly volatile bituminous coal. In addition, the calculated results also reveal that the positions on which H radical attacks and to which intramolecular H migrates have effects on methyl cleavage.

Formation and emission characteristics of VOCs from a coal-fired power plant

On-site measurements of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)in different streams of flue gas were carried out on a real coal-fired power plant using sampling bags and SUMMA canisters to collect gas samples,filters to collect particle samples.Gas chromatography-flame ionization detector/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was the offline analysis method.We found that the total mass concentration of the tested 102 VOC species at the outlet of wet flue gas desulfuration device was(13456±47)μg·m^(-3),which contained aliphatic hydrocarbons(57.9%),aromatic hydrocarbons(26.8%),halogen-containing species(14.5%),and a small amount of oxygen-containing and nitrogencontaining species.The most abundant species were 1-hexene,n-hexane and 2-methylpentane.The top ten species in terms of mass fraction(with a total mass fraction of 75.3%)were mainly hydrocarbons with a carbon number of 6 or higher and halogenated hydrocarbons with a lower carbon number.The mass concentration of VOC species in the particle phase was significantly lower than that in the gas phase.The change of VOC mass concentrations along the air pollution control devices indicates that conventional pollutant control equipment had a limited effect on VOC reduction.Ozone formation potential calculations showed that aromatic hydrocarbons contributed the highest ozone formation(46.4%)due to their relatively high mass concentrations and MIR(maximum increment reactivity)values.

Impact of coal mining on groundwater of Luohe Formation in Binchang mining area

Groundwater of Luohe Formation is the main water source for industrial and agricultural and residential use in Binchang mining area,which is one of the key elements to water conservation coal mining.However,few studies are available to document the enrichment characteristics and influence of underground coal mining on groundwater for the Luohe Formation.This study evaluates the changes of groundwater levels and spring flow caused by mining activities to explore the influence mechanism of coal mining on groundwater by comparatively analysing existing mining data and survey data combined with a series of mapping methods.The results show that the aquifer of Luohe Formation are gradually thinning south-eastwards,disappeared at the mining boundary.In the vertical direction,the lithological structure is distinct,due to alternative sedimentation of meandering river facies and braided river facies.According to the yielding property,the aquifer is divided into three sections,namely,strong water-rich section,medium water-rich section,and weak water-rich section,which are located in northwest and central part,southwest,and the rest part of the mining area,respectively.Mining of Tingnan Coal Mine since 2004 has caused a 3.16 to 194.87 meters drop in groundwater level of Luohe Formation.Until 2015,70.10%of the mining area undergoes a groundwater level drop larger than 10.00 meters.Another influence of underground mining is that the total flow from 34 springs in 8 southern coal mines of the area has decreased by 286.48 L/s with a rate of decrease at 46.95%from 2007 to 2017.The areas that groundwater level falls or spring flow declines are manly located in the mine gob areas.Results also indicate that the ratio of the height of water conducted fracture zone to the mining height in Binchang mining area is between 16.85 and 27.92.This may increase ground water flow in vertical direction,causing a water level in the aquifer system to drop and ultimately decreasing the flow from the springs.The research results will provide data and theoretical support for the protection of groundwater resources and water conservation coal mining of Luohe Formation in Binchang mining area.

Understanding hydraulic fracture propagation behavior in tight sandstone–coal interbedded formations: an experimentalinvestigation

Whether hydraulic fractures could connect multiple gas zones in the vertical plane is the key to fracturing treatment to jointly exploit coalbed methane and tight sandstone gas through integrative hydraulic fracturing in tight sandstone–coal interbedded formations. Laboratory true triaxial hydraulic fracturing experiments were conducted on layered specimens with di erent combination types of natural sandstone and coal to simulate the propagation behavior of hydraulic fractures. The effects of the fracture initiation position, fracturing fluid viscosity and injection rate were discussed. The results showed that di erent fracture morphologies could be found. When initiating from coal seams, three patterns of fracture initiation and propagation were obtained:(1) The main hydraulic fracture initiated and propagated along the natural fractures and then diverged due to the effects of in situ stress and formed secondary fractures.(2) The hydraulic fracture initiated and propagated in the direction of the maximum horizontal stress.(3) Multiple fractures initiated and propagated at the same time. With the same fracturing fluid viscosity and injection rate, the hydraulic fractures initiating in sandstones had greater chances than those in coal seams to penetrate interfaces and enter neighboring layers. Excessively small or large fracturing fluid viscosity and injection rate would do harm to the vertical extension height of the induced fracture and improvement of the stimulated reservoir volume. Compared with operation parameters(fracturing fluid viscosity and injection rate), the natural weak planes in coals were considered to be the key factor that a ected the fracture propagation path. The experimental results would make some contributions to the development of tight sandstone–coal interbedded reservoirs.

Organic petrographic and mineralogical composition of the No. 6 coal seam of the Soutpansberg Coalfield, South Africa: Insights into paleovegetation and depositional environment

This study investigates the paleodepositional conditions of the No.6 Seam of the Madzaringwe Formation in Makhado and Voorburg south area of the Soutpansberg Coalfield(Limpopo Province,South Africa)utilizing organic petrography and inorganic geochemical proxies.The coals are predominantly high-volatile bituminous B-A rank with high ash yields(avg.36.1 wt%),characterized by high-vitrinite(~41.5 vol%),moderate-to-high inertinite(9.8 vol%–33.7 vol%)and low liptinite(~2.3 vol%).The distribution of inertinite varies among different coal horizons(from bottom-lower to middle-upper),suggesting differential oxidation conditions and/or paleofire occurrence.Vitrinite-to-inertinite(V/I)ratio,tissue preservation–gelification index(TPI–GI),and groundwater–vegetation index(GWI–VI)plots,indicate that the peat-forming forest-swamp vegetation accumulated under mesotrophic-to-rheotrophic hydrological conditions.The presence of structured macerals(i.e.,telinite,collotelinite,fusinite,and semifusinite)suggests well-preserved plant tissues,whereas framboidal pyrite and sulphur content(0.24 wt%–2.16 wt%)point to brackish-water influence at the peat stage.The coals contain quartz,kaolinite,siderite,muscovite,dolomite,calcite,and pyrite minerals,most of which were likely sourced from felsic igneous rocks.The Al/(Al+Fe+Mn)and(Fe+Mn)/Ti ratios for the studied samples range between 0.24–0.97 and 0.57–70.10,respectively.The ratios,Al–Fe–Mn plot,and presence of massive botryoidal-type pyrite imply some influence of meteoric waters or fluids from hydrothermal activity post-deposition.Moreover,the chemical index of alteration(CIA:98.25–99.67),chemical index of weathering(CIW:92.04–97.66),and A–CN–K ternary diagram suggest inorganic matter suffered strong chemical weathering,indicating warm paleoclimatic conditions during the coal formation.

Characteristics of Telemagmatic Metamorphism of the Ceshui Formation Coal in Lianyuan Coal Basin

The Ceshui Formation coal is mostly anthracite and its metamorphism has been lessdocumented. By analyzing systematically the reflectance of vitrinite and the results of X-raydiffraction of the Ceshui Formation coal in the Lianyuan coal basin, the spatial variation characteristics of coal ranks, coal metamorphic regions, the extension of coal metamorphic beltS, coalmetamorphic gradients, coal chemical structure and the effect on the degree of metarnorphismof heat-prediction and -storage conditions, babied depth Of the Indosinian-Yenshanian granitesat the margins of the Lianyuan coal basin are discussed. The research results in conjunction ofthe features of regional hydrothermal alterations, endogenetic deceits with the Ceshui Formation coal measures, and the development of secondary vesicles indicate that the telemagmaticmetamorphism is the main factor leading to the metamorphism of the Ceshui Formation coal inthe region studied.

A study on the genetic relations between Permian Longtan Formation coal series strata and Carlin-type gold deposits,southwestern Guizhou Province,China

A large number of the Carlin-type gold deposits occur in the Longtan Formation in southwestern Guizhou Province.The Long-tan Formation contains abundant basalt,tuff and siliceous rocks.All rocks of the Longtan Formation are enriched in gold,which were deposited in a limited platform environment in the transition zone from marine to continental.The process of sedimentation was accompanied by the eruption of Emeishan basalt and hydrothermal deposition controlled by co-sedimentary submarine deep faults in the west,which led to the formation of a peculiar gold-bearing formation with coal series strata.This formation controlled the occurrence of the Carlin-type gold deposits in southwestern Guizhou Province.In response to the remobilization of the Emei mantle plume during the Yanshanian period,As,Au and other ore-forming materials were continuously extracted by deeply circulating waters from the Emeishan basalt and coal seams,thereafter forming ore-forming hydrothermal solutions.When these elements were transported in the coal seams,large amounts of As,Au and other elements were enriched in pyrite within the coal seams,thus forming high-As coal and Carlin-type gold deposits in the Longtan Formation coal series strata.

Sedimentary Facies and Coal Accumulation of the Northern Type Longtan Formation in Central Hunan,Southern China

The northern type Longtan Formation of the Late Permian in central Hunan is dominated by an assemblage of greyish black mudstone,siltstone, sandy mudstone,fine sandstone and coals,and contains a variety of sedimentary structures such as thin sandstone-mudstone interbedded bedding,flaser beddings,lenticular beddings,horizontal

The Late Paleozoic Lithofacies Palaeogeography of the Benxi and Taiyuan Formation Controls Coal Accumulation in Yuzhou,Henan China

The significance of this paper is to understand the characteristics of Late Paleozoic depositional environment, lithofacies palaeogeography and its distribu- tion pattern in Henan Province,to resolve the issue of basic geological,exploration and prospecting services for the region.Yuzhou in Henan Province

Numerical Simulation of NO_x Formation in Coal Combustion with Inlet Natural Gas Burning

A full two-fluid model of reacting gas-particle flows and coal combustion is used to simulate coal combustion with and without inlet natural gas added in the inlet. The simulation results for the case without natural gas burning is in fair agreement with the experimental results reported in references. The simulation results of different natural gas adding positions indicate that the natural gas burning can form lean oxygen combustion enviroment at the combustor inlet region and the NOx concentration is reduced. The same result can be obtained from chemical equilibrium analysis.

Restraining NO_x Formation during Coal Combustion in Packed Bed

The effects of various combustion conditions (i. e. particle size of coals, oxygen concentration in combustion gas and coal content in the fuel bed, etc.), on reducing conversion of NO_x during coal combustion were studied. Under the present combustion conditions, coals with smaller particle size gave the lower conversion of NO_x, and as expected that an decrease in overall stoichiometric ratio, whether by an decrease in O_2 content in combustion gas or by an increase in coal content in fuel bed would lead to a lower conversion of NO_x. In order to investigate the effect of metallic oxide layers on restraining NO_x formation, the combustion experiments for coal granules with adhering layer of various metallic oxides including Fe_2O_3, Ni_2O_3 and mixed oxides Fe-Ni-O_x were conducted in a packed bed combustor. The combustion experiments have shown that most of adhering materials gave considerable effect on reduction of NO_x emission during coal combustion.

NO_x Formation from Several Chinese Coals during Combustion in Packed Bed

The formation characteristics of NO_x during combustion of four typical Chinese coals have been studied in a packed bed combustor. The studies included the effects of chemical composition of coals and volatile matters, and combustion conditions, i.e. preheating temperatures of combustion gas, on conversion of NO_x during combustion. In term of the combustion experiments, there is a close relation between coal composition and conversions of NO_x. Coals with a higher nitrogen content give a lower F_(NO_x)~0, and coals with a higher volatile content give a lower F_(NO_x)~0. The further devolatilization experiments showed that volatile matters in the coal have an important effect on reducing conversion of coal-nitrogen to NO_x. It was interpreted as that the release of volatile matters during combustion caused a fuel-rich circumstance in the vicinity of coal particles which may restrain the formation of NO_x. Preheating temperatures of combustion gas has significant effects on conversions of NO_x and there exist a critical preheating temperature. At such temperature, lower F_(NO_x)~0 can be reached.

Characteristics and geological significance of germanium in Taiyuan coal formation of Huainan Coalfield,Anhui,China

HN-1#is the first fully working coring well of the Taiyuan Formation(Ty)in the Huinan Coalfield and exploration studies are currently underway on the associated resources of the coal-bearing strata.The HN-1#well is located in the Fufeng thrust nappe structural belt in the south of the Huainan Coalfield.Three coal samples from the Ty were collected from HN-1#and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry were used to determine the Ge content of each sample.Based on proximate and ultimate analyses,microscopy data,and analyses of the ash products,some important findings were made.The Ty coal samples had a relatively high total sulfur(Sud)content(4.24%),thus the coal was considered to be a lower ranked coal(high volatility bituminous coal),which also had a low coal ash composition index(k,1.87).Collodetrinite was the main submaceral of the Ty coal.Small amounts of pyrite particles were found in the coal seams of the Ty,while the contents of pyrite and algae in the top and bottom sections of the coal seam were relatively high,which meant that the swampy peat conditions which existed during the formation of the coal seams were affected by seawater;also the degree of mineralization of the coal seam was relatively high,which is consistent with reducing conditions in a coastal environment setting.Atomic force microscopy(AFM)experiments showed that the modes of occurrence of Ge in the Ty coal were mainly those for organic-bound and adsorbed Ge species.The organic carbon isotope values for the Ty coal ranged from-24.1‰to-23.8‰,with an average value of-24.0‰,which is equivalent to the value for terrestrial plants(average value-24.0‰).The Ge content of the Ty coal was 13.57 mg/kg.The Ge content was negatively correlated with volatile matter and the ash yield.

Methane Formation by the Reaction of Coalbed Carbon with Water

There is proposed a mechanism of methane and carbon dioxide formation by the direct reaction of carbon with water during catastrophic events in the mining of coal deposits. Thermodynamics of the reaction is dis-cussed.