Geologic and hydrologic controls on coalbed methane producibility, Williams Fork Formation, Piceance Basin, Colorado

Conference · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1996 · AAPG Bulletin

OSTI ID:6580132

Tyler, R; Scott, A R; Kaiser, W R; Nance, H S; McMurry, R G ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

Structural and depositional setting, coal rank, gas content, permeability, hydrodynamics, and reservoir heterogeneity control the producibility of coalbed methane in the Piceance Basin. The coal-rich Upper Cretaceous, Williams Fork Formation is genetically defined and regionally correlated to the genetic sequences in the Sand Wash Basin, to the north. Net coal is thickest in north-south oriented belts which accumulated on a coastal plain, behind west-east prograding shoreline sequences. Face cleats of Late Cretaceous age strike E-NE and W-NW in the southern and northern parts of the basin, respectively, normal to the Grand Hogback thrust front. Parallelism between face-cleat strike and present-day maximum horizontal stresses may enhance or inhibit coal permeability in the north and south, respectively. Geopressure and hydropressure are both present in the basin with regional hydrocarbon overpressure dominant in the central part of the basin and hydropressure limited to the basin margins. The most productive gas wells in the basin are associated with structural terraces, anticlines, and/or correspond to Cameo-Wheeler-Fairfield coal-sandstone development, reflecting basement detached thrust-faulting, fracture-enhanced permeability, and reservoir heterogeneity. Depositional heterogeneties and thrusts faults isolate coal reservoirs along the Grand Hogback from the subsurface by restricting meteoric recharge and basinward flow of ground water. An evolving coalbed methane producibility model predicts that in the Piceance Basin extraordinary coalbed methane production is precluded by low permeability and by the absence of dynamic ground-water flow.

• OSTI ID: 6580132
• Report Number(s): CONF-960527-; CODEN: AABUD2
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin, Vol. 5; Conference: Annual convention of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Inc. and the Society for Sedimentary Geology: global exploration and geotechnology, San Diego, CA (United States), 19-22 May 1996; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
NATURAL GAS
PRODUCTION
PICEANCE CREEK BASIN
COAL DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
STRATIGRAPHY
METHANE
ALKANES
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
HYDROCARBONS
MINERAL RESOURCES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RESOURCES
WATERSHEDS
030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
011000 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration