Abstract

Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is an unconventional resource that shows great promise, particularly in Indonesia, whose CBM reservoir is relatively thick. Gas reserves of CBM are estimated at 450 TSCF in Indonesia, which makes it, the 6th largest CBM-containing country in the world. However, regulatory and technical limitations slow the progression of the exploitation of this resource. One of the fundamental technical problems is related to the length of gas production due to the duration of the dewatering time. Many studies have been developed related to the production of CBM, and this paper discusses several characteristics, patterns and techniques regarding the production of methane gas from coal through the use of a sacrifice well. Several scenarios are analysed with the use of a simulator. The results show that the production of a thick CBM reservoir, with some sensitivity patterns of production through the use of a sacrifice well, have an influence on the production of gas and water for the exploitation of CBM resources. In other words, the use of new techniques that are discussed in this paper have an impact on reducing the dewatering time and are effectively implemented in Indonesia, which has thick CBM formations.

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