Coal Petrology and Coal Seam Methane Generation in the Gloucester Basin, NSW, Australia

摘要

The Gloucester Basin, NSW, Australia is a Permian infrabasin filled with up to 2,000 m of coal-bearing fluvio-deltaic sediments. At the Stratford prospect in the northern part of the basin, the sequence contains 6 major coal seams and more than 20 minor seams. The coal seams are gassy and contain up to 27 m~3/t gas (daf). The gassy Stratford prospect serves as a model for detailed coal petrology studies in relation to coal bed methane evaluation. A detailed coal petrology investigation of 200 coal core samples, some of them oriented, has been used to prepare a 3-D model of thermal maturity in the basin in conjunction with coal type and coal microstructure. The model has been compared with the coal bed methane parameters, including methane content, methane purity and coal seam permeability.