Effect of matrix shrinkage on wellbore stresses in coal seam gas: An example from Bowen Basin, east Australia

摘要

Coal matrix is subjected to shrinkage as a result of gas desorption. This can contribute to the stress distribution changes around the wellbore during the exploitation of Coal Seam Gas (CSG) resources. The knowledge of these stresses is essential for coal shear failure prediction and assessing coal fines production risks, particularly in horizontal wells which nowadays are becoming common in CSG fields.