Occurrence and Potential for Coalbed Methane Extraction in the Depocenter Area of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (Poland) in the Context of Selected Geological Factors

Sławomir Kędzior and Lesław Teper ()
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Sławomir Kędzior: Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Lesław Teper: Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Coalbed methane (CBM) is the only unconventional gas in Poland with estimated recoverable resources. The prospects for developing deep CBM have been explored in recent years by drilling deep exploration wells within the depocenter of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. The purpose of this study is to analyze the occurrence and potential for CBM extraction in this area of the basin, which can be considered prospective due to the confirmed presence of significant amounts of gas and thick coal seams at depths > 1500 m. The study examined the vertical and horizontal variability of the gas content in the studied area, the coal rank in the seams, thermal conditions, and coal reservoir parameters. The gas content in the seams, reaching more than 18 m 3 /t coal daf at a depth of 2840 m, and indicative estimated gas resources of 9 billion m 3 were found. The high gas content is accompanied by positive thermal and coal rank anomalies. The permeability and methane saturation of the coal seams are low, and therefore, potential methane production may prove problematic. However, the development of CBM extraction technologies involving directional drilling with artificial fracturing may encourage gas production testing in the study area.

Keywords: methane; resources; bituminous coal; formation temperature; Upper Silesian Coal Basin; Poland (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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