Abstract
AbstarctMicrobial enhanced coalbed methane (ME-CBM) recovery is critically examined as a viable technology for natural gas recovery from coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs. Since the majority of gas-in-place (GIP) is stored as an adsorbed phase in fine pores of coal matrix, the nano-pore structure directly influences gas storage and transport properties. Only limited studies have quantified the alteration of the nano-pore structure due to ME-CBM treatment. This study examines the evolution of the pore structure using a combination of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), low-pressure N2 and CO2 adsorption (LPGA) and high-pressure methane adsorption methods. The results show that the surface fractal dimension decreases for the two bioconverted coals compared to the untreated coal. After bio-treatment, the mesopore surface area and pore volume decrease with the average pore diameter increases, while the micropore surface area increases with pore volume decreases. Both inaccessible meso-/micropore size distributions decrease after bioconversion, while the accessible micropore size distribution increases, making a portion of closed micropore network accessible. In addition, the methane adsorption capacities increase after bio-treatment, which is confirmed by the increase of micropore surface area. A conceptual physical model of methanogenesis is proposed based on the evolution of the pore structure.
Highlights
Fresh coal blocks were collected from an Illinois coal mine and pulverized to powder with particle sizes less than 74 μm
A fraction of the coal powder was kept as untreated control samples for baseline comparison
The remaining portion of the powdered sample was used for a biotreatment study that was published already[56]
Summary
The objective of this study is to characterize the coal pore structure evolutions under different bio-treatment conditions
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