Middle and Lower Eocene Coals, Cambay Basin and Miocene Coals, South Sumatra Basin: Analogs for Coal and CBM Properties.

Abstract

Abstract This paper attempts to use analogs of coals and Coal bed Methane (CBM) properties in Sedimentary basins to mutual advantage from the knowledge of each other. An attempt has been made here to showcase as to why two Coal bearing formations, Lower Eocene, Cambay in India and Miocene, South Sumatra, Indonesia can be compared with each other in terms of coal quality and CBM characteristics. Cambay basin, with an area of 56,000 sq kms is an elongated NNW-SSE rift basin in the western part of India. The basin fill comprises Mesozoic(?) sediments capped by Late Cretaceous Deccan volcanics and a thick tertiary pile of fluvio deltaics. Thick Lignite to sub bituminous coal is found in Middle (two thick seams) and Lower Eocene section (three thick seams of 20-35 m range and one thin seam of 1-10m). Chemically, the Middle Eocene lignite-sub bituminous coal is characteristically low in moisture (4-5%), quite low in ash (1-11%) and high in volatiles (43-55%). The Lower Eocene coals are sub bituminous with 10-20% moisture, low ash(5-10%), low Sulphur(<1%) content. The gas content of the Lower Eocene coals are 6 cubic metre / tonnne, with permeability 1-3 Md with seams slightly over pressured. Depth ranges of both these coal horizons are between1000-1800m approximately. South Sumatra basin, double in size wrt Cambay basin with an area of 100,000 sq kms, is a NE-SW trending, backarc basin. Series of half grabens punctuated with basement highs, holds Miocene and Eocene Coals in the grabens of a mostly Tertiary sedimentary pile. The Miocene coals (formed in tide dominated coastal plain) are sub bituminous, with VRo 0.4-0.5, low ash(<10%), Moisture(10-18%), high volatile matter of around 40% at depths 300-1000m, with 20-30 seams with gas content of 7 cubic metre / tonne. The Older Eocene Coals are1-10 m thick at depths 1000-2000m formed in peat bogs in fluvial settings. The Indonesian Coals of Miocene age are very comparable in coal properties and gas content to the Middle and Lower Eocene Coals of Cambay basin and can supplement each other in studies for CBM exploration and exploitation. Of great similarity are the coal quality, ash% and gas content. To take the comparisons further ahead, detailing of thickness, extent, geometry and depositional environments of each of these basins would be advantageous.