Review of Reserves, Production, and Desorption Data of the Original 23 Coal Bed Methane Wells at Oak Grove, Alabama: Are We Underestimating Coal Bed Methane Reserves in All Coal Basins?

Abstract

The first large-scale pattern of vertical wells to drain methane gas from a single coal bed began in 1976 as a joint project with US Bureau of Mines and US Steel Corporation (now USX Corporation) at Oak Grove Mine in Jefferson County, Alabama. Through June 1990, the 23 wells have produced over 3.5 bcf of coal-seam gas, or an average of about 154 million ft{sup 3} per well. Initial reserve calculations indicated methane reserves of about 104 mmcf per well. Review of the information obtained from two core holes, drilled in 1988 as a joint US Bureau of Mines and Gas Research Institute, and actual production data from the 23 wells indicates that we indeed are underestimating the potential coal-bed methane reserves in all coal basins and specifically in the Appalachian coal basin.