Coal Seam Gas
WHAT IS COAL SEAM GAS (CSG)?
CSG is a naturally occurring methane gas which is known as Coal Bed Methane (CBM). It is a-by product of ancient plant matter that has formed over millions of years by the same natural processes which produce coal. Not long ago this gas was identified as a major problem in the underground coal mining industry due to it’s high flammability despite this, it is now recognised as a very profitable resource.
The coal seams are generally filled with water and it is the pressure of the water that keeps the gas as a thin film on the surface of the coal. A combination of water and ground pressure traps the gas in the fracture of the coal seam.
As an end-use product, CSG is the same as natural gas. In Australia it is used in natural gas appliances such as heaters and stoves it is also used in various industries for the generation of electricity.
HOW IS COAL BED METHANE (CBM) EXTRACTED?
Coal seam gas is recovered by drilling a well (borehole) into the coal seam and fracturing it with high-pressure water and sand. Water is then pumped out, leaving the sand in the small fractures. The sand keeps the fractures open, allowing gas to flow from the coal seam to the well. An operating coal seam gas field involves a network of gas production wells connected to a buried pipeline system that transports the gas and produced water to a central processing facility before sending it on to the market.
WHERE IS CSG HAPPENING?
A 280-KILOMETRE pipeline from Coolah (a small rural town situated four hours north-west of Sydney) to supply the State 's first liquefied natural gas export terminal in the Port of Newcastle will make numerous crossings of creeks and rivers in its path through the Hunter.
A project application lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, said that the high-pressure gas pipeline would stem from the Narrabri to Wellington pipeline adjacent to Coolah, linking the proposed terminal at Kooragang Island to the
CSG is a naturally occurring methane gas which is known as Coal Bed Methane (CBM). It is a-by product of ancient plant matter that has formed over millions of years by the same natural processes which produce coal. Not long ago this gas was identified as a major problem in the underground coal mining industry due to it’s high flammability despite this, it is now recognised as a very profitable resource.
The coal seams are generally filled with water and it is the pressure of the water that keeps the gas as a thin film on the surface of the coal. A combination of water and ground pressure traps the gas in the fracture of the coal seam.
As an end-use product, CSG is the same as natural gas. In Australia it is used in natural gas appliances such as heaters and stoves it is also used in various industries for the generation of electricity.
HOW IS COAL BED METHANE (CBM) EXTRACTED?
Coal seam gas is recovered by drilling a well (borehole) into the coal seam and fracturing it with high-pressure water and sand. Water is then pumped out, leaving the sand in the small fractures. The sand keeps the fractures open, allowing gas to flow from the coal seam to the well. An operating coal seam gas field involves a network of gas production wells connected to a buried pipeline system that transports the gas and produced water to a central processing facility before sending it on to the market.
WHERE IS CSG HAPPENING?
A 280-KILOMETRE pipeline from Coolah (a small rural town situated four hours north-west of Sydney) to supply the State 's first liquefied natural gas export terminal in the Port of Newcastle will make numerous crossings of creeks and rivers in its path through the Hunter.
A project application lodged with the NSW Department of Planning, said that the high-pressure gas pipeline would stem from the Narrabri to Wellington pipeline adjacent to Coolah, linking the proposed terminal at Kooragang Island to the