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Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Ultra-deep Permian coal gas reservoirs of the Cooper Basin: insights from new studies

Erik C. Dunlop A C , David S. Warner B , Prue E. R. Warner B and Louis R. Coleshill B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Australian School of Petroleum, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.

B DSWPet Pty Ltd, Torrens Park, South Australia, 5062, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: erik.dunlop@adelaide.edu.au

The APPEA Journal 57(1) 218-262 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ16015
Accepted: 2 March 2017   Published: 29 May 2017

Abstract

There is a vast, untapped gas resource in deep coal seams of the Cooper Basin, where extensive legacy gas infrastructure facilitates efficient access to markets. Proof-of-concept for the 5 million acre (20 000 km2) Cooper Basin Deep Coal Gas (CBDCG) Play was demonstrated by Santos Limited in 2007 during the rise of shale gas. Commercial viability on a full-cycle, standalone basis is yet to be proven. If commercial reservoirs in nanoDarcy matrix permeability shale can be manufactured by engineers, why not in deep, dry, low-vitrinite, poorly cleated coal seams having comparable matrix permeability but higher gas content? Apart from gas being stored in a source rock reservoir format, there is little similarity to other unconventional plays. Without an analogue, development of an optimal reservoir stimulation technology must be undertaken from first principles, using deep coal-specific geotechnical and engineering assumptions. Results to date suggest that stimulation techniques for other unconventional reservoirs are unlikely to be transferable. A paradigm shift in extraction technology may be required, comparable to that devised for shale reservoirs.

Recent collaborative studies between the South Australian Department of State Development, Geological Survey of Queensland and Geoscience Australia provide new insight into the hydrocarbon generative capacity of Cooper Basin coal seams. Sophisticated regional modelling relies upon a limited coal-specific raw dataset involving ~90 (5%) of the total 1900 wells penetrating Permian coal. Complex environmental overprints affecting resource concentration and gas flow capacity are not considered. Detailed resource estimation and the detection of anomalies such as sweet spots requires the incorporation of direct measurement. To increase granularity, the authors are conducting an independent, basin-wide review of underutilised open file data, not yet used for unconventional reservoir purposes. Reservoir parameters are quantified for seams thicker than 10 feet (3 m), primarily using mudlogs and electric logs. To date, ~3750 reservoir intersections are characterised in ~1000 wells. Some parameters relate to resource, others to extraction. A gas storage proxy is generated, not compromised by desorption lost gas corrections.

A 2016 United States Geological Survey resource assessment, based on Geoscience Australia studies, suggests that the Play remains a world-class opportunity, despite being technology-stranded for the past 10 years. Progress has been made in achieving small but incrementally economic flow rates from add-on hydraulic fracture stimulation treatments inside conventional gas fields. Nevertheless, a geology/technology impasse precludes full-cycle, standalone commercial production. A review of open file data and cross-industry literature suggests that the root cause is the inability of current techniques to generate the massive fracture network surface area essential for high gas flow. Coal ductility and high initial reservoir confining stress are interpreted to be responsible. Ultra-deep coal reservoirs, like shale reservoirs, must be artificially created by a large-scale stimulation event. Although coal seams fail the reservoir ‘brittleness test’ for shale reservoir stimulation practices, the authors conclude from recent studies that pervasive, mostly cemented or closed coal fabric planes of weakness may instead be reactivated on a large scale, to create a shale reservoir-like stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), by mechanisms which harness the reservoir stress reduction capacity of desorption-induced coal matrix shrinkage.

Keywords: Cooper Basin, Deep Coal Gas Play, unconventional reservoir, source rock reservoir, deep coal seam, fracture network, coal matrix shrinkage, pressure arch.

Erik C. Dunlop is an Exploration Geoscientist with 30 years of experience in the upstream Oil and Gas Industry. After graduating from The University of Adelaide in 1986, a stint of fieldwork in the Timor Sea and Cooper Basin led to employment at Santos Limited in 1988. Here he remained until 2015. The first 16 years were spent exploring for conventional hydrocarbon accumulations, mainly in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins of Central Australia. The next 11 years were spent in the unconventional realm, having transferred to the newly-formed Unconventional Reservoirs Group in 2004. In this role, he initiated a variety of Cooper Basin shale, deep coal and tight sandstone pathfinder projects and internationally-patented a process for accurately quantifying the total gas content of these and other unconventional reservoirs such as gas hydrates. Other highlights include Australia’s first shale and deep coal proof-of-concept gas flows at Moomba 175 and Moomba 77 respectively, the resultant resource bookings, the introduction of wireline- and pressure-coring to the Cooper Basin, a microseismically-monitored shear dilation fracture stimulation trial at Big Lake 54 and the milestone of achieving commercial production from the Moomba 191 shale gas well. In 2013 he transferred to the McArthur Basin shale gas project of the Northern Territory, responsible mainly for design and execution of the Tanumbirini 1 shale-specific geological evaluation program. In 2015 he commenced PhD studies at the Australian School of Petroleum, The University of Adelaide, investigating controls on the dynamic gas production behaviour of Cooper Basin deep coal seams. Erik is a member of AAPG and PESA.

David S. Warner is a geologist with 40+ years in the Oil and Gas Industry working in various roles related to management, exploration and operations worldwide. He now specialises as a consultant for onshore Australia exploration, appraisal and development operations as well as play generation and evaluation including resource assessments. David has a BSc in Geology with Honours and an MSc Petroleum Geology from Imperial College London. Currently he is a member of both AAPG and SPE. Between 2000 and 2009 David worked as team leader of the Santos Unconventional Reservoir Group developing new unconventional plays, evaluation procedures and completion techniques in the Cooper Basin. During this time the team developed several new unconventional plays including continuous gas plays in tight sandstones, shales and deep coals and then compiled the first resource estimates for unconventional plays in Australia. The team also did significant experiments related to the development of unconventional resources, such as shear stimulation fracs and frac stimulation of deep coals. Since leaving Santos, David created DSWPet Pty Ltd, an independent consulting company specialising in onshore Australian unconventional reservoirs. In 2010, in conjunction with Petroleum Consultants MBA/AWT, David / DSWPet published a Shale Gas Atlas for Australia. Recently, DSWPet has built a 1000 well database describing deep coal reservoirs in the Cooper Basin and has delineated sweet spot criteria for the play. A resource estimate and play distribution derived from this publicly available data has been made.

Prue E. R. Warner completed a Bachelor of Science (Mineral Geoscience) at The University of Adelaide in 2016. In 2017, she commenced studying for an Honours degree in Petroleum Geology and Geophysics at the Australian School of Petroleum, The University of Adelaide.

Louis R. Coleshill is an independent consultant in the petroleum industry specialising in seismic and well data. He has extensive expertise in onshore seismic acquisition, seismic processing and well data processing and analysis. He is a member of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA), Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), European Association of Geoscientist and Engineers (EAGE) and Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG).


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