| 7:30 AM-6:00 PM, Best Western Hotel, Gillette, WY: |
403. Cornucopia of Coal and Coalbed Gas in the Powder River Basin: From Mining and Utilization to Methane and Methanogens
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| Primary Leader: Romeo M. Flores |
| Leader(s): Jason D. Putnam, Margaret S. Ellis, Michael E. Brownfield, Edward L. Heffern, Gary D. Stricker |
| Field Trip Description: The Powder River Basin (PRB) in Wyoming and Montana contains abundant-thick subbituminous coals of the Paleocene Fort Union Formation. The coals are surface mined and developed for coalbed methane (CBM). PRB mines produce 35 percent of the total U.S. coal production, forecasted to be 40 percent by 2030, and supplies fuel to 144 power plants nationwide. The total cumulative gas production from 19,000 CBM wells, projected to be 50,000 wells by 2020, is 2.2 trillion cubic feet since 1987. The two-day field trip to the PRB highlights exploration, development, distribution, and utilization of this cornucopia of fuel energy.
Day one includes tours at the Wyodak coal mine and nearby 330 megawatt Wyodak power plant in east Gillette. Mining in the 100-ft-thick Wyodak coal bed has supplied feed coal to the power plant since 1978. Study of the feed coal provides data useful for characterizing the physical and chemical properties of the combustion products. This data makes it possible to predict fly ash properties and modes of occurrence of selected trace elements in the ash.
Day two includes tours at CBM facilities. Drilling operations, completed wells, gas compression, and surface water disposal complexes are examined to gain insight about on CBM exploration, development, and gas acquisition in the PRB. The CBM production from 6 to10 coal beds at 200 to 2,500 ft depths is more than 2,000,000 cubic feet per day. A study of the microbial origin of the coalbed gas revealed by methanogens of co-produced water and coal reservoirs is discussed. |
| Field Trip will span: 2 days |
| Sponsor(s): GSA Coal Division; GSA Geobiology and Geomicrobiology Division; GSA Hydrology Division |