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A mathematical approach investigating the production of effective water during coalbed methane well drainage

A case study on well QNPN01 of the southern Qinshui basin, China

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Abstract

Drainage of formation water controls pressure dropping behavior of coalbed methane wells. Different behaviors indicate that formation water can be classified into two types. The first type is ineffective water, representing the water from aquifers of strong, extremely strong water yield property, or phreatic water. It is difficult to generate pressure dropping when this type of water is pumped. The other type is effective water, representing the water from aquifers of middle or weak water yield property. Pressure decline will occur if this type of water is pumped. Based on the modified Duipt equation, the production of effective water and the production percentage of ineffective water for well QNPN01 are calculated considering the variations of influence radius, absolute permeability, and relative water permeability. The results show that in the single water flow stage, the production of effective water and the production percentage of ineffective water drop in the zigzag way at first and then keep stable roughly. In the water–gas flow stage, the production of effective water decreases firstly and then keeps stable, while the production percentage of ineffective water increases firstly and then keeps stable. Furthermore, the production of effective water in unit pressure decline indicates that the process of pressure dropping can be divided into four stages. The first one is a single water flow stage in which pressure dropping completely depends on effective water. The second one refers to the beginning of a water–gas flow stage. In the stage, pressure dropping strongly depends on effective water. Pressure dropping caused by effective water drainage starts to be replaced by gas desorbing in the third stage, and completely replaced in the fourth stage.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the following funding for the supporting of this study, they are the National Basic Research Program of China (no. 2009CB219605), Key Program of the National Science Foundation of China (no. 4073042), Key Program of the National Science and Technology (no. 2008ZX05034-04), and the National Science and Technology Major Project (no. 2011ZX05034-005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resource and Earth Science, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221008, China

    Mingjun Zou, Chongtao Wei, Jian Shen & Changkui Shao

  2. Key Laboratory of Coalbed methane Resource and Reservoir formation Process, China Ministry of Education, Xuzhou, 221008, China

    Mingjun Zou, Chongtao Wei, Jian Shen & Changkui Shao

  3. He’nan Province Research Institute of Coal Geological Prospecting, Zhengzhou, 450052, China

    Miao Zhang

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  1. Mingjun Zou
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  2. Chongtao Wei
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  3. Miao Zhang
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  4. Jian Shen
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  5. Changkui Shao
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Correspondence to Mingjun Zou.

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Zou, M., Wei, C., Zhang, M. et al. A mathematical approach investigating the production of effective water during coalbed methane well drainage. Arab J Geosci 7, 1683–1692 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-013-0957-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-013-0957-7

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