Abstract
Over the past 20 years, coalgas has evolved from a mining nuisance to a robust industry that provides 7% of U.S. gas production. The key to this growth has been the development of new technologies to locate, quantify, and produce coalgas. Over the next 20 years, additional technological advances will be needed to identify new coalgas reservoirs and maximize recoveries from existing ones. Focus areas for these technologies include reservoir characterization, drilling and coring, wireline logging and well testing, completion and stimulation, production and water disposal, and improved recovery methods. This paper identifies some of the key technology needs in each of these areas, reviews recent innovations and showcases emerging technologies.
