CBNG Activity in Kansas

CBNG activity in Kansas has been increasing rapidly over the past several years. This can be attributed mainly to fact that natural gas prices have also been on the rise. The first spike in activity during the early 1990’s is related to tax incentives, which have now expired. The success of CBNG in Kansas has led to the increased interest in other unconventional opportunities, such as shale gas and the possibilities of CO₂ sequestration in subsurface coalbeds.

 

CBNG Exploration Model

Numerous factors determine the producibility of CBNG, and consequently affect the potential for CO₂ sequestration. Scott (1999) proposed a model to examine the complex interactions of six controls affecting the producibility of CBNG, including: depositional systems and coal distribution, tectonic and structural setting, coal rank and gas generation, gas content, permeability, and hydrodynamics. This study analyzes five of these controls, only omitting the hydrodynamic control because it is one of the least understood factors in this region. Each of these controls has a complex and important influence on the others. It is important to understand these interactions when characterizing a CBNG reservoir, so that an accurate model can be constructed for simulation purposes.