Coalbed Natural Resources & Produced Water Management

ALL Consulting LLC of Tulsa, Okla. has prepared a handbook titled Coalbed Methane Produced Water: Management and Beneficial Use Alternatives. The handbook will soon be available from DOE's National Petroleum Technology Office in Tulsa, which provides a comprehensive guide to coalbed methane and associated water issues in CBM basins across the U.S. The goal is to summarize existing knowledge on the geological and environmental constraints of producing coalbed natural gas and to explore alternative treatments and beneficial uses for the large quantities of produced water. The first of a three-part series summarizing the report was recently published in Gas Tips (www.netl.doe.gov/scng/explore/
refshelf/gastips/GasTIPS
_summer03.pdf). The editor found it a good read, quickly highlighting the similarities and differences among various U.S. basins.

Drilling of CO₂ Sequestration Test Well in West Virginia

Drilling has begun on a 10,000-foot well to evaluate underground rock layers in New Haven, W. Va., as part of a DOE carbon sequestration research project now underway at the American Electric Power (AEP) Mountaineer plant. Prior to drilling, a seismic survey was conducted. The drilling and seismic survey were preceded by an extensive effort to inform the plant employees, neighbors, local and state officials and other interested groups about the project. The 18-month AEP study will determine whether the geology near the Mountaineer Plant is suitable for injection and long-term storage of carbon dioxide.

Mountaineer was chosen as the test site in part due to its location in the Ohio River Valley area, which is thought to be geologically ideal for carbon capture and sequestration. The Ohio River Valley also is home to many fossil fuel-fired power plants. The study is part of a $4.2 million carbon sequestration research project led by Battelle Laboratories and managed by DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). In addition to AEP, Battelle and NETL, other partners providing financial and in-kind support to the project include BP, the Ohio Coal Development Office, and Schlumberger Limited. Technical support for the project is being provided by experts from NETL and DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,  as well as from West Virginia University, the Ohio Geological Survey, Ohio State University, and several other leading research service providers.

Industry's overall safety record has improved over the past decade, but U.S. land operations continue to have among the highest incident rates in the world (see Lost Time Incidence article in this section). Many best practices have been developed that can help reduce injuries. An upcoming Houston workshop on November 4&5, sponsored by SPE's Gulf Coast Section, is dedicated to the interchange of practical and tried safety ideas and techniques between operators, contractors and service companies. Special emphasis will be made to offer best practices to companies who do not have dedicated safety resources on staff so both operations and HSE professionals are encouraged to attend. The two-day event will be conducted in a highly interactive fashion, providing time for questions and spontaneous input. Session topics were specifically selected to stimulate thought and open discussion

Halliburton is hosting the workshop at their Oak Park Facility in Houston on Beltway 8 at Bellaire Blvd. Price if registering online (www.spegcs.org/en/
calendarevents/view.asp?
calendareventid=158) before October 30 is $100. Price at the door will be $150. Lunch is included both days courtesy of Halliburton.

For more information, contact Tom Knode, Halliburton at email tom.knode@halliburton.com.

Beneficial Use of San Juan Basin CBM Water

 In one of five projects recently funded by DOE in its coal-fired power plant water management program, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in a 24-month project, will evaluate the feasibility of using water produced from the extraction of coalbed methane to meet up to 25% of the cooling water needed at the San Juan Generating Station in northwestern New Mexico. To initiate the project, researchers will evaluate the quality, quantity and location of the produced  water. They will also evaluate the existing produced water collection, transportation and treatment systems for possible use in delivering cooling water to the  generating station. EPRI is joined in this effort by team members: Water

and Waste Water Consultants Inc., Public Service of New Mexico, Ceramem, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The other funded projects (West Virginia University Research Consortium, University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center, New York State Educational Department, and Tennessee Valley Authority) are not as directly related to the natural gas and oil producing industry.

See DOE Techline for full information (www.fossil. energy. gov/news/techlines/ 03/
tl_powerplant_watermgmt1.
html).

Lost Time Incidence Rate Falls in Contract Drilling Industry

According to IADC's 2002 Summary of Occupational Incidents, the drilling industry's worldwide Lost Time Incident (LTI) Rate dropped to an all time low of 0.65, which is 12% better than the previous low of 0.74 in 1999. Fatalities dropped to 15, five less than in 2001 but still higher than the nine that occurred in 1999. Conclusions are based on data from 100 contractors representing about 70% of the worldwide drilling rig-fleet, representing a total of 281 million man-hours worked.

For the U.S., both land and offshore LTI rates improved versus 2001 data, improving 22% and 25% respectively. 2002 LTI rates for land workers are higher than for offshore workers, being 1.73 for land workers versus 0.5 for offshore workers.

Overall, rig employees with time in service between 1-5 years accounted for the most LTI and Recordable injuries. Those with less than one year of service accounted for 40% of LTI and Recordable injuries. Fingers were most vulnerable, followed by feet/ankles and back injuries. Pipes/collars/tubulars is the equipment category responsible for the most incidents, followed by material and slings.

Excerpted from article in Drilling Contractor, July/August 2003, pp. 18-19.