The First Coalbed Methane Lab of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources

    The lab of North China Center of  Petroleum Geology under Ministry
 of Geology and Mineral Resources is a comprehensive one, which is aim
ed at lab determination of conventional oil-gas and coalbed methane.
    Because of the particularity of coalbed methane storage status and
 reservoir, which is different from conventional oil-gas bearing strat
a, the lab testing technique for coalbed methane is different from tha
t for conventional oil-gas. According to the requirement of  coalbed m
ethane exploration and development projects, the lab took the leading 
position in China to introduce foreign advanced technology and equipme
nt, and created a complete set of coalbed methane lab testing techniqu
e and method after several years of research and development, and took
 a subproject research on lab testing technique of  coalbed methane re
servoir, which was included in a national R & D program during 8th Fiv
e-Year plan period.
    The testing items of the lab are as follows:
    (1) Determining gas content
    Gas content determination has been conducted for about 200 samples
 from more than 20 boreholes. The determining flowsheet and calculatio
n for gas content have been established and enterprise standard compat
ible with international practice is worked out. With regard to gas con
tent determining, improved direct method is adopted while abandoning d
omestic not applicable method and developing and perfecting the direct
 method of Bureau of  Mines. In determining emitted gas content, they 
not only have mastered the direct method of  the US Bureau of  Mines a
nd Amoco method, but also put forward a multinomial method, which is o
perated by computer.
    (2) Determining  Sorption Isotherms 
    The lab introduced a set of adsorption isotherm apparatus from Ter
raTek Inc., which can determine sorption isotherms of  coal rock by si
mulating the temperature and humidity condition of coal seam. The appa
ratus not only can determine the sorption and desorption isotherms of 
a single-composition gas, but also that of multi-composition gas, and 
get the permeability of gas to coal, determine the true density of coa
l etc. 
    (3) Porosity Analysis
    It includes determination of  porosity and permeability under conf
ining pressure, research on sensibility of porosity and permeability v
s. stress as well as research on relative permeability, microprobe and
 microeleat.
    (4) Determination of  Coal Reflectance and Maceral
    The lab has a advanced micro light intensity meter which was impor
ted from German leitz Co., the National Stardard GB6948-86 and Industr
y Standard DZ53-87 are referred to about the determination method. 
    (5) Determination of  gas composition
    About the determination method, we can refer to the industry stand
ards formulated by the Ministry of  Coal Industry and The Ministry of 
Geology and Mineral Resources. The lab can conduct the qualitative and
 quantitative analysis for naturally desorbed and residual gas of coal
 samples and underground gas, determined targets include Cª­1-Cª­5 hyd
rocarbon gases and permanent gases Oª­2, Nª­2 and COª­2 etc. 
    (6) Proximate Analysis 
    It includes determination of moisture, ash content, volatile matte
r and fixed carbon of coal, these determinations can be used for resea
rch on coal quality, coal type, heating value, industrial use options 
and utilization effects, and also for correcting gas content and basic
 data of  isothermal adsorption.
    (7) Determination of  Chemical Composition of  Water
    It includes determination of  Kª¬+, Naª¬+, Caª¬ª©2+ªª, Mgª¬ª©2+ªª,
 Clª¬-, SOª¬ª©2-ªªª­4, Brª¬-, Iª¬- and PH etc.
    (8) Element Analysis
    The element analyzer was imported from Italy, and determination me
thod can be found in Industry Standard PS-WS-4. 
(From North China Oil & Gas Exploration and Development Corp.)