DRILLING & WELL DESIGN

Technology

We expect each well to produce between 60 and 140 mmscfd per day. This will be achieved through the well construction and controlling the volume of coal gasified on a daily basis. Subject to suitable geology, the preferred well design is a modified CRIPS methodology. We intend to drill 2 long reach wells with inter-connecting channels between them. Each channel is expected to be some 500m long, each well pair will have 9 production panels, giving a reactor width of 50m. We believe that we can successfully stay within seams of less than 2m, but expect the initial panels to be in seams of up to 5-7m. Each gasification channel will therefore gasify 125,000m3 of coal. Each channel should be fully gasified within 300 - 350 days, giving a production rate of 360m3 or 700t of coal per day. An alternative method of creating a UCG long wall is being considered, this would require fewer and less complicated wells overall, but is more dependent on suitable geology being found.

Well performance will be controlled by means of varying the input mixture (air, oxygen, water) Nitrogen will also be on standby to slow or even kill the well should production rates exceed process capacity.




HYDROCARBONS IN PLACE >>


	The calculated recoverable hydrocarbons in place equivalent is 7660 mmscfd over 10 years, and 22980 mmscfd over the planned life of 30 years. This equates to 700 million tonnes of coal per licence area.	Linked with carbon capture and squestration Underground Coal Gasification has the potential to provide a secure source of environmentally friendly energy for decades to come.

OIL & GAS EXPERTISE >>

	Drilling will be undertaken from an onshore drilling unit. Two specifications are being considered: the first is of the fixed installation type and the second a mobile unit. For all licence areas the drilling trajectory will be a deviated well with horizontal (seam following) production zone through the coal measures using an adapted CRIPS methodology.

TOPSIDES FACILITIES >>

	The topsides process facilities are determined by the ultimate usage of the produced gas. As a minimum, gas will be cooled, filtered and compressed for transportation from the drilling site to the process site. The development plans call for three processing facilities for the gas to be implemented in a phased development, the order of which is dependant on the quality of the gas. These are power generation using gas turbines and CTP units, hydrogen production and diesel production.