Enhancing coal bed methane recovery: using injection of nitrogen and carbon dioxide mixture.

Nitrogen (N2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases injection yield substantially various recovery ways. Here, a one-dimensional mathematical model is applied comprising of mass balances for explaining gas sorption and flow, and a geomechanical relationship to describe the permeability changes during gas injection. That's why numerical simulations for investigating the performance of injecting flue gas mixture in enhanced coal bed methane (ECBM) recovery are represented. Significant intuitive features are found regarding the gas flow dynamics at the time of displacement and influences of sorption on ECBM operation. The study revealed that the injection of pure CO2 causes much reduction in cleat permeability, but pure N2 is injected to increase the permeability without any loss of injectivity. Therefore, pure CO2 causes more efficient displacement in terms of total CH4 recovery, while the addition of N2 to the mixture assists to make quicker the initial methane recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]