CSG Reservoir Monitoring Technology: Advantages, Challenges and Selection Criteria Queensland Case Study

Abstract

Application of reservoir monitoring systems has great value in facilitating the understanding of reservoir behavior and complexity, efficient production optimization and reservoir management over time. The technology has been well accepted by oil and gas pioneers globally in the last 32 years (Australia, Venezuela, Colombia, Kuwait, Oman, Norway, China and USA). In the past 10 years, more than 1,000 wells have used reservoir monitoring systems to monitor the well and reservoir performance of coal seam gas (CSG) wells in Queensland. This paper presents technology, reservoir and production engineering analysis and failure mechanisms in more than 600 CSG wells in Queensland. This paper postulates the selection criteria for every specific application. Some services companies has a 8-year history of installing different types of gauges as one of the main reservoir monitoring technologies for different operators in Australia and New Zealand (The majority of this technology is based in the State of Queensland due to business and regulatory requirements). The application of technology helps CSG operators in the following capacities:

Optimizing pump performance and water level monitoring

Optimizing hydraulic fracture performance, ground water movement and modelling

Pressure data for the history matching process (Reservoir Engineering Application)

Multizone pressure monitoring (gas injection performance, etc.)

Specific application of the technology, findings during the installation, monitoring, operation, typical completion scheme and best practices for coal reservoir monitoring are summeraized in this paper.