Integrated Subsurface Carbon Sequestration and Enhanced Coalbed Methane Recovery Using Cement Kiln Emissions, Wilson County, Kansas

Stephen Schurger, University of Kansas, Kansas Geological Survey, Lawrence, KS, [email protected]

The Cherokee and Marmaton groups (Pennsylvanian) in the Cherokee basin of southeast Kansas, contain a number of thin, high-volatile A and B bituminous coals.  Sufficient overburden and competent seals have generated and trapped quantities of methane within these coal seams.  Several studies as well as recent exploration and development activities have proven that the Cherokee Basin is a productive region for coalbed methane (CBM). Southeast Kansas is faced with a growing pressure for anthropogenic producers of CO₂ to reduce emissions. One solution to this problem is the sequestration of CO₂ in the subsurface through the use of enhanced coalbed methane (ECBM). The purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility of sequestering cement kiln emissions into the subsurface coals of the Cherokee and Marmaton groups using ECBM technologies.

The development of an ECBM recovery project requires a reservoir model to help understand the possible effects that CO₂ may have on reservoir performance. The first step towards developing a reservoir model is to create a detailed stratigraphic framework of the Cherokee and Marmaton groups within Wilson County, Kansas using subsurface well logs and core data.  Further reservoir characterization will be done by determining coal properties and equations of state, as well as analyzing production and completion data from area CBM wells.  The model will be used to run a series of reservoir simulations to investigate methods of improving CBM recovery, and to determining if the sequestration of CO₂ into subsurface coal seams is feasible.  The outcome of this study will be beneficial to the productivity of CBM in the Cherokee Basin while addressing energy in a carbon-managed environment.