Production Management Best Practices for CBM Fields
30 March-2 April 2009
Queensland, Australia
Coalbed methane (CBM) or coal seam gas (CSG) production is accelerating in many countries, as new basins, new plays, new completion techniques are making these huge resources economical to produce. Australia, for example, is at the forefront of new developments, with CBM/CSG production rates having increased by 300% in the last year and dozens of new projects under development. Many of these are being developed to fill an identified strong market need in the Asia Pacific, but also in the USA, for clean burning methane, to be exported in the form of LNG. These LNG plants are huge multi-billion dollar investments, and have to be fed by multi-billion dollar field developments and operations.
Additionally, Australia, like other countries, is soon to embark on an Emissions Trading Scheme, increasing the demand for clean burning fuels like methane, which is expected to displace coal for power generation. Production Management Best Practices are required to keep the fields producing at maximum total-life economic returns, whilst understanding and managing the risks involved in maintaining the total supply chain to both domestic and export markets.
Workshop Focus and Objectives
This Workshop will focus on five main areas of best practices for production management of CBM/CSG fields. The Workshop will investigate each of these areas separately and incorporate a problem-solving breakout session. All issues and results will create valuable guidelines for delegates to take back to their host organizations.
The teams for each best practice area will consider this initial (non exhaustive) sub-set of activities & strategies:
- Reservoir Management: Reservoir surveillance; reservoir performance;
integrated modeling; benchmarking; reservoir issues affecting production; water and gas quality. - Well Management: Well surveillance; well automation; well modeling; well deliverability; artificial lift; infill drilling; completion techniques; production enhancement.
- Production Systems and Facilities Management: Gathering Systems; flow assurance and bottleneck prevention/debottlenecking; gas and water separation; infield compression; facilities shutdowns.
- Protecting the Environment While Maximizing Production: Water and waste management; emissions minimization; noise issues; regulatory environment; disturbance minimization.
- Social Performance: Safety; Community Impact; Regulatory; Staffing and Training.
Who Should Attend
This Workshop is targeted for active practitioners or those involved in CBM/CSG production activities. The Applied Technology Workshops (ATW) are meant for experienced individuals who will actively contribute to the discussion. Specific groups who would be keenly interested are:
- Engineers
- Production Technologists
- Field Operations