Coal and Coalbed Gas: Future Directions and Opportunities, Second Edition introduces the latest in coal geology research and the engineering of gas extraction. Importantly, the second edition examines how, over the last 10 years, research has both changed focus and where it is conducted. This shift essentially depicts "a tale of two worlds"—one half (Western Europe, North America) moving away from coal and coalbed gas research and production towards cleaner energy resources, and the other half (Asia–Pacific region, Eastern Europe, South America) increasing both research and usage of coal. These changes are marked by a precipitous fall in coalbed gas production in North America; however, at the same time there has been a significant rise in coal and coalbed gas production in Australia, China, and India. The driver for higher production and its associated research is a quest for affordable energy and economic security that a large resource base brings to any country like Australia’s first large-scale coalbed gas to liquid natural gas projects supplying the demand for cleaner burning LNG to the Asian-Pacific region. Since the last edition of this book, global climate change policies have more forcibly emphasized the impact of methane from coal mines and placed these emissions equal to, or even more harmful than, CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in general. Governmental policies have prioritized capture, use, and storage of CO2, burning coal in new highly efficient low emission power plants, and gas pre-drainage of coal mines. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and China are also introducing new research into alternative, non-fuel uses for coal, such as carbon fibers, nanocarbons, graphene, soil amendments, and as an unconventional ore for critical elements. New to this edition: Each chapter is substantially changed from the 1st edition including expanded and new literature citations and reviews, important new data and information, new features and materials, as well as re-organized and re-designed themes. Importantly, three new chapters cover global coal endowment and gas potential, groundwater systems related to coalbed gas production and biogenic gas generation as well as the changing landscape of coal and coalbed gas influenced by global climate change and net-zero carbon greenhouse gas emissions. FOREWORD When I reviewed the first edition of this book, my initial thought was, "Do we need another book on coal geology?" and then I read it and realised, "Yes, we need this book" and my students downloaded copies as soon as it was available. So now we come to 2023, and a lot has happened in the past decade. For a different reason we might ask if we still need this book, or even coal geoscientists and engineers, as the world aims for rapid decarbonisation of the energy sector and a reduction of coal as a feedstock for industrial resources, like steel manufacture. Natural gas is earmarked as a transition fuel to enable the shift to renewables. In some basins, the source of that gas is directly from coalbed gas production or from conventional reservoirs that were charged by coal and terrestrial organic source rocks. Although the transition is escalating, there are projections that coal will remain part of our future, even after 2050, and can also provide alternative non-fuel resources (e.g., critical elements and carbon-based nanomaterials). Between now and then, we’d best ensure that we extract and utilise coal and coalbed gas as efficiently and safely as possible, that we mitigate any environmental and social impact of the process, and that we improve our certainty of predicting the behaviour of the material and material impacts. To do this we need to understand coal as a material and the inherent variability of its quality and behaviour as a source rock and host of coalbed gas. One can change the technologies but not the geological ground conditions or coal character of the targeted resource. The authors have taken on this ambitious endeavour during their careers and have attempted to capture their knowledge gained from first-hand experience in countries around the world and comprehensive review of published material, within this book. At least three generations of knowledge are drawn upon here. Tim Moore was a student of both Romeo Flores and his supervisor John Ferm, who was the "Warrior of Gentleness" when it came to coal research, teaching, and supervision. This book also reflects the broad and multidisciplinary aspects of coal geology and coal science and provides the tenets for one to understand different disciplines and how they interact to form an integrated view of the resource—technically, economically, and politically. Each chapter takes the reader through different concepts, first setting the scene by examining the status of coal and coalbed gas in a carbon-conscious world, then looking at the science behind coal as a source of gas and as a reservoir- in its own right. Further reading leads to learning about geological settings and the processes through time that led to present-day endowments around the globe and this theme continues throughout the book with detailed examples from different countries. Personally, I like the emphasis on the depositional environments that lead to peat accumulation and preservation—it’s all about the ingredients—which leads nicely into the world of coal macerals and minerals, and why they matter. Coalification and its role in changing the chemistry and material properties of coal is covered from a reservoir perspective, as is the role of biogenic processes. These have produced some of the enormous gas resources we exploit today and could also provide a future circular economy for neo-biogenic gas. The role of groundwater in this past and potentially future endeavour is presented, along with possible adverse effects where there is unexpected communication with regional and local aquifers and surface assets that detract from environmental and social licence. In addition to describing the geology and engineering technologies required to explore for, access, and utilise these resources, the book also provides insights into geostatistical and economic modelling for reserves estimation and challenges as reservoirs become more geologically and politically complex for extraction and alternatively, for injection and carbon sequestration. The final chapters revisit and integrate concepts presented in the book in order to examine global gas production and the geographic shifts in production and research that have occurred over the past decade(s). The also show how government and the market play a role, and project future trends. The authors provide discussion points for the outlook of coal as a fuel feedstock in a carbon-constrained world and the ongoing search for options and alternative non-fuel uses of coal while highlighting the important role that coal and coalbed gas still play during the transition period and beyond. There is much to learn from this book, which is based on decades of observing and interpreting patterns and trends in coal and coal-bearing basins. There is a growing trend towards using machine learning and artificial intelligence to find patterns in data and provide solutions. I’d suggest that domain intelligence, such as that provided in this book, is critical to supervising this process and is required for understanding and validating the outputs upon which many decisions are made and will continue to be made in the future. So yes, we need this book and I invite you to read, learn, and form your own ideas. If you find any gaps—write about them. Joan S. Esterle Emeritus Professor Vale Chair of Coal Geosciences The University of Queensland, AustraliaMay 2023

Selection of the optimal recovery method is significantly influenced by economic issues in today's oil and gas markets. Consequently, the development of cost-effective technologies, which bring maximum oil recovery, is the main interest in today's petroleum research communities. Theory and Practice in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery provides the fundamentals, latest research and creditable field applications. Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) is potentially a low-priced and eco-friendly technique in which different microorganisms and their metabolic products are implemented to recover the remaining oil in the reservoir. Despite drastic advantages of MEOR technology, it is still not fully supported in the industry due to lack of knowledge on microbial activities and their complexity of the process. While some selected strategies have demonstrated the feasibility to be used on a mass scale through both lab and field trials, more research remains to implement MEOR into more oil industry practices. This reference delivers comprehensive descriptions on the fundamentals including basic theories on geomicrobiology, experiments and modeling, as well as current tested field applications. Theory and Practice in Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery gives engineers and researchers the tool needed to stay up to date on this evolving and more sustainable technology.

The development of a new class of nanocomposite membranes has served as one of the most prominent strategies to address the intrinsic limitations of conventionally used polymeric and inorganic membranes. Nanocomposite membranes consist of nanosized inorganic nanomaterials that are incorporated into the structure of continuous polymer matrices. Owing to the exceptional properties exhibited by the nanomaterials, the resultant nanocomposite membranes demonstrate higher selectivity and permeability that surpass the Robeson upper boundary limit. Nanocomposite Membranes for Gas Separation provides a comprehensive review of the advances made in the development and application of gas separation nanocomposite membranes. In particular, the book covers the focuses on the fabrication, modification, characterization and applications of nanocomposite membranes for gas separation. It is an important reference source both for materials scientists, environmental engineers and chemical engineers who are looking to understand how nanocomposite membranes are being used to create better techniques for gas separation.

Some 35 years ago I was somewhat precariously balanced in a drilling derrick aligning a whipstock into a directional hole in North Holland by the Stokenbury method, and no doubt thinking to myself that I was at the very forefront of technology. During the intervening period it has become obvious to many of us that some of the most significant technical advances in the oil business have been made in drilling, and particularly in the fields of offshore and directional drilling. It has also become apparent that the quality of the technical literature describing these advances has not kept pace with that of the advances themselves in many instances. A particular glaring example of this has been in the field of directional drilling where a large literature gap has existed for many years. I am delighted to see this gap now filled with the present volume by my friend Tom Inglis. Indeed it is only after reading his comprehensive book that I realise the extent of my own ignorance of the latest techniques of directional drilling and how desirable it was to have an authoritative text on the subject. I feel sure that this volume will be welcomed by the industry and warmly recommend it to all who are in any way involved and interested in the fascinating world of drilling.

This book is useful to flow assurance engineers, students, and industries who wish to be flow assurance authorities in the twenty-first-century oil and gas industry. The use of digital or artificial intelligence methods in flow assurance has increased recently to achieve fast results without any thorough training effectively. Generally, flow assurance covers all risks associated with maintaining the flow of oil and gas during any stage in the petroleum industry. Flow assurance in the oil and gas industry covers the anticipation, limitation, and/or prevention of hydrates, wax, asphaltenes, scale, and corrosion during operation. Flow assurance challenges mostly lead to stoppage of production or plugs, damage to pipelines or production facilities, economic losses, and in severe cases blowouts and loss of human lives. A combination of several chemical and non-chemical techniques is mostly used to prevent flow assurance issues in the industry. However, the use of models to anticipate, limit, and/or prevent flow assurance problems is recommended as the best and most suitable practice. The existing proposed flow assurance models on hydrates, wax, asphaltenes, scale, and corrosion management are challenged with accuracy and precision. They are not also limited by several parametric assumptions. Recently, machine learning methods have gained much attention as best practices for predicting flow assurance issues. Examples of these machine learning models include conventional approaches such as artificial neural network, support vector machine (SVM), least square support vector machine (LSSVM), random forest (RF), and hybrid models. The use of machine learning in flow assurance is growing, and thus, relevant knowledge and guidelines on their application methods and effectiveness are needed for academic, industrial, and research purposes. In this book, the authors focus on the use and abilities of various machine learning methods in flow assurance. Initially, basic definitions and use of machine learning in flow assurance are discussed in a broader scope within the oil and gas industry. The rest of the chapters discuss the use of machine learning in various flow assurance areas such as hydrates, wax, asphaltenes, scale, and corrosion. Also, the use of machine learning in practical field applications is discussed to understand the practical use of machine learning in flow assurance.

Petroleum engineers continue to need cost saving and environmentally sustainable products and methods for today's hydraulic fracturing operations. Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals and Fluid Technology, Second Edition, continues to deliver an easy-to-use manual of fluid formulations to meet specific job needs. Enhanced with more environmental aspects, this reference helps engineers and fluid specialists select and use the appropriate chemicals for any hydraulic fracturing job. New information concerning nanotechnology applications such as wellbore sealant and proppants are added to enhance operations in a sustainable manner while saving on production costs. Other updates include low recovery of fracturing water in shale, surfactants for waterless hydraulic fracturing, and expanded produced water treatment. Rounding out with updated references and patents for easy reference, Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals and Fluid Technology, Second Edition, gives engineers a critical guide on selecting better products to boost productions while strengthening environmental enhancement and consideration.

The Offshore Pipeline Construction Industry: Activity Modeling and Cost Estimation in the United States Gulf of Mexico presents the latest technical concepts and economic calculations, helping engineers make better business decisions. The book covers flow assurance, development strategies on pipeline requirements and the construction service side with a global perspective. In addition, it focuses on one of the most underdeveloped, promising assets - the Gulf of Mexico. Pipeline construction and decommissioning estimation methods are examined with reliable data presented. A final section covers trends for oil, gas, bulk oil, bulk gas, service and umbilical pipelines for installation and decommissioning using correlation models. This book delivers a much-needed tool for the pipeline engineer to better understand the economical choices and alternatives to designing, constructing, and operating today's offshore pipelines.

A Practical Handbook for Drilling Fluids Processing delivers a much-needed reference for drilling fluid and mud engineers to safely understand how the drilling fluid processing operation affects the drilling process. Agitation and blending of new additions to the surface system are explained with each piece of drilled solids removal equipment discussed in detail. Several calculations of drilled solids, such as effect of retort volumes, are included, along with multiple field methods, such as determining the drilled solids density. Tank arrangements are covered as well as operating guidelines for the surface system. Rounding out with a solutions chapter with additional instruction and an appendix with equation derivations, this book gives today's drilling fluid engineers a tool to understand the technology available and step-by-step guidelines of how-to safety evaluate surface systems in the oil and gas fields.

We both found ourselves working on water-soluble polymers for oil recovery in the early 1980' s. Our previ ous backgrounds i nvo 1 ved the synthesi sand characteri zati on of hydrocarbon polymers for everythi ng from elastomers to plastics. As such, we were largely unprepared for the special difficulties associated with water soluble polymers in genera 1, and thei ruse in enhanced oi 1 recovery (EOR) , in parti cul ar. Oil patch applications have a jargon and technical heritage quite apart from that usually experienced by traditional polymer scientists. At that time, no books were available to help us "get up to speed" in the polymers for oil recovery field. Since then, there have been a number of symposia on this topic, but still few books, especially from the polymer (rather than the field-applications) perspective. Synthetic water soluble/swellable polymers have commercial importance in such application as water treatment, cosmetics, and foods. Yet, these polymers have not received the scientific/technological attention they deserve. The application of water soluble polymers to oil recovery has, in fact, highlighted the need for new water based materials, and a fundamental understanding of their structure and use. Interest has been spurred not only for the potenti a 1 economi c credi ts from enhanced oi 1 recovery and an augmented polymers business, but also by the challenge of designing water soluble polymers for harsh environments.

Compendium of Hydrogen Energy: Hydrogen Production and Purification, the first text in a four-volume series, focuses on the production of hydrogen. As many experts believe that the hydrogen economy will eventually replace the fossil fuel economy as our primary source of energy, the text provides a timely discussion on this interesting topic. The text details the methods of hydrogen production using fossil fuels, also exploring sustainable extraction methods of hydrogen production from water and hydrogen purification processes.

This open access book evaluates, from an economic perspective, various measures introduced in Japan to prevent climate change. Although various countries have implemented such policies in response to the pressing issue of climate change, the effectiveness of those programs has not been sufficiently compared. In particular, policy evaluations in the Asian region are far behind those in North America and Europe due to data limitations and political reasons. The first part of the book summarizes measures in different sectors in Japan to prevent climate change, such as emissions trading and carbon tax, and assesses their impact. The second part shows how those policies have changed the behavior of firms and households. In addition, it presents macro-economic simulations that consider the potential of renewable energy. Lastly, based on these comprehensive assessments, it compares the effectiveness of measures to prevent climate change in Japan and Western countries. Providing valuable insights, this book will appeal to both academic researchers and policymakers seeking cost-effective measures against climate change.

Shale Oil and Gas Production Processes delivers the basics on current production technologies and the processing and refining of shale oil. Starting with the potential of formations and then proceeding to production and completion, this foundational resource also dives into the chemical and physical nature of the precursor of oil shale, kerogen, to help users understand and optimize its properties in shale. Rounding out with reporting, in situ retorting, refining and environmental aspects, this book gives engineers and managers a strong starting point on how to manage the challenges and processes necessary for the further development of these complex resources.

Primer on Enhanced Oil Recovery gives the oil and gas market the introductory information it needs to cover the physical and chemical properties of hydrocarbon reservoir fluids and rock, drilling operations, rock-fluid interactions, recovery methods, and the economy of enhanced oil recovery projects. Beginning with introductory materials on basic physics and oil-rock interaction, the book then progresses into well-known types of EOR, such as gas injection and microbial EOR. Other sections cover hybrid EOR, smart water/low salinity and solar EOR. Worldwide case study examples give engineers the go-to starting point they need to understand the fundamentals of EOR techniques and data.

Oil Recovery in Shale and Tight Reservoirs delivers a current, state-of-the-art resource for engineers trying to manage unconventional hydrocarbon resources. Going beyond the traditional EOR methods, this book helps readers solve key challenges on the proper methods, technologies and options available. Engineers and researchers will find a systematic list of methods and applications, including gas and water injection, methods to improve liquid recovery, as well as spontaneous and forced imbibition. Rounding out with additional methods, such as air foam drive and energized fluids, this book gives engineers the knowledge they need to tackle the most complex oil and gas assets.

Process Chemistry of Coal Utilization: Reaction Mechanisms for Coal Decomposition and Volatiles Conversion relates major advances in coal science on how to interpret performance data from lab, pilot and commercial scales. The book presents a very broad range of quantitative methods, from statistical regressions, to rudimentary models, CFD and comprehensive reaction mechanisms. Combining the latest research in the field, including an abundance of lab datasets, the book illustrates how a particular operating condition affects a specific coal-based reaction system. Managers who use these tactics will be able to tailor their testing and simulation work to effectively characterize and solve their problems.

Small Angle X-Ray and Neutron Scattering with Applications to Geomaterials provides techniques for the analysis of geomaterials, which is of great significance for humans because geomaterials are related to earthquake, resource development, underground spaces, carbon dioxide storage, and more. The book introduces the fundamental theory of small angle X-ray and neutron scattering and covers pore accessibility characterization for natural rocks from four aspects, including quantitative evaluation of pore structure heterogeneity and anisotropy, quantification of pore modification in coals due to pulverization, estimation and modeling of coal pore accessibility, and nanoscale coal deformation and alteration of porosity and pore orientation under uniaxial compression. Finally, interactions between pore structures and fluid behaviors in geomaterials are introduced, along with the connections between small-angle scattering and other techniques (NMR cytophotometry, Transmission Electron Microscopy and synchrotron radiation SAXS and nano-CT) described.

Polymer Composite Systems for Pipeline Repair: Design, Manufacture, Application, and Environmental Impacts delivers the latest developments in nanomaterials, specifically polymers and composites that can support pipeline repair in an effective and more environmentally-sound way. Edited by a diverse worldwide group of contributors, the reference touches on design and manufacturing techniques, patch configurations, hybrid pipes used in harsher environments, and damage detection techniques. High temperature, marine, and cold fluids are also included. Rounding out with economic and environmental impact assessments, this book gives today's oil and gas pipeline engineers an impactful and sustainable tool to safely repair pipelines.

This handbook is an edited and updated version of the final report of the IEA Bioenergy sponsored Pyrolysis Activity - PYRA - that officially finished in 1998 and accomplished many valuable contributions to the science and technology of fast pyrolysis. It is intended that this handbook will provide a useful guide both to newcomers to the subject area as well as those already involved in research, development and implementation. The IEA Bioenergy Pyrolysis Task is continuing this work as a collaborative project with the European Commission network on fast pyrolysis of biomass which is now known as PyNe. The European Network was first formed in 1995 as an EC sponsored project in the AIR Programme (AIR3-CT94-1857). At the end of the three-year lives of the Networks in 1997, both sponsoring organisations recognised the benefits from their integration. This led to the present PyNe Network, which is co-sponsored by the European Commission FAIR Programme (FAIR-CT97-3409) and IEA Bioenergy, and which itself is sponsoring the publication of this book as a contribution to the technology.

This book delves into the economic development of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Since the 1960s, the GCC states have harnessed their potential to exploit the wealth accrued from the oil boom to build their infrastructure and grow their economies. However, the high level of dependency on oil as the primary source feeding their output made their economies volatile and vulnerable to fluctuations in the global oil prices. Moreover, the plunge in oil prices and the threat of depletion of this natural resource pose serious challenges to the GCC countries. Consequently, the GCC governments have realized the importance of diversifying their economies following the need to move away from reliance on hydrocarbon. This book contributes to the theoretical literature by enriching the debate on the transition of the GCC countries from rentier states to diversified economies. It helps students and scholars understand this transformation with an expansive comprehension of the contemporary challenges facing the region, as well as outlining prospects for the future.

Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Mechanism for Oil Spills delivers the critical tool needed to understand the latest technology in radar imaging of oil spills, particularly microwave radar as a main source to understand analysis and applications in the field of marine pollution. Filling the gap between modern physics quantum theory and applications of radar imaging of oil spills, this reference is packed with technical details associated with the potentiality of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and the key methods used to extract the value-added information necessary, such as location, size, perimeter and chemical details of the oil slick from SAR measurements. Rounding out with practical simulation trajectory movements of oil spills using radar images, this book brings an effective new source of technology and applications for today's oil and marine pollution engineers.

Formulas and Calculations for Petroleum Engineering unlocks the capability for any petroleum engineering individual, experienced or not, to solve problems and locate quick answers, eliminating non-productive time spent searching for that right calculation. Enhanced with lab data experiments, practice examples, and a complimentary online software toolbox, the book presents the most convenient and practical reference for all oil and gas phases of a given project. Covering the full spectrum, this reference gives single-point reference to all critical modules, including drilling, production, reservoir engineering, well testing, well logging, enhanced oil recovery, well completion, fracturing, fluid flow, and even petroleum economics.

This book furthers the ongoing theoretical development of the multiple streams framework, assessing its applicability to European Union (EU) policy-making processes. It systematically defines and identifies functional equivalents for all of the framework's core concepts at the EU level and extends the framework in order to explain agenda-setting and decision-making. Furthermore, the book derives a set of explicit hypotheses to empirically assess the extent to which the (modified) framework is able to explain timing, agenda prominence, and policy change (or a lack thereof) for the EU natural gas directives passed in 1998, 2003, and 2009. The analysis documents that the framework is well-suited to explain the EU policy process in general and reveals where additional theoretical refinements are required.

The Fossil Fuel Revolution: Shale Gas and Tight Oil describes the remarkable new energy resources being obtained from shale gas and tight oil through a combination of directional drilling and staged hydraulic fracturing, opening up substantial new energy reserves for the 21st Century. The book includes the history of shale gas development, the technology used to economically recover hydrocarbons, and descriptions of the ten primary shale gas resources of the United States. International shale resources, environmental concerns, and policy issues are also addressed. This book is intended as a reference on shale gas and tight oil for industry members, undergraduate and graduate students, engineers and geoscientists.

This book is an introduction to oil and gas designed to be both accessible to absolute beginners who know nothing about the subject, and at the same time interesting to people who work in one area (such as drilling or seismic exploration) and would like to know about other areas (such as production offshore, or how oil and gas were formed, or what can go wrong).It begins by discussing oil and gas in the broader context of human society, and goes on to examine what they consist of, how and where they were formed, how we find them, how we drill for them and how we measure them. It describes production onshore and offshore, and examines in detail some instructive mishaps, including some that are well known, such as Deepwater Horizon and Piper Alpha, and other lesser known incidents. It looks at recent developments, such as shale oil, and concludes with some speculation about the future. It includes many references for readers who would like to read further. Mathematical content is minimal.

Hydraulic Fracturing in Unconventional Reservoirs: Theories, Operations, and Economic Analysis, Second Edition, presents the latest operations and applications in all facets of fracturing. Enhanced to include today's newest technologies, such as machine learning and the monitoring of field performance using pressure and rate transient analysis, this reference gives engineers the full spectrum of information needed to run unconventional field developments. Covering key aspects, including fracture clean-up, expanded material on refracturing, and a discussion on economic analysis in unconventional reservoirs, this book keeps today's petroleum engineers updated on the critical aspects of unconventional activity.