TY - JOUR
T1 - Coal fines migration
T2 - A holistic review of influencing factors
AU - Awan, Faisal Ur Rahman
AU - Arif, Muhammad
AU - Iglauer, Stefan
AU - Keshavarz, Alireza
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan vide approval letter No. 5-1/HRD/UESTPI(Batch-V)/3371/2017/HEC (SAP No. 50035652 ) and Edith Cowan University (ECU) Australia Early Career Research Grant G1003450. The first author would like to thank HEC, Pakistan, and ECU for the PhD grant vide ECU-HEC Joint Scholarship-2017.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - Coal fines can substantially influence coal seam gas reservoir permeability, thus impeding the flow of gas in coal microstructure. The coal fines generation and migration are influenced by several factors, wherein coal fines are generally hydrophobic and aggregate in natural coal seam gas (CSG) under prevailing conditions of pH, salinity, temperature and pressure. This aggregation behaviour can damage the coal matrix and cleat system permeabilities, leading to a considerable reduction of proppant pack conductivity (i.e. fracture conductivity). Several datasets have been reported within the literature on this subject in the last decade. However, a more up-to-date discussion of this area is key to understanding coal fines migration and associated knowledge. Thus, in this review, we conduct a systematic investigation of coal fines and their influencing factors. Here, coal fines are introduced, followed by an initial holistic investigation of their generation, plugging, movement, redistribution and production. Then, in order to enhance current understandings of the subject matter, a parametric evaluation of the factors noted earlier is conducted, based on recently published literature. Subsequently, the published mathematical and analytical models for fines generation are reviewed. Finally, the implications and challenges associated with coal fines mitigation are discussed.
AB - Coal fines can substantially influence coal seam gas reservoir permeability, thus impeding the flow of gas in coal microstructure. The coal fines generation and migration are influenced by several factors, wherein coal fines are generally hydrophobic and aggregate in natural coal seam gas (CSG) under prevailing conditions of pH, salinity, temperature and pressure. This aggregation behaviour can damage the coal matrix and cleat system permeabilities, leading to a considerable reduction of proppant pack conductivity (i.e. fracture conductivity). Several datasets have been reported within the literature on this subject in the last decade. However, a more up-to-date discussion of this area is key to understanding coal fines migration and associated knowledge. Thus, in this review, we conduct a systematic investigation of coal fines and their influencing factors. Here, coal fines are introduced, followed by an initial holistic investigation of their generation, plugging, movement, redistribution and production. Then, in order to enhance current understandings of the subject matter, a parametric evaluation of the factors noted earlier is conducted, based on recently published literature. Subsequently, the published mathematical and analytical models for fines generation are reviewed. Finally, the implications and challenges associated with coal fines mitigation are discussed.
KW - Coal fines
KW - Coal seam gas
KW - Formation damage
KW - Fracture conductivity
KW - Gas security
KW - Proppant pack
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122507299&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cis.2021.102595
DO - 10.1016/j.cis.2021.102595
M3 - Review article
C2 - 35033921
AN - SCOPUS:85122507299
SN - 0001-8686
VL - 301
JO - Advances in Colloid and Interface Science
JF - Advances in Colloid and Interface Science
M1 - 102595
ER -