Abstract

The Soldier Creek coalbed methane project areas lies at the head of Soldier Creek and Nine Mile Creek drainages about 16 miles northeast of Price, Utah, chiefly in T12S, R12E, SLBM, Carbon County, Utah. The area is located at the top of the Book Cliffs where Mesaverde Group strata dip northeastward into the Uinta Basin. The Soldier Creek Pilot Project (SCPP) consisted of six vertical wells and one horizontal well, all completed in Blackhawk Formation coal beds. The field produced 49,644 MCF of gas, 2.3 million barrels of water, and no oil from September 2002 through late 2006 when the field was shut-in. All wells were plugged and abandoned in November, 2007.

In the mid-1970s the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) identified the coals in the area as “gassy.” Subsequently the area saw both research and commercial development attempts, including de-gassing of the nearby Soldier Canyon coal mine. To date, commercial attempts at gas extraction have had little or no success. High adsorbed gas content in the Soldier Creek area coals (300+ scf/ton) is well established and recoverable coal-gas volume is estimated at approximately 5.7 BCF per square mile. Produced water is fresh (700 to 1000 mg/l, total dissolved solids) and likely coming from both matrix and natural fractures. The project area lies in a compressional-in situ stress regime, which may cause cleats in the coal beds to close, reducing their permeability and production potential. Liquid petroleum associated with the coal section also likely contributed to the poor performance of the coal-gas wells in the SCPP.