Revolutionary Heat Injection Method Extracts Coalbed Methane at Unprecedented Rates.
Researchers developed a mathematical model to study how injecting hot water or steam into coalbeds affects the extraction of coalbed methane. They found that high-temperature water flows through fractures in the coal, heating it up and releasing methane gas. The gas content decreases rapidly with heat injection, and the pressure inside the coalbed increases significantly, promoting the flow and drainage of the gas.