Identification of Methane-Bearing Coal Seams in Borehole Sections of the Karaganda Basin Using Geophysical Logging Data
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31643/2028/6445.17Keywords:
coal suites, metamorphism physico-mechanical characteristics of coal and host rocks, gas content, forms of methane occurrence in coals, ecology, geomechanics.Abstract
The Karaganda coal basin is one of the most gas-bearing in the world. Its feature is that there are no large accumulations of free gas in it, while the natural gas content reaches up to 25-30 m³/t; this is confirmed by a large volume of gas sampling, gas logging data, and gas survey data in operating mines. Methane from coal seams enters the atmosphere through natural migration through overlying rocks, as well as at the places where seams outcrop under overburden and through the shafts of closed mines. During degassing of coal seams in the Karaganda basin during the opening of seams by mine workings, including during open-pit mining, seam outcrops to the surface, degassing of the worked-out space of closed mines, part of the extracted methane is used at the mines for obtaining thermal and electrical energy, and the larger part enters the atmosphere during degassing of coal seams. It is known that methane entering the atmosphere retains the Earth's heat significantly higher, by 25-30 times, than carbon dioxide. The extraction of methane from unloaded coal seams for its industrial use in obtaining thermal and electrical energy is an important task in the development of technologies for the integrated development of coal-methane deposits, as well as for reducing the environmental load on the regions where they are located. The purpose of the research is the identification in the section of gas-bearing coal seams for assessing the potential of methane extraction from unloaded seams for its industrial use and reducing emissions into the atmosphere. Methods. A complex of geophysical methods for studying exploration wells to investigate the physico-mechanical and filtration-capacity properties of coal seams and host rocks, sampling and analysis of coal seam samples in mine workings. Results. Patterns of changes in the complex of physical properties of coal seams determining their gas content have been established, geological justification for these changes and changes in the physico-mechanical properties of host rocks has been given. Application. The gas-bearing coal seams identified in the section can be used in planning methane extraction from all gas-bearing seams of the geological section, including coal seams being developed by mines, and the patterns of changes in physico-mechanical and filtration-capacity properties of coal seams prepared for development or being developed can be used in geomechanical calculations. The factual materials for conducting the research were obtained from the results of laboratory and geophysical studies of exploration wells, materials from geological and production reports.
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Copyright (c) 2026 V.S. Portnov, A.V. Golik, G.K. Duganova, N. Khuangan, A.A. Kenetayeva, M. Rabatuly, Hou Peng
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