What is natural gas from coal?
As its name implies, natural gas from coal (NGC) is natural gas that is formed and remains trapped in coal beds. NGC is also known as coalbed methane, coalbed gas, coal seam gas and coal mine methane. Compositionally, NGC is usually more than 95 per cent methane, the principal component of conventional natural gas. While the other constituents of both conventional and unconventional natural gas vary from basin to basin and reservoir to reservoir, NGC typically lacks components such as hydrogen sulphide, natural gas liquids and certain solids that are often present and problematic in conventional natural gas. Like processed conventional natural gas, sales grade NGC is the cleanest burning fossil fuel.
The following table is a typical gas analysis from a well at Horseshoe Canyon in Alberta.
Component
|
Southern Alberta Coalbed Methane
|
Southern Alberta Sweet Shallow Gas
|
|---|---|---|
| Methane (CH4) | 97.19 | 95.31 |
| Nitrogen (N2) | 2.20 | 3.76 |
| Ethane (C2H6) | 0.35 | 0.44 |
| Carbon dioxide (CO2) | 0.11 | 0.18 |
| Hydrogen (H2) | 0.09 | 0.01 |
| Propane (C3H8) | 0.04 | 0.08 |
| Helium (He) | 0.01 | 0.12 |
| IC4 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| NC4 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| IC5 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
| NC5 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| C6+ | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| Total
| 100.00
| 100.02
|
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