The Reids Dome beds and its coal seam gas characteristics – Queensland’s latest coal seam gas target
Steven G. Scott A * and Brent Glassborow AA Australian Gas Company Pty Ltd, GPO Box 2376, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 62(1) 342-360 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21038
Submitted: 19 December 2021 Accepted: 4 February 2022 Published: 13 May 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
Queensland’s coal seam gas production industry began in 1996 with production from the Permian Baralaba Coal Measures and Bandanna Formation located in the eastern and western Bowen Basin, respectively. It went to another level when production commenced from the Jurassic Walloon Coal Measures in 2005. Production in 2018/2019 amounted to nearly 1500 PJ with nearly 80% coming from the Walloon Coal Measures. The remaining 20% is sourced from the Late Permian Bandanna Formation, Baralaba Coal Measures and Moranbah Coal Measures. A minor volume comes from the Early Permian Cattle Creek Formation. The Early Permian Reids Dome beds are located in the Denison Trough, a graben complex located in the southwest Bowen Basin. The Reids Dome beds were deposited as the basal unit of variably sized grabens and half-grabens. The unit varies in thickness from 9 to >2770 m but the unit hasn’t been fully intersected where it is thickest. Net coal within the formation is also highly variable (<1 to >65 m). At present there has been no commercial production from the coals of the Reids Dome beds, but a number of small fields have reported commercial production from coals of the Early Permian Cattle Creek Formation. By definition, the Cattle Creek Formation was deposited in a marine environment and is contemporaneous with the upper Reids Dome beds. It is here suggested that coals intersected at these producing locations are located in the Reids Dome beds. The interpreted depositional centres for the Reids Dome beds underlie or are immediately adjacent to major Late Permian field developments with access to infrastructure and transmission. Ongoing exploration and appraisal work is continuing across the Denison Trough to fully understand the potential of these coals. Coals from the Reids Dome beds average >10 m3/tonne, >90% saturation >70% methane and up to 20% ethane.
Keywords: Cattle Creek Formation, coal seam gas, coal seam gas production, coal seam gas reserves, Denison Trough, Early Permian, ethane, gas analyses, methane, production, Reids Dome beds.
Steven Scott is founder and director of Australian Gas Company Pty Ltd (AusGasCo). He has a BSc (Hons), Geology and Mineralogy from the University of Queensland and a PhD from James Cook University. He has over 40 years’ experience in coal exploration, conventional and unconventional oil and gas, and CSG exploration, appraisal and development in Australia and internationally. Steven began his career with the Coal Exploration Section, he subsequently worked in the Petroleum Resources Section of the Geological Survey of Queensland. In 2000 Steven joined Queensland Gas Company as Senior Geologist, progressing to Vice President, Exploration and Technical Services. In 2010 he joined Senex Energy as General Manager, Exploration. In 2016, with Brent Glassborow, he co-founded Adavale Energy, offering integrated technical, project management and business development services and consultancy to the petroleum industry. In 2017 he co-founded AusGasCo, focused on prospective gas exploration and appraisal opportunities with access to the Australian East Coast Domestic Gas Market. Steven is a member of AAPG, PESA, GSA, and is a registered Petroleum Geologist. |
Brent Glassborow is founder and director of AusGasCo. He has a BSc (App Geol) and a BSc (Hons), Petroleum Geology and Geophysics from the Australian School of Petroleum. Brent began his energy career in offshore drilling operations as a logging geologist and LWD engineer in Australia and the UK. He has extensive CSG experience in Queensland during QGC’s initial field development subsurface operations. Brent progressed to Head of Subsurface Operations managing a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering all subsurface data acquisition operations and analysis for exploration, appraisal and early stage field development programs. This was followed by various portfolio management and technical positions for BG Group including Global Subsurface Technology Manager, managing subsurface projects on five continents. In 2016 he co-founded Adavale Energy with Steven Scott. In 2017 he co-founded AusGasCo. |
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