Australian CSG continues to grow - The Australian Pipeliner

The addition of high-density polyethylene pipe, fused via butt fusion, has significantly boosted the efficiency of natural gas collection in Australian coal seam gas (CSG).

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping systems have a growing presence in many large and small-diameter applications, particularly in the underground sector.

HDPE delivers long-lasting, leak-free infrastructure that can be installed much more quickly than traditional iron or steel pipe, allowing contractors to increase efficiency and lower overhead costs.

As demand for natural gas and other energy sources continues to increase, so too does the need for methods that boost productivity and efficiency in the field.

Butt fusion using HDPE is a proven, reliable method with the potential to drastically reduce both labor and equipment costs, opening the door for drastic savings as the market continues to develop.

Changing gears

In Queensland, Australia, natural gas has historically been acquired by conventional methods from existing reservoirs.

However, as those reservoirs have depleted over time, the acquisition of natural gas has shifted to processes that utilise the natural gas supplies in the state’s abundant coal seams. As the methods of acquisition have changed, the overall process has likewise evolved to install wells quickly and efficiently for smaller coal seam reservoirs.

In a 2016 edition of the Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, an article titled ‘An Overview of the Coal Seam Gas Developments in Queensland’ it explained how this process required the installation of “considerable infrastructure” that is an ongoing process as development continues.

Coalbed methane – also known as coal seam gas (CSG) – is a naturally-occurring substance found in coal seams and formations.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, coalbed methane is formed when plant material is converted to coal, a process known as coalification.

The resulting methane can be accessed by drilling into the seam itself and establishing a well to pump out existing ground water, which reduces pressure in the seam and lets the methane separate from the coal in the form of natural gas.

Increased demand

In the past two decades, the demand for CSG in Australia has risen dramatically, according to Business Queensland, an official Queensland industry publication.

Because of the speed at which HDPE pipe can be installed, operators in Queensland are able to quickly place gathering lines that transfer coalbed gas and groundwater from wells to nearby substations to be cleaned and filtered.

The Bowen and Surat Basins

For years, a coalbed gas project has been underway northwest of Brisbane, in an area known as the Bowen and Surat Basins.

These basins represent more than 90 per cent of Queensland’s total gas production, including CSG. This project involves running gas pipelines from Roma, a town about 475km northwest of Brisbane, to Gladstone, a city 486 km away.

In Gladstone, the natural gas is processed and liquified, then used domestically or shipped to international markets. This project is comprised of about 1450 existing gas wells that supply coalbed gas to four power stations.

In addition to the potential for international use, that natural gas is able to power about 800,000 Queensland homes.

All that activity has kept distributors and fusion machine operators busy.

“There are a lot of in-ground fusions involved,” GEM Industrial Services National Sales Manager Darren Chandler said.

“Two of the biggest HDPE manufacturing companies in Australia have set up not far from these fields, just so pipe could be more quickly moved out to the sites.”

GEM Industrial is one of many companies brought in to perform fusions in the well fields. The company is a regional contractor and partner of McElroy Manufacturing, the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based manufacturer of high-quality HDPE fusion machines.

Many McElroy machines have been involved in the installation of the gathering lines in the Queensland CSG industry.

By using butt-fused HDPE, Chandler said operators have taken hours-long welding and beading processes and whittled them down to less than an hour.

“It’s so much quicker,” he said. “The idea is productivity.”

Welding crews utilised the TracStar® 900, one of McElroy’s flagship machines, to complete in-ground HDPE fusion in the well beds.

Working in 21-day shifts, the crews would fly to the remote parts of Queensland to complete the work. Because of the TracStar’s unique design, operators were able to lift the carriage off the rubber tracks and lower it into the ditch.

Performing fusions in the ditch with the TracStar 900 carriage provides the same level of joint quality as fusions done on a tracked vehicle and allows operators to save time that might otherwise be spent relocating the pipe after the fusion takes place.

Well installation and maintenance

One contractor, Arrow Energy, has the process of well installation and maintenance down to a science. In a 2020 briefing, Arrow Energy indicated that it takes between four and eight days to clear and level a well pad, then an additional four to seven days to drill the well. The installation of well surface facilities takes 30 to 90 days, and the water pump installation takes about five days per well. After the well is in place, maintenance workovers take about three to six days per well.

A CSG well has an average lifespan of about one year. Once the well is depleted, it is capped, generally with cement, to ensure no remaining deposits of natural gas can escape to the surface.

Looking forward

As natural gas collection within the Australia coal seams continues to evolve, so too will the ways that this collection method is studied and improved.

When combined with equipment that is properly installed and maintained, the risk of emissions resulting in coal bed gas activity can be lowered, bolstering the benefits of coal bed gas when compared to traditional methods.

For more information, visit mcelroy.com.

This article featured in the January edition of The Australian Pipeliner.

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