Process to increase the area of microbial stimulation in methane gas recovery in a multi seam coal bed/methane dewatering and depressurizing production system through the use of horizontal or multilateral wells

A process to increase the area of a seam of coal into which microbes can be introduced to stimulate the recovery of methane gas from the seam of coal, comprising the following steps:

• a. drilling a first substantially vertical bore hole;
• b. drilling a horizontal bore hole from the vertical bore hole at substantially the depth of the seam of coal;
• c. extending the horizontal bore hole a distance to cover substantially the length of the seam of coal;
• d. drilling the horizontal well with lateral extensions in a pattern substantially under formation pressure with produced water so as not to damage the permeability and cleat system of the coal seams;
• e. removing the produced water for the horizontal pattern underbalanced and replacing the fluid with fluid containing nutrient enriched designer microbes so that substantially a maximum area of the coal seam permeability and cleat system is exposed to the fluid containing microbes;
• f. drilling a second horizontal pattern underbalanced in close proximity to said first pattern as such to pressure communicate with said first pattern and allow the fluid from the first well to migrate in the subsurface through advection, dispersion and diffusion so that fluid will migrate from areas of higher pressure or concentrations to areas of lower pressure or concentrations;
• g. wherein the chemistry of the drilling system will incorporate an anaerobic environment without oxygen present;
• and
• h. retrieving the methane gas from the horizontal bore hole during underbalanced conditions and moving the gas up the vertical bore hole to be collected and stored at the surface.

A process to increase the area of microbial stimulation of a coal bed to recover methane gas, comprising the following steps:

• a. drilling a first substantially vertical bore hole to the depth of the coal bed;
• b. drilling a horizontal bore hole from the vertical bore hole at substantially the depth of the coal bed;
• c. extending the horizontal bore hole a distance to cover substantially the length of the coal bed;
• d. drilling the horizontal well with lateral extensions in a pattern substantially under formation pressure with produced water so as not to damage the permeability and cleat system of the coal seams;
• e. removing the produced water for the horizontal pattern underbalanced and replacing the fluid with fluid containing nutrient enriched designer microbes so that substantially a maximum area of the coal seam permeability and cleat system is exposed to the fluid containing microbes;
• f. drilling a second horizontal pattern underbalanced in close proximity to said first pattern as such to pressure communicate with said first pattern and allow the fluid from the first well to migrate in the subsurface through advection, dispersion and diffusion so that fluid will migrate from areas of higher pressure or concentrations to areas of lower pressure or concentrations;
• and
• g. retrieving the methane gas from the horizontal bore hole during underbalanced conditions and moving the gas up the vertical bore hole to be collected and stored at the surface.

A process to maximize the area of microbial stimulation of a coal bed to recover methane gas from a formation, comprising the following steps:

• a. drilling a first substantially vertical bore hole to the depth of the coal bed;
• b. drilling a horizontal bore hole from the vertical bore hole at substantially the depth of the coal bed;
• c. extending the horizontal bore hole a distance to cover substantially the length of the coal bed;
• d. drilling the horizontal well with lateral extensions in a pattern substantially under formation pressure with produced water so as not to damage the permeability and cleat system of the coal seams;
• e. removing the produced water for the horizontal pattern underbalanced and replacing the fluid with fluid containing nutrient enriched designer microbes so that substantially a maximum area of the coal seam permeability and cleat system is exposed to the fluid containing microbes;
• f. drilling a second horizontal pattern underbalanced in close proximity to said first pattern as such to pressure communicate with said first pattern and allow the fluid from the first well to migrate in the subsurface through advection, dispersion and diffusion so that fluid will migrate from areas of higher pressure or concentrations to areas of lower pressure or concentrations;
• g. wherein the chemistry of the drilling system will incorporate an anaerobic environment without oxygen present;
• and
• h. retrieving the methane gas from the horizontal bore hole during underbalanced conditions and moving the gas up the vertical bore hole to be collected and stored at the surface.

An improved process to maximize the area of microbial stimulation of a coal bed to recover methane gas from a formation, comprising the steps of:

• a. drilling a first substantially vertical bore hole to the depth of the coal bed;
• b. drilling a horizontal bore hole from the vertical bore hole at substantially the depth of the coal bed;
• c. extending the horizontal bore hole a distance to cover the length of the coal bed;
• d. drilling the horizontal well with lateral extensions in a pattern substantially under formation pressure with produced water so as not to damage the permeability and cleat system of the coal seams;
• e. removing the produced water for the horizontal pattern underbalanced and replacing the fluid with fluid containing nutrient enriched designer microbes so that substantially a maximum area of the coal seam permeability and cleat system is exposed to the fluid containing microbes;
• f. drilling a second horizontal pattern underbalanced in close proximity to said first pattern as such to pressure communicate with said first pattern and allow the fluid from the first well to migrate in the subsurface through advection, dispersion and diffusion so that fluid will migrate from areas of higher pressure or concentrations to areas of lower pressure or concentrations;
• g. wherein the chemistry of the drilling system will incorporate an anaerobic environment without oxygen present;
• and
• h. retrieving the methane gas from the horizontal bore hole during underbalanced conditions and moving the gas up the vertical bore hole to be collected and stored at the surface.