Abstract:
Methane in coal seams (CH
4) significantly impacts coal mine safety, contributes to clean energy supply, and affects the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere. Injecting liquid CO
2 is not only a powerful measure to reduce coal seam gas pressure, lower the risk of coal and gas outburst accidents, and minimize the impact of CH
4 emissions on the atmospheric environment, but also an effective way to improve the quality and efficiency of coal seam CH
4 extraction. To investigate the enhancement effect of the pulsation of the borehole pressure on coalbed CH
4 extraction during liquid CO
2 injection, CO
2’s effective influence radius, CH
4 extraction concentration, borehole extraction mixture, and pure CH
4 extraction from boreholes were used as indicators. A series of in-situ comparative experiments were conducted at the Shuanglong Coal Mine in Huangling, Shaanxi, using continuous injection methods at pressures of 2.0 MPa, 3.4 MPa, and 5.0 MPa. Results showed that injection pressure exhibited a “∏-shaped” trend over time. At 3.4 MPa, borehole pressure fluctuated with an amplitude and period of 0.52 MPa and 10.7 minutes, respectively. The effective influence radius of CO
2 in the coal seam reached 25 meters, consistent with the 5.0 MPa pressure case and higher than the 2.0 MPa case. Additionally, compared to pressures of 2.0 MPa and 5.0 MPa, CH
4 extraction concentration, borehole extraction mixture, and pure CH
4 extraction efficiency increased by 29.9% and 7.2%, 43.6% and 27.3%, and 84.0% and 36.3%, respectively, with CO
2 injection. The phase change displacement of CO
2 in the coal seam effectively promotes CH
4 extraction efficiency.