Developing and calibrating a numerical model for Microbially Enhanced Coal-Bed Methane (MECBM) production

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The overall objective of the proposed project is the development of numerical modeling capabilities for the simulation of processes during microbially enhanced coal-bed methane (MECBM) production and its implementation into the open-source numerical simulator Dumux (www.dumux.org). By supporting and supplementing experimental work, this model is then aimed at testing different hypotheses concerning the details of the reactive transport during MECBM processes which are still poorly understood. This can be achieved by means of comparisons between simulations and experiments at the Center for Biofilm Engineering at the Montana State University in Bozeman/USA (MSU-CBS) on a column scale and performing sensitivity analyses to determine the influence of various parameters. Where necessary, the model equations can be adapted according to new data and findings from the validation attempts with experimental data. It is envisioned that the newly developed model will become a key tool for ultimately transferring the knowledge from the laboratory scale to field-scale relevance and for designing scenarios to test the MECBM technology in the field. The numerical model will be essential in the further development of MECBM production technologies, in specific in the design of the planned MECBM field demonstration by MSU-CBE in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).In summary, the expected outcome from the proposed project will be improved fundamental knowledge about MECBM processes achieved with a simulation tool in combination with experimental studies on the lab- and field-scale. The development of simulation capabilities is in no way aimed at reducing the importance of experiments, but it will decisively aid in focusing available time and effort on the key experimental studies and field setups.