Publications

Coal Bed Methane (CBM) is a potential alternative energy to be developed in Indonesia as there are CBM resources amounting to 453.3 TCF of gas which is lying on 11 basins. In principle, the CBM production process is by producing the water (dewatering) before we can derived the coal gas (methane) from the coal matrix. Any poor quality of produced water that be pumped directly into the environment, will causing some environmental problems. In this paper, the authors obtained data on the CBM well area “X” in field “Y”. CBM well “X”’s dewatering stage produced water that reached 2,000 BWPD during the 2012 production period. The results of the analysis of the reservoir by a team of geologists and geophysics from PT. Medco CBM Sekayu, South Sumatera show that the total amount of produced water from CBM well “X” in the production year period of 2012 to 2028 is estimated at 41,686 barrels or approximately 6,627.545 m3. Certain parameters, such as the sodium chloride (NaCl) content, from the produced water of CBM “X” well do not meet the environmental standards quality requirements. To turn the produced water into environmental standards, that contains traces of NaCl less than 400 mg/l, the water can be treating by using a simple distillation method. The distillation is based on the difference in boiling points: the boiling point of water (100 °C) and the boiling point of NaCl (1413 °C). The results obtained from the steam distillation of clean water, which is condensed and eventually separated, and water obtained from NaCl and other elements can be used for freshwater fisheries, animal husbandry, irrigation, washing coal, industrial process water, as well as for drinking water. This is done by utilizing the methods of Neutralization, Aeration, Filtration, and Osmosis Reversed. Keywords: Coal Bed Methane (CBM), Treatment, Clean Water