The United States CSG industry has progressed with a considerable amount of trial and error that led to a boom in innovation. Many factors have contributed to this level of success.
Maintenance costs associated with artificial lift over the lifespan of a well generally exceed the total cost of initial drilling and well development. The planning for artificial lift should be done with the same degree of diligence as is given to the drilling and well completions. Preplanning can save the operator thousands of dollars as other issues associated with CSG undoubtedly overrun budgets.
It is widely viewed that the economics of CSG is not calculated in the same manner as the oil and gas industry.
Specialised equipment that is tailored to conventional oil and gas exploration is unfit for use with CSG. Considering this, it is recommended that operators seek appropriate plant to work with on CSG projects in order to combat the corresponding issues that can arise from the differing technique.
Unfortunately de-watering CSG is not as simple as just pumping water off the coal. Unique issues that will arise at some point during the life of the well will be solids intrusion and turbulent flow conditions. Both can and will affect the life of the equipment unless planned for from the beginning.
Solids will be an issue sometime in the life of the well. Solids production faces its own challenges, namely the rate of drawdown, inflow velocities and washing the coal face due to startup and shut down of the artificial lift system.
The key to success in CSG is straightforward. Avoid the use of artificial lift suppliers without a CSG history and embrace the experience of those suppliers as someone else has already paid for the trial and error. Australia CSG, good luck.