Abstract:
To clarify the geological conditions, spatial variability, and storage potential of CO
2 sequestration in deep coal seams of the Weibei Coalfield, this study focuses on coal seams buried at depths greater than 1,000 m that are currently uneconomic to mine. The regional tectonic setting, coal-bearing strata, coal-seam occurrence, coal petrology and quality, and roof-sealing characteristics were systematically analyzed. A geological stability evaluation system comprising four primary criteria (storage-reservoir properties, overlying-strata characteristics, structural complexity, and seismic stability) and ten secondary indicators was established. The analytic hierarchy process and a membership-function-based comprehensive evaluation method were then applied to classify the storage stability of different mining areas and the roof-sealing performance of the target coal seams, and the effective CO
2 storage capacity of the deep coal seams was estimated. The results show that all evaluated blocks, except the Bailiang prospective block in the Chenghe mining area, fall within the stable category. The three evaluated blocks in the Hancheng mining area have the highest average comprehensive index and are therefore identified as priority areas in terms of storage stability. The roof-sealing performance is best for the No.3 and No.11 coal seams, followed by the No.10 coal seam, whereas the No.5 coal seam exhibits relatively weaker sealing performance. The total effective CO
2 storage capacity of the deep coal seams in the Weibei Coalfield was preliminarily estimated, and based on the evaluation results, the storage areas were classified into suitable, moderately suitable and unsuitable zones, with the capacity ranges for each zone specified. These results indicate that the deep coal seams of the Weibei Coalfield generally possess favorable geological conditions for CO
2 storage and provide a geological basis for selecting prospective target areas and conducting subsequent site-specific assessments.