Progress of coal-formed gas geological theory and its status in natural gas industry in China

The concept of coal measures forming natural gas was proposed by German scholars in the 1940s. By the late 1970s, coal-formed gas accounted for almost 70% of the proved gas reserves in the world. Geological theory of coal-formed gas in China has gone through a process of introduction, absorption, innovation, development and forming into a system. The theoretical system, which covers coal-formed gas (conventional resource) and coalbed gas (non-conventional resource), includes gas source identification, coal-formed gas accumulation and distribution, as well as evaluation and prediction method. It has given good directions for the establishment and development of natural gas industry in China and accelerated the growth of reserves and production of natural gas in the past 30 years. It is also a successful case in satisfying the national need through combining major scientific and technological issues with practice closely.