IPA13-G-071

PROCEEDINGS, INDONESIAN PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION

Thirty-Seventh Annual Convention & Exhibition, May 2013

PRELIMINARY STUDY DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF BATU AYAU FORMATION AND
ITS CBM PLAY EVALUATION, UPPER KUTAI BASIN,
EAST KALIMANTAN

Sandro Adventus Silaban*
Sunarly Ardi*
Vivi Siska Agustin*



ABSTRACT

Batu Ayau Formation is an Eocene Coal bearing
formations in Upper Kutai Basin that has good coal
bed methane (CBM) potential. Due to its coal
quality, high gas content is expected in this
formation. The objective of this study is to
determine depositional environment and to evaluate
coal bed methane potential in Upper Kutai Basin.

Three different data were used to determine
depositional environment; outcrop data located at
Laham area in West Kutai Regency, coal proximate
analysis, and biostratigraphy analysis to determine
paleoenvironment Batu Ayau Formation. All data
are used to understand the vertical stratigraphic
succession and lateral distribution of Batu Ayau
formation. CBM evaluation and Kims Formula
(1977) are used to estimate gas content.

Outcrop data analyses have resulted in five distinct
facies associations classification:

(1) Tidal Fluvial Channel/Intertidal Channel;
(2) Floodplain/Marshes/Swamps deposit;
(3) Crevasse Splays;
(4) Intertidal Deposit; and
(5) Marginal to Shallow Marine.
This facies associations combined with
biostratigraphy analysis showed depositional
environment Fluvio-Tidal Environment in Lower to
middle part and Marginal to Shallow Marine in
Upper part.

Coal characteristics in this formation are black,
banded bright, black streak, hard, brittle-concoidal,
fractured. The proximate analysis from several coal
sample shows inherent moisture (IM) 2.84 %, ash
7.34 %, volatile matter (VM) 39.75 %, fixed carbon
(FC) 50.06%, calorific value (CV) 7408 cal/gram

* Sugico, PT
(adb), Ro 0.65%, maceral composition is dominated
by vitrinite (87.1%), is classified as High Volatile C
Bituminus (ASTM standard). The Batu Ayau

Formation is interpreted to be deposited in a tidal
environment with influence of fluvial in lower part
and wave in upper part. Gas content estimation of
Eocene coal Batu Ayau Formation using Kims
Formula (1977) based on the proximate data taken
at depth 300 -1500 m is 240.91 376.75 scf/ton
shows this formation has good potential for CBM
development potential. The main challenge is to
find the potential area with the thickest coal
distribution.

INTRODUCTION

Kutai basin is a deep basin in Indonesia with
approximate total sediment thickness of 90.000 m.
Kutai Basin has been developed since Middle
Eocene to the recent with high geological structure
complexity. Kutai basin is bounded to the north by
Mangkalihat High, to the west by Kucing high, and
by Adang Flexure in the southern area (Figure 2).
Coal bearing Batu Ayau formation has good coal
quality for Coal Bed Methane potential. The study
area is located in West Kutai District. Data
collection was conducted in Laham, Long Bangun,
Ujoh Bilang, and in Danum Parei Areas in Kutai
Barat district of East Kalimantan Province, western
side which borders East Kalimantan with Central
Kalimantan (Figure 1). Field studies included
geological observation such as sedimentology and
stratigraphy, focused on coal bearing formation or
Eocene sediment formation. The interpretation of
depositional environment of the Batu Ayau
Formation and Ujoh Bilang is based on previous
field observations (Wain T & Berod B, 1989). All
outcrop data were collected (measured section)
mostly in outside the block and has resulted in
reconstruction of vertical stratigraphic detail of this
formation and coal vertical distribution such as
IPA, 2013 - 37th Ahhual Cohvehtioh Proceedihgs, 2013