Patent ID: 6959764

Claim:
An apparatus for promoting the flow of methane gas from a underground coal seam aquifer to the earth's surface, the apparatus comprising: a well casing extending into the earth with an inlet positioned proximate a coal seam aquifer and an outlet positioned proximate the surface of the earth; a conduit extending within the well casing and having an intake positioned proximate the coal seam aquifer and an exit positioned proximate the surface of the earth; a pump operably connected to pump water from the coal seam aquifer through the conduit to the surface; and a baffle placed in a two-phase flow to preferentially permit passage of a comparatively higher fraction of a flow of gas and a comparatively lesser fraction of a flow of water therethrough, the baffle positioned to occupy, at a location between the inlet and the outlet, at least a portion of the gap formed between the interior surface of the well casing and the exterior surface of the conduit; and the baffle further comprising a first plate having a plurality of apertures formed therethrough and distributed thereacross, a second plate, spaced from the first plate, having an eccentrically located aperture grouping formed therethrough, and a third plate, spaced from the second plate, having an eccentrically located aperture grouping formed therethrough.