Numerical Investigation on Dynamic Characteristics of Casing Deformation During Marine Hydrate Production

Formation subsidence is inevitable during marine hydrate decomposition,and the consequent casing deformation seriously threatens the security of sustainable hydrate production.Owing to insufficient observed data of formation subsidence in field,displacement boundary condition of casing is undetermined.Thus the conventional static methods are inapplicable for the calculation of casing deformation in hydrate production well.The present work aims at proposing an approach to investigate dynamic deformation of the casing during hydrate production.In the proposed methodology,based on the movement theory of hydrate decomposition front,hydrate decomposition process can be simulated,in which hydrate reservoir strength formation subsidence showed time-dependent characteristics.By considering the actual interactions among casing,cement and formation,three models of hydrate production well are developed to reveal the static and dynamic deformation mechanisms of the casing.The application of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through a case study.Results show that buckling deformation and bending deformation of casing reduce the passing ability of downhole tools in deformed casing by 4.2%and 7.5%,respectively.With the progress of hydrate production,buckling deformation will increase obviously,while a little increase of bending deformation will occur,as the formation slippage induced by formation inclination is much larger than that caused by hydrate decomposition.The proposed approach can provide theoretical reference for improving casing integrity of marine hydrate production.