As the oil or gas exploration and development activities in deep and ultra- deep waters become more and more, encountering gas hydrate bearing sediments (HBS) is almost inevitable. The variation in temperature and p...As the oil or gas exploration and development activities in deep and ultra- deep waters become more and more, encountering gas hydrate bearing sediments (HBS) is almost inevitable. The variation in temperature and pressure can destabilize gas hydrate in nearby formation around the borehole, which may reduce the strength of the formation and result in wellbore instability. A non-isothermal, transient, two-phase, and fluid-solid coupling mathematical model is proposed to simulate the complex stability performance of a wellbore drilled in HBS. In the model, the phase transition of hydrate dissociation, the heat exchange between drilling fluid and formation, the change of mechanical and petrophysical properties, the gas-water two-phase seepage, and its interaction with rock deformation are considered. A finite element simulator is developed, and the impact of drilling mud on wellbore instability in HBS is simulated. Results indicate that the re- duction in pressure and the increase in temperature of the drilling fluid can accelerate hydrate decomposition and lead to mechanical properties getting worse tremendously. The cohesion decreases by 25% when the hydrate totally dissociates in HBS. This easily causes the wellbore instability accordingly. In the first two hours after the formation is drilled, the regions of hydrate dissociation and wellbore instability extend quickly. Then, with the soaking time of drilling fluid increasing, the regions enlarge little. Choosing the low temperature drilling fluid and increasing the drilling mud pressure appropriately can benefit the wellbore stability of HBS. The established model turns out to be an efficient tool in numerical studies of the hydrate dissociation behavior and wellbore stability of HBS.展开更多
The changes in the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments(GHBS) induced by gas hydrate(GH) dissociation are essential to the evaluation of GH exploration and stratum instabilities. Previous studies pre...The changes in the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments(GHBS) induced by gas hydrate(GH) dissociation are essential to the evaluation of GH exploration and stratum instabilities. Previous studies present substantial mechanical data and constitutive models for GHBS at a given GH saturation under the non-dissociated condition. In this paper, GHBS was formed by the gas saturated method, GH was dissociated by depressurization until the GH saturation reached different dissociation degrees. The stress–strain curves were measured using triaxial tests at a same pore gas pressure and different confining pressures. The results show that the shear strength decreases progressively by 30%–90% of the initial value with GH dissociation, and the modulus decreases by 50% –75%. Simplified relationships for the modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle with GH dissociated saturation were presented.展开更多
A constitutive model for methane hydrate-bearing sediment(MHBS)is essential for the analysis of mechanical response of MHBS to the change of hydrate saturation caused by gas extraction. A new elasto-plastic constituti...A constitutive model for methane hydrate-bearing sediment(MHBS)is essential for the analysis of mechanical response of MHBS to the change of hydrate saturation caused by gas extraction. A new elasto-plastic constitutive model is built in order to simulate the mechanical behavior of MHBS in this paper. This model represents more significant mechanical properties of MHBS such as bonding, higher stiffness, softening and stress-strain nonlinear relationship. The bonding behavior can be described by use of a parameter related to mechanical hydrate saturation. Higher stiffness can be modeled by the introduction of hydrate saturation into traditional expression of soil stiffness. Softening can be controlled by a function describing the relationship between cohesion and bonding structure factor. Dilatancy can be estimated by establishing the relationship between the lateral strain and axial strain. Meanwhile, the hypothesis of isotropic expanding is applied to the calculation of the volumetric strain. The stress-strain curves under different hydrate saturation conditions predicted by the proposed model are in good agreement with the test data. All the coefficients can be easily obtained by the triaxial test of MHBS.展开更多
In this study,the Discrete Element Method(DEM)was employed to investigate numerically the effects of hydrate cementation and intermediate principal stress on the stress-dilatancy relation of graincementing type methan...In this study,the Discrete Element Method(DEM)was employed to investigate numerically the effects of hydrate cementation and intermediate principal stress on the stress-dilatancy relation of graincementing type methane hydrate-bearing sediment(MHBS)by conducting a series of conventional and true triaxial tests.A novel 3D thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical(THMC)contact model for MHBS was employed.The numerical results show that with increasing hydrate saturation and back pressure,or decreasing confining pressure,temperature and salinity,the stress-dilation relation of grain-cementing type MHBS evolves from dilation-dominant to bond-dominant.For the clean sand samples,the relationship between the normalized stress ratio h/Mcr and the dilatancy rate d is close under different intermediate principal stress coefficients.However,for the MHBS samples,this relationship is still affected by the intermediate principal stress coefficient b,due to the effect of hydrate cementation.展开更多
Experiments were made on 58 sediment samples from four sites (1244, 1245, 1250 and 1251) of ODP204 at five temperature points (25, 35, 45, 55 and 65°C) to simulate methane production from hydrate-bearing sediment...Experiments were made on 58 sediment samples from four sites (1244, 1245, 1250 and 1251) of ODP204 at five temperature points (25, 35, 45, 55 and 65°C) to simulate methane production from hydrate-bearing sediments. Simulation results from site 1244 show that the gas components consist mainly of methane and carbon dioxide, and heavy hydrocarbons more than C2 + cannot be detected. This site also gives results, similar to those from the other three, that the methane production is controlled by experimental temperatures, generally reaching the maximum gas yields per gram sediment or TOC under lower temperatures (25 and 35°C). In other words, the methane amount could be related to the buried depth of sediments, given the close relation between the depth and temperature. Sediments less than 1200 m below seafloor are inferred to still act as a biogenic gas producer to pour methane into the present hydrate zone, while sedimentary layers more than 1200 m below seafloor have become too biogenically exhausted to offer any biogas, but instead they produce thermogenic gas to give additional supply to the hydrate formation in the study area.展开更多
基金supported by the Major National Science and Technology Program(Nos.2008ZX05026-00411 and 2011ZX05026-004-08)the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University(No.RT1086)
文摘As the oil or gas exploration and development activities in deep and ultra- deep waters become more and more, encountering gas hydrate bearing sediments (HBS) is almost inevitable. The variation in temperature and pressure can destabilize gas hydrate in nearby formation around the borehole, which may reduce the strength of the formation and result in wellbore instability. A non-isothermal, transient, two-phase, and fluid-solid coupling mathematical model is proposed to simulate the complex stability performance of a wellbore drilled in HBS. In the model, the phase transition of hydrate dissociation, the heat exchange between drilling fluid and formation, the change of mechanical and petrophysical properties, the gas-water two-phase seepage, and its interaction with rock deformation are considered. A finite element simulator is developed, and the impact of drilling mud on wellbore instability in HBS is simulated. Results indicate that the re- duction in pressure and the increase in temperature of the drilling fluid can accelerate hydrate decomposition and lead to mechanical properties getting worse tremendously. The cohesion decreases by 25% when the hydrate totally dissociates in HBS. This easily causes the wellbore instability accordingly. In the first two hours after the formation is drilled, the regions of hydrate dissociation and wellbore instability extend quickly. Then, with the soaking time of drilling fluid increasing, the regions enlarge little. Choosing the low temperature drilling fluid and increasing the drilling mud pressure appropriately can benefit the wellbore stability of HBS. The established model turns out to be an efficient tool in numerical studies of the hydrate dissociation behavior and wellbore stability of HBS.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants 41376078,51639008,and 51239010)the China Geological Survey(Grant DD20160216)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant 2017027)
文摘The changes in the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments(GHBS) induced by gas hydrate(GH) dissociation are essential to the evaluation of GH exploration and stratum instabilities. Previous studies present substantial mechanical data and constitutive models for GHBS at a given GH saturation under the non-dissociated condition. In this paper, GHBS was formed by the gas saturated method, GH was dissociated by depressurization until the GH saturation reached different dissociation degrees. The stress–strain curves were measured using triaxial tests at a same pore gas pressure and different confining pressures. The results show that the shear strength decreases progressively by 30%–90% of the initial value with GH dissociation, and the modulus decreases by 50% –75%. Simplified relationships for the modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle with GH dissociated saturation were presented.
基金Supported by the National Science and Technology Major Project of China(No.2011ZX05026-004)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51309047 and No.51509032)
文摘A constitutive model for methane hydrate-bearing sediment(MHBS)is essential for the analysis of mechanical response of MHBS to the change of hydrate saturation caused by gas extraction. A new elasto-plastic constitutive model is built in order to simulate the mechanical behavior of MHBS in this paper. This model represents more significant mechanical properties of MHBS such as bonding, higher stiffness, softening and stress-strain nonlinear relationship. The bonding behavior can be described by use of a parameter related to mechanical hydrate saturation. Higher stiffness can be modeled by the introduction of hydrate saturation into traditional expression of soil stiffness. Softening can be controlled by a function describing the relationship between cohesion and bonding structure factor. Dilatancy can be estimated by establishing the relationship between the lateral strain and axial strain. Meanwhile, the hypothesis of isotropic expanding is applied to the calculation of the volumetric strain. The stress-strain curves under different hydrate saturation conditions predicted by the proposed model are in good agreement with the test data. All the coefficients can be easily obtained by the triaxial test of MHBS.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51639008 and No.51890911)State Key Lab.of Disaster Reduction in Civil Engineering(Grant No.SLDRCE14-A-04),which is greatly appreciated.
文摘In this study,the Discrete Element Method(DEM)was employed to investigate numerically the effects of hydrate cementation and intermediate principal stress on the stress-dilatancy relation of graincementing type methane hydrate-bearing sediment(MHBS)by conducting a series of conventional and true triaxial tests.A novel 3D thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical(THMC)contact model for MHBS was employed.The numerical results show that with increasing hydrate saturation and back pressure,or decreasing confining pressure,temperature and salinity,the stress-dilation relation of grain-cementing type MHBS evolves from dilation-dominant to bond-dominant.For the clean sand samples,the relationship between the normalized stress ratio h/Mcr and the dilatancy rate d is close under different intermediate principal stress coefficients.However,for the MHBS samples,this relationship is still affected by the intermediate principal stress coefficient b,due to the effect of hydrate cementation.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.40576059)
文摘Experiments were made on 58 sediment samples from four sites (1244, 1245, 1250 and 1251) of ODP204 at five temperature points (25, 35, 45, 55 and 65°C) to simulate methane production from hydrate-bearing sediments. Simulation results from site 1244 show that the gas components consist mainly of methane and carbon dioxide, and heavy hydrocarbons more than C2 + cannot be detected. This site also gives results, similar to those from the other three, that the methane production is controlled by experimental temperatures, generally reaching the maximum gas yields per gram sediment or TOC under lower temperatures (25 and 35°C). In other words, the methane amount could be related to the buried depth of sediments, given the close relation between the depth and temperature. Sediments less than 1200 m below seafloor are inferred to still act as a biogenic gas producer to pour methane into the present hydrate zone, while sedimentary layers more than 1200 m below seafloor have become too biogenically exhausted to offer any biogas, but instead they produce thermogenic gas to give additional supply to the hydrate formation in the study area.