Geothermal investigation of the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone in the north continental margin of the South China Sea

The exploration of unconventional and/or new energy resources has become the focus of energy research worldwide,given the shortage of fossil fuels.As a potential energy resource,gas hydrate exists only in the environment of high pressure and low temperature,mainly distributing in the sediments of the seafloor in the continental margins and the permafrost zones in land.The accurate determination of the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is essential yet challenging in the assessment of the exploitation potential.The majority of previous studies obtain this thickness by detecting the bottom simulating reflectors（BSRs） layer on the seismic profiles.The phase equilibrium between gas hydrate stable state with its temperature and pressure provides an opportunity to derive the thickness with the geothermal method.Based on the latest geothermal dataset,we calculated the thickness of the gas hydrate stability zone（GHSZ） in the north continental margin of the South China Sea.Our results indicate that the thicknesses of gas hydrate stability zone vary greatly in different areas of the northern margin of the South China Sea.The thickness mainly concentrates on 200–300 m and distributes in the southwestern and eastern areas with belt-like shape.We further confirmed a certain relationship between the GHSZ thickness and factors such as heat flow and water depth.The thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is found to be large where the heat flow is relatively low.The GHSZ thickness increases with the increase of the water depth,but it tends to stay steady when the water depth deeper than 3 000 m.The findings would improve the assessment of gas hydrate resource potential in the South China Sea.

A Preliminary Study of the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone in the South China Sea

Based on the analysis of sea-bottom temperature and geothermal gradient, andby means of the phase boundary curve of gas hydrate and the sea-bottom temperature versus waterdepth curve in the South China Sea, this paper studies the temperature and pressure conditions forgas hydrate to keep stable. In a marine environment, methane hydrate keeps stable at water depthsgreater than 550 min the South China Sea. Further, the thickness of the gas hydrate stability zonein the South China Sea was calculated by using the phase boundary curve and temperature-depthequations. The result shows that gas hydrate have a better perspective in the southeast of theDongsha Islands. the northeast of the Xisha Islands and the north of the Nansha Islands for thickerstability zones.

Characteristics of Gas Hydrate Stability Zone and Resource Evaluation in Okinawa Trough

According to the processing and interpretation of multichannel seismic reflection data in the area of Okinawa Trough, the BSR （bottom simulating reflector） was identified in 16 seismic profiles. By means of special processing technologies such as AVO and waveform inversion, the authors, for the first time, directly used the BSR to outline the distribution tendency of thickness of gas hydrate stability zone in the Trough and thought that the largest stability zone thickness was in the south and the smallest in the north. Then through calculation the authors got the thickness of hydrate stability zone and resource of the hydrate. This would be useful to the future hydrate exploration and resource evaluation in the Okinawa Trough.

Spatial distribution and inventory of natural gas hydrate in the Qiongdongnan Basin,northern South China Sea

Natural gas hydrate is a potential clean energy source and is related to submarine geohazard,climate change,and global carbon cycle.Multidisciplinary investigations have revealed the occurrence of hydrate in the Qiongdongnan Basin,northern South China Sea.However,the spatial distribution,controlling factors,and favorable areas are not well defined.Here we use the available high-resolution seismic lines,well logging,and heat flow data to explore the issues by calculating the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone(GHSZ)and estimating the inventory.Results show that the GHSZ thickness ranges between mostly~200 and 400 m at water depths>500 m.The gas hydrate inventory is~6.5×109-t carbon over an area of~6×104 km2.Three areas including the lower uplift to the south of the Lingshui sub-basin,the Songnan and Baodao sub-basins,and the Changchang sub-basin have a thick GHSZ of~250-310 m,250-330 m,and 350-400 m,respectively,where water depths are~1000-1600 m,1000-2000 m,and2400-3000 m,respectively.In these deep waters,bottom water temperatures vary slightly from~4 to 2℃.However,heat flow increases significantly with water depth and reaches the highest value of~80-100 mW/m2 in the deepest water area of Changchang sub-basin.High heat flow tends to reduce GHSZ thickness,but the thickest GHSZ still occurs in the Changchang sub-basin,highlighting the role of water depth in controlling GHSZ.The lower uplift to the south of the Lingshui sub-basin has high deposition rate(~270-830 m/Ma in 1.8-0 Ma);the thick Cenozoic sediment,rich biogenic and thermogenic gas supplies,and excellent transport systems(faults,diapirs,and gas chimneys)enables it a promising area of hydrate accumulation,from which hydrate-related bottom simulating reflectors,gas chimneys,and active cold seeps were widely revealed.

Stratigraphic Sequence and Sedimentary Systems in the Middle-Southern Continental Slope of the East China Sea from Seismic Reflection Data: Exploration Prospects of Gas Hydrate

Many evidences for gas hydrate bearing sediments had been found in the continental slope of the East China Sea,such as bottom simulating reflections(BSRs),undersea gas springs,pyrite associated with methane leakage,mud diapirs/mud volcanos,bottom-water methane anomalies and so on.In this study,six key stratigraphic interfaces including T_0(seafloor),T_1(LGM,23 kyr B.P.),T_2(2.58 Myr),T_3(5.33 Myr),T_4(11.02 Myr)and T_5(16.12 Myr)were identified,and then five third-order sequences of SQIII1 to SQIII5 were divided.However,T5 in southern continental slope is not found,which shows that the middle-northern Okinawa Trough had begun to rift in the early Miocene,earlier than the southern segment.Four system tracts including lowstand systems tract(LST),transgressive systems tract(TST),highstand systems tract(HST)and falling stage systems tract(FSST)are further divided.The marine erosion interface of 11.02 Myr and regressive unconformity interface of 23 kyr B.P.indicate two large-scale sea level drop events in the research area.Seven typical seismic facies identified in the continental slope are continental shelf-edge deltas,littoral fluvial-delta plains,incised channels or submarine canyons,slope fans,submarine fans or coastal sandbars,littoral-neritic finegrained sediments,mud volcanos and some other geological bodies respectively.The minimum water depth for hydrate occurrence in the Okinawa Trough is 630 m,and the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone in continental slope is between 0 and 590 m.The calculated bottom boundary of hydrate stability zone is slightly deeper than BSRs on the seismic sections.The re-depositional turbidite sand bodies,such as canyon channels,slope fans and submarine fans developed in Quaternary strata,are the predominant hydrate reservoirs.According to developing process,the dynamic accumulation of hydrate systems can be divided into three evolutionary stages including canyon erosion and hydrate stability zone migration stage,sediments destabilizing and methane leakage stage,and channel filling and hydrate re-occurrence stage.

Acidolysis hydrocarbon characteristics and significance of sediment samples from the ODP drilling legs of gas hydrate

To study on the significance and basis of acidolysis index to China marine gas hydrate exploring, since 2006, 111 samples derived from Leg 164 and 204 of the Ocean Drilling Program （ODP） were analyzed in the experiment center of China Petroleum Exploration Research Institute to obtain data on acidolysis hydrocarbon index and methane carbon isotopes by the gas chromatography （GC） of PE AutoSystem XL and isotope mass spectrometer （IRMS） of Finnigan MAT25 I. Through these, we study the reliability of the acidolysis method and characterize the gas hydrate potential. The results show that the acidolysis hydrocarbon index has a stable correspondence with the Gas Hydrate Stability Zone （GHSZ） in the ODE and that there are clear abnormal signs in shallow samples that might reliably reflect the existence of authigenic carbonate caused by hydrocarbon migration from bottom hydrate. We therefore propose that the ability to characterize the acidolysis hydrocarbon is crucial to submarine gas hydrate exploration in China.

Comment on "Estimation of potential distribution of gas hydrate in the northern South China Sea" by Chunjuan Wang et al.

Herein we would like to comment on the paper ＂Estimation of potential distribution of gas hydrate in the northern South China Sea＂ by Wang et al. 2010 in Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Lirnnology, 28（3）： 693-699. The purpose of this comment is to point out that the given probabilities of gas hydrate occtwrence in the northern Zhujiang Mouth Basin and the Yinggehai Basin in the figure of Wang et al. （2010） are improper. After introducing our work of estimation of gas hydrate stability distribution in the northern South China Sea, we suggest that Wang et al. （2010） dismissed the basic P-T rule for the existence of gas hydrate. They should consider more the variables of water depth, seabed temperature and geothermal gradient in their gas hydrate distribution model in future studies.

南海天然气水合物稳定带厚度分布特征

天然气水合物在未来能源、自然环境和灾害等方面具有重要的研究意义,其形成除需要充足的气源外,还与温度、压力密切相关。天然气水合物稳定带表明该地区水合物发育与分布的可能范围。以Dickens和Quinby-Hunt的甲烷水合物相平衡公式为基础,从地热学角度分析南海甲烷水合物稳定带厚度及其分布特征。研究表明,南海大部分海域均具备形成天然气水合物的条件。由于受海底深度、海底温度、热流等参数的影响,在不同位置发育的水合物稳定带厚度变化较大,最大厚度可达1 100 m,位于吕宋海槽内。水合物稳定带厚度较大的区域主要呈条带状分布在南海中部和东部,大陆边缘水深500 m左右即可形成水合物,说明南海地区具有广泛的天然气水合物形成环境。天然气水合物稳定带厚度仅是水合物厚度的理论值,地层中实际的水合物发育厚度和分布特征还受到气源、构造、沉积等因素的影响。此外,岩石热导率、海底温度、热流和水深等对南海水合物稳定带厚度及其分布有影响。

冲绳海槽天然气水合物稳定带厚度的计算

水合物稳定带 (HSZ)的研究对天然气水合物的成矿与分布规律以及资源评价研究都具有重要的指导意义。文章根据天然气水合物的相平衡条件和相应的压力_温度方程 ,参照有关的几何算法 ,讨论了海底天然气水合物稳定带厚度的理论计算方法。并根据稳定带厚度的理论计算方法 ,在Windows中文平台上编制了简单实用的程序。利用该程序对冲绳海槽水合物稳定带的厚度进行了计算 。

外界条件变化对天然气水合物相平衡曲线及稳定带厚度的影响

目前,有关天然气水合物的相关研究越来越多,而天然气水合物相平衡曲线和稳定带厚度的研究也变得越来越重要.本文利用Sloan的CSMHYD程序研究了外界条件变化对天然气水合物相平衡曲线及稳定带厚度的影响.研究结果表明:当天然气水合物中含有其他气体时,除了氮气会使水合物稳定存在的区域变小外;其他气体都会使稳定区域变大,且甲烷含量越少,水合物越容易形成;对于本文中所提到的几种气体,丙烷和硫化氢对相平衡曲线的影响最大;另外,水合物稳定存在的区域会随着盐度增加而变小.地温梯度、水深、海底温度、气体组成和孔隙水盐度对稳定带厚度的影响不同,其中稳定带厚度与地温梯度呈指数相关关系,与水深呈对数相关关系,与海底温度、水合物中甲烷含量及气体组成呈线性相关关系.水深从1 000 m增加到4 000 m时,稳定带厚度增加了大约400m;水深2 000 m情况下,地温梯度从0.02℃/m到0.1℃/m变化时,稳定带厚度减薄了大约660 m;底水温度从0～17℃的变化过程中,稳定带厚度减薄了大约1000m;在水合物中气体组成从纯甲烷到含20%乙烷时,稳定带厚度增加了大约170m;盐度在0～4.5 wt%的变化中,稳定带厚度减薄了大约130 m.由此可见,在这几种因素中,地温梯度和底水温度对稳定带厚度的影响较大.

台西南盆地天然气水合物甲烷量估算

南海北部陆坡区的台西南盆地是天然气水合物潜在分布区之一,水合物稳定带的研究对天然气水合物成矿与分布规律以及资源评价都具有重要意义,根据SO-177中德合作航次南海北部陆坡天然气水合物地质的调查资料,结合天然气水合物的相平衡条件和相应的压力-温度方程,计算了台西南盆地A区和B区的水合物稳定带厚度,并讨论了水合物稳定带厚度的分布特征。另外,对A区和B区天然气水合物中甲烷资源量进行了初步估算,估算结果为:A区甲烷资源含量为8.5739×1011～5.1443×1012m3,B区甲烷资源含量为1.4518×1012～8.7111×1012m3,A区和B区甲烷资源总量约2.3029×1012～13.8544×1012m3。初步估算结果显示,台西南盆地天然气水合物甲烷资源量潜力巨大。

海域天然气水合物稳定带厚度与其影响因素的半定量研究

海底沉积物中蕴含着大量的天然气水合物资源。水合物稳定带(HSZ)反映了海底天然气水合物的成矿作用和分布规律,稳定带厚度的影响因素决定了天然气水合物的蕴藏量。水合物稳定带的影响因素有很多种,但每种因素对其的影响程度不同。为探讨水合物稳定带厚度的分布规律,从分析海底天然气水合物相平衡影响因素入手,着重研究了影响稳定带厚度的水合物气体组分、地温梯度、海水深度、海底温度及孔隙水盐度等重要参数,并使用CSM-Gem程序对这些影响因素进行模拟计算;然后利用模拟计算所得到的结果数据进行曲线拟合,直至得到较为可信的相平衡曲线;最后根据此相平衡曲线,结合相应条件下的地温梯度曲线方程求得稳定带厚度。通过对预设各条件值与相应得到的稳定带厚度值进行回归分析,得出稳定带厚度与各个影响因素的关系以及这些因素对稳定带厚度的影响程度。

罗斯海天然气水合物成藏条件及资源量评估

罗斯海位于南极洲太平洋侧,通过对罗斯海气源沉积条件、地质构造条件和温、压条件对罗斯海天然气水合物成藏条件进行综合分析,结果表明罗斯海具备良好的天然气水合物储藏条件和勘探前景。本文在温、压条件的基础上,利用热流数据定量计算了天然气水合物稳定带的厚度,并使用体积分方法初步估算了该区域的天然气水合物的资源前景量。计算结果表明,罗斯海区域的天然气资源量为3.6×1011 m3,具有可观的经济价值。

末次冰期以来珠江口盆地深水区天然气水合物稳定带演化

珠江口盆地深水区具备优良的天然气水合物成藏条件,是南海重要的天然气水合物资源勘探区。利用CSMHYD软件模拟预测了天然气水合物相平衡条件下,现今珠江口盆地的天然气水合物稳定带厚度分布和末次冰期以来水合物稳定带厚度的演化特征,同时讨论了晚更新世冰期以来海平面、底水温度对该区天然气水合物稳定带变化的影响,以及水合物分解对环境的影响。结果表明:(1)水深超过600m的海域具备形成天然气水合物的温压条件;水合物稳定带平均厚度245 m,其中南部稳定带的最大厚度超过330 m,是有利的水合物勘探区;(2)中层水团温度上升很可能是新仙女木末期珠江口盆地深水区天然气水合物分解的主要诱发因素;(3)B/A暖期到YD冷期结束时水合物稳定带面积减少约0.65×10^4 km^2,分解释放的甲烷量约0.38×10^13 m^3,折算成总碳量约为1.9 Gt。

不同因素对天然气水合物稳定带厚度的影响

天然气水合物在未来能源、自然环境和灾害等方面具有重要的研究意义,天然气水合物稳定带厚度用来表示水合物发育与分布的可能范围,与地温梯度、海水深度和海底温度等参数密切相关。根据Dickens和Quinby相平衡公式,定量计算了不同地温梯度、海水深度和海底温度参数下的水合物稳定带厚度。在保证其中2个参数不变的情况下,天然气水合物稳定带厚度随地温梯度增加而有规律的递减,随海水深度增加不断增加,随海底温度增加水合物稳定带厚度降低并且呈良好的线性关系。海底温度不变条件下,水合物稳定带厚度从地温梯度大、水深浅的区域,向地温梯度小、水深较深的区域不断增大。海底深度不变时,从地温梯度大、海底温度高的区域到地温梯度小、海底温度低的区域,水合物稳定带厚度不断增大。此外,讨论了基于Dickens和Quinby、Brown及Peltzer和Brewer等3种相平衡公式计算水合物稳定带厚度的差异,根据Dickens和Quinby相平衡公式计算的水合物稳定带厚度最大,其他相平衡公式计算的水合物稳定带厚度相对较小。

基于生烃思路的微生物成因水合物资源量估算——以琼东南盆地西南深水区为例

琼东南盆地深水区的天然气水合物成藏条件优良,是天然气水合物资源有利的勘探远景区。综合底水温度、地热梯度、有机碳含量和沉积速率等资料,分析了该海域范围内天然气水合物稳定带厚度的分布特征,并采用基于运移—反应数值模拟得到的转换函数,对琼东南盆地西南深水区内天然气水合物资源量进行了初步估算。结果表明:生物成因甲烷水合物分布在水深大于600m左右的海底,稳定带最大厚度约300m;微生物成因水合物所蕴含甲烷量达5.7×10^(12) m^3,其中自生自储扩散型天然气水合物远景总量约0.7×10^(12) m^3甲烷气;下生上储渗漏型水合物天然气水合物远景总量约5×10^(12) m^3甲烷气。后者约为原位微生物甲烷水合物资源量的7倍。由此可见,研究区微生物成因天然气水合物的烃类气体以深部运移烃类的供应为主;高效的流体运移通道是控制该区水合物藏富集的重要因素。基于生烃思路的资源量估算方法与通过体积法计算的天然气水合物资源量的数量级(×10^(12) m^3)一致,显示了该方法的有效性。