Saturation Estimation with Complex Electrical Conductivity for Hydrate-Bearing Clayey Sediments:An Experimental Study

Clays have considerable influence on the electrical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments.It is desirable to understand the electrical properties of hydrate-bearing clayey sediments and to build hydrate saturation(S_(h))models for reservoir evaluation and monitoring.The electrical properties of tetrahydrofuran-hydrate-bearing sediments with montmorillonite are characterized by complex conductivity at frequencies from 0.01 Hz to 1 kHz.The effects of clay and Sh on the complex conductivity were analyzed.A decrease and increase in electrical conductance result from the clay-swelling-induced blockage and ion migration in the electrical double layer(EDL),respectively.The quadrature conductivity increases with the clay content up to 10%because of the increased surface site density of counterions in EDL.Both the in-phase conductivity and quadrature conductivity decrease consistently with increasing Sh from 0.50 to 0.90.Three sets of models for Sh evaluation were developed.The model based on the Simandoux equation outperforms Archie’s formula,with a root-mean-square error(E_(RMS))of 1.8%and 3.9%,respectively,highlighting the clay effects on the in-phase conductivity.The fre-quency effect correlations based on in-phase and quadrature conductivities exhibit inferior performance(E_(RMS)=11.6%and 13.2%,re-spectively)due to the challenge of choosing an appropriate pair of frequencies and intrinsic uncertainties from two measurements.The second-order Cole-Cole formula can be used to fit the complex-conductivity spectra.One pair of inverted Cole-Cole parameters,i.e.,characteristic time and chargeability,is employed to predict S_(h) with an E_(RMS) of 5.05%and 9.05%,respectively.

Thermal conductivity of hydrate and effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediment

The research on the thermal property of the hydrate has recently made great progress,including the understanding of hydrate thermal conductivity and effective thermal conductivity(ETC)of hydratebearing sediment.The thermal conductivity of hydrate is of great significance for the hydrate-related field,such as the natural gas hydrate exploitation and prevention of the hydrate plugging in oil or gas pipelines.In order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the research progress of the hydrate thermal conductivity and the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment,the literature on the studies of the thermal conductivity of hydrate and the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment were summarized and reviewed in this study.Firstly,experimental studies of the reported measured values and the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of hydrate were discussed and reviewed.Secondly,the studies of the experimental measurements of the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment and the effects of temperature,porosity,hydrate saturation,water saturation,thermal conductivity of porous medium,phase change,and other factors on the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment were discussed and reviewed.Thirdly,the research progress of modeling on the ETC of the hydrate-bearing sediment was reviewed.The thermal conductivity determines the heat transfer capacity of the hydrate reservoir and directly affects the hydrate exploitation efficiency.Future efforts need to be devoted to obtain experimental data of the ETC of hydrate reservoirs and establish models to accurately predict the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment.

Intrinsic correlation between the generalized phase equilibrium condition and mechanical behaviors in hydrate-bearing sediments

The phase equilibrium and mechanical behaviors of natural gas hydrate-bearing sediment are essential for gas recovery from hydrate reservoirs.In heating closed systems,the temperature-pressure path of hydrate-bearing sediment deviates from that of pure bulk hydrate,reflecting the porous media effect in phase equilibrium.A generalized phase equilibrium equation was established for hydrate-bearing sediments,which indicates that both capillary and osmotic pressures cause the phase equilibrium curve to shift leftward on the temperature-pressure plane.In contrast to bulk hydrate,hydrate-bearing sediment always contains a certain amount of unhydrated water,which keeps phase equilibrium with the hydrate within the hydrate stability field.With changes in temperature and pressure,a portion of pore hydrate and unhydrated water may transform into each other,affecting the shear strength of hydrate-bearing sediment.A shear strength model is proposed to consider not only hydrate saturation but also the change in temperature and pressure of hydrate-bearing sediment.The model is validated by experimental data with various hydrate saturation,temperature and pressure conditions.The deformation induced by partial dissociation was studied through depressurization tests under constant effective stress.The reduction in gas pressure within the hydrate stability field indeed caused sediment deformation.The dissociation-induced deformation can be reasonably estimated as the difference in volume between hydrate-bearing and hydrate-free sediments from the compression curves.

Shear strength degradation of gas hydrate-bearing sediment due to partial hydrate dissociation

Extraction of methane hydrate from subseafloor reservoir may potentially trigger seabed slides and induce subsidence.To address the problems,it is crucial to properly characterize the phase equilibrium condition of pore hydrate and the shear strength of the soil.As one of the key constitutive components,the phase equilibrium condition enforces a constraint over pore gas pressure,temperature and unhydrated water content.Such a constraint,however,has been traditionally ignored in analyzing the mechanical behavior of hydrate-bearing soil.In this paper,a series of stepwise hydrate dissociation tests was performed,and the phase equilibrium condition of pore hydrate was determined,providing an effective way to evaluate the unhydrated water content during hydrate dissociation.Meanwhile,a series of direct shear tests was also conducted to explore the shear strength characteristics of the soil.It is shown that the shear strength of the hydrate-bearing soil can be significantly influenced by pore gas pressure,unhydrated water content,hydrate saturation and several other factors.In particular,the measured shear strength depends upon the initial water content of the sample,pointing to a potential problem that the shear strength could be wrongly determined if not properly interpreted.A shear strength criterion,which enforces the equilibrium condition of pore hydrate,is developed for hydrate-bearing soil,establishing a link between the equilibrium condition and the shear strength.The proposed equation describes well the shear strength characteristics of hydrate-bearing soils,remarkably unifying the effects of pore pressure,temperature,water content and hydrate saturation.

Mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments during hydrate dissociation

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.

Drucker-Prager Elasto-Plastic Constitutive Model for Methane Hydrate-Bearing Sediment

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.

Theoretical analysis and numerical simulation of acoustic waves in gas hydrate-bearing sediments

Based on Carcione-Leclaire model,the time-splitting high-order staggered-grid finite-difference algorithm is proposed and constructed for understanding wave propagation mechanisms in gas hydrate-bearing sediments.Three compressional waves and two shear waves,as well as their energy distributions are investigated in detail.In particular,the influences of the friction coefficient between solid grains and gas hydrate and the viscosity of pore fluid on wave propagation are analyzed.The results show that our proposed numerical simulation algorithm proposed in this paper can effectively solve the problem of stiffness in the velocity-stress equations and suppress the grid dispersion,resulting in higher accuracy compared with the result of the Fourier pseudospectral method used by Carcione.The excitation mechanisms of the five wave modes are clearly revealed by the results of simulations.Besides,it is pointed that,the wave diffusion of the second kind of compressional and shear waves is influenced by the friction coefficient between solid grains and gas hydrate,while the diffusion of the third compressional wave is controlled by the fluid viscosity.Finally,two fluid-solid(gas-hydrate formation)models are constructed to study the mode conversion of various waves.The results show that the reflection,transmission,and transformation of various waves occur on the interface,forming a very complicated wave field,and the energy distribution of various converted waves in different phases is different.It is demonstrated from our studies that,the unconventional waves,such as the second and third kinds of compressional waves may be converted into conventional waves on an interface.These propagation mechanisms provide a concrete wave attenuation explanation in inhomogeneous media.

Deposition processes of gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the inter-canyon area of Shenhu Area in the northern South China Sea

The Shenhu Submarine Canyon Group on the northern slope of the South China Sea consists of 17 slope-confined canyons,providing a good example for investigating their hosting sediments.Three drilling sites,including W07,W18,and W19,have proven the occurrence of gas hydrate reservoirs in the inter-canyon area between canyons C11 and C12.Whereas,variations of the geomorphology and seismic facies analyzed by high-resolution 3D seismic data indicate that the gas hydrate-bearing sediments may form in different sedimentary processes.In the upper segment,a set of small-scale channels with obvious topographic lows can be identified,revealing fine-grained turbidites supplied from the shelf region during a very short-term sea-level lowstand.In the middle part,gas hydrate units at Site W07 showing mounded or undulation external configuration are interpreted as sliding sedimentary features,and those features caused by gravity destabilization were the main formative mechanism of gas hydrate-bearing sediments that were sourced from the upper segments.In contrast,for the canyon transition zone of lower segments between C11-C12 inter-canyon and C12 intra-canyon areas,where W18 and W19 sites are located,the gas hydratebearing sediments are deposited in the channelized feature in the middle to lower segment and slide erosive surface.Gas hydrate-bearing sediments of the lower segment were migrated through channelized features interconnecting with the middle to lower slope by gravity-driven flows.The majority of deposits tended to be furtherly moved by lateral migration via erosive surface created by sediment failed to intra-canyon area.The conclusion of this study may help better understand the interaction between the formation mechanism of gas hydrate-bearing sediments and the geomorphologic effects of inter-canyon areas.

A comprehensive analysis of formation conditions,intrinsic properties,and mechanical responses of gas hydrate-bearing sediments

Natural gas hydrates(NGH)stored in submarine deposits are a promising energy resource,Yet,the deterioration in sediment strength can trigger geological disasters due to drilling-induced hydrate dissociation.Hence,an in-depth investigation on geo physical-mechanical performance of gas hydrate-bearing sediments(GHBS)is crucial for recovery hydrates safely and efficiently.This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the research progress on formation conditions,intrinsic properties,and mechanical responses of GHBS.The key findings have been presented:gas composition,inhibitors and promoters alter hydrate formation by modifying the thermodynamic equilibrium of temperature and pressure.Also,we identified the key determinants of porosity of GHBS and revealed the correlation between permeability,hydrate saturation,and hydrate morphology.Moreover,we highlighted the differences in mechanical behavior between hydrate-free sediments and GHBS along with their underlying mechanisms.Furthermore,we examined the methods for GHBS preparation as well as the employed test apparatuses,providing critical insights into the limitations and recommendations.By synthe-sizing data from existing literature,we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the dependence of mechanical parameters of GHBS on factors such as hydrate saturation,effective confining stress,and temperature,and dis-cussed the mechanical responses subjected to various hydrate dissociation methods.Finally,we offer a perspective for future research to focus on the micro-scale aspects,heterogeneous distribution,and long-term stability of GHBS.The discerned patterns and mechanical mechanisms are expected to guide the improvement of predictive model for geo physical-mechanical behavior of GHBS and establish a reference for developing effective strategies for recovery hydrates.

Analysis of physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing unconsolidated sediment samples from the ultra-deepwater area in the South China Sea

Marine natural gas hydrate has recently attracted global attention as a potential new clean energy source. Laboratory measurements of various physical properties of gas hydrate-bearing marine sediments can provide valuable information for developing efficient and safe extraction technology of natural gas hydrates. This study presents comprehensive measurement results and analysis of drilled hydrate-bearing sediments samples recovered from Qiongdongnan Basin in the South China Sea. The results show that the gas hydrate in the core samples is mainly methane hydrate with a methane content of approximately 95%, and the other components are ethane and carbon dioxide. The saturation of the samples fluctuates from 2%–60%, the porosity is approximately 38%–43%, and the water content is approximately 30%–50%, which indicate that high water saturation means that timely drainage should be paid attention to during hydrate extraction. In addition, the median diameter of the sediment samples is mainly distributed in the range of 15 to 34 µm, and attention should be paid to the prevention and control of sand production in the mining process. Moreover, the thermal conductivity is distributed in the range of 0.75 to 0.96 W/(m·K) as measured by the flat plate heat source method. The relatively low thermal conductivity of hydrates at this study site indicates that a combined approach is encouraged for natural gas production technologies. It is also found that clay flakes and fine particles are attached to the surface of large particles in large numbers. Such characteristics will lead to insufficient permeability during the production process.

Simulation experiments on gas production from hydrate-bearing sediments

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.

Distinct BSRs and their implications for natural gas hydrate formation and distribution at the submarine Makran accretionary zone

To investigate the nature of gas hydrates in the Makran area,new high-resolution geophysical data were acquired between 2018-2019.The data collected comprise multibeam and two-dimensional multi-channel seismic reflection data.The multibeam bathymetry data show East-North-East(ENE)ridges,piggy-back basins,canyon and channel systems,and the morphology of the abyssal plain.Continuous and discontinuous bottom simulating reflectors(BSRs)occur in the piggy-back basins on most of the seismic profiles available.The BSRs cut the dipping layers with strong amplitude and reversed polarity.Discontinuous BSRs indicate a transition along a dipping high-permeable sand layers from gas-rich segment to the gas hydrate-bearing segment and sugge st alternating sediments of fine and relatively coarse grain size.Double BSRs are highly dynamic and attributed to slumps occurring in the study area.The BSRs induced by slumps are located both at deep and shallow depths,responding to the temperature or pressure variation.For the first time,BSRs are observed in the abyssal plain of the Makran area,being associated with anticline structures,which do not show large spatial continuity and are strongly conditioned by structural conditions such as anticlines and fluid migration pathways,including deep fault,gas chimney,and high-permeable sedimentary layer.Our results may help to assess the gas hydrate potential within the piggy-back basins and to determine the most promising target areas.Moreover,results about the abyssal plain BSR may help to locate hydrocarbon reservoirs in the deep ocean.