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.

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.

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.

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.

Study on Active Faults in Quaternary Unconsolidated Sediments by Microstructural Method

Active faults in Quaternary unconsolidated sediments are important indicators to determine paleoearthquake events. They can be studied by macroscopic geological survey, but some problems have been encountered, such as invisible active faults. The authors found an approach to solve these problems by microstructural observation. Firstly, oriented original-state samples of Quaternary unconsolidated sediments in active fault zones are collected. Secondly, the samples are consolidated in laboratory. Thirdly, microstructural slides are ground in three-dimension coordinate system. Lastly, microstructures are observed in the microscopic field. By this method, the movement properties of active faults can be determined in lack of the support of macroscopic data. The invisible faults in Quaternary unconsolidated sediments can be found and described. The mechanisms of die-out faults can be also studied. Moreover, the boundaries between different unconsolidated sediments in engineering sites can be studied to judge whether they are active faults or not.

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.

基于浅地层剖面仪的鄱阳湖水下沉积地形探测与分析

鄱阳湖是我国重要的淡水和砂石资源提供地,其水下沉积地形现状一直是学术界研究的重点。该文借助浅地层剖面探测手段对鄱阳湖水下地形与沉积特征进行了探测,通过分析32条浅地层剖面测线资料发现,鄱阳湖水深变化幅度为0.16~23.71 m,入江水道与主湖区西北部相对较深;松散沉积物厚度变化范围为0~8.73 m,主湖区中部松散沉积物较厚,估算松散沉积物总体积约3.02 km^(3)。为检验浅地层剖面探测数据的可靠性,2022年9月在主湖区开展了浅钻探测工作。通过与前人的相关研究对比发现,大规模采砂活动能够对鄱阳湖水下地形产生显著影响。该文较全面地揭示了鄱阳湖水下地形现状与沉积特征,得出的结论与建议对相关研究与管理工作具有重要的参考价值。

低场核磁共振定量测定松散沉积物中含水量的方法

核磁共振通过测定体系中氢质子弛豫的T_(2)谱来确定液态水的含量。采用低场核磁共振技术定量测定松散沉积物体系中的含水量,探讨了沉积物粒径、黏土矿物种类与含量、孔隙水盐度、温度及气体压力等因素对测试结果的影响。由于不同介质体系中孔隙水表面弛豫机制不同,导致低场核磁测定松散沉积物中的含水量偏小。引入校正系数Cm对水量测试值进行了修正,结果表明:沉积物及孔隙水介质本身特性对水量测试结果几乎无影响,相对误差<0.5%,测试精密度<0.20%;温度变化对测试结果影响较大且呈负相关,温度从25℃降至1.7℃,水量测试值增加了10.71%;压力变化对测试结果的影响与充注气体是否含氢密切相关,不含氢气体的压力变化对测试结果没有影响,而对于含氢气体如甲烷,水量测试结果随压力变化线性增加,甲烷增加到5.05 MPa时,测试结果增加了12.15%。因此,在采用该法测量甲烷水合物生成分解过程中沉积物孔隙水的变化时,必须考虑体系的温度、压力对测试结果的影响,恒温恒压条件下监测的含水量变化能够准确指示甲烷水合物生成分解的微观过程,可望在海洋天然气水合物生成分解微观动力学研究方面得到广泛应用。

Double-Frequency Microseisms on the Thick Unconsolidated Sediments in Eastern and Southeastern Coasts of United States: Sources and Applications on Seismic Site Effect Evaluation

This study presents a systematic analysis of double-frequency(DF) microseisms recorded on the unconsolidated sediments in the eastern and southeastern coasts of United States. For all recordings, the site effect parameters(predominant frequency(f_(0)), amplification factor and unconsolidated sediment thickness(UST)) are obtained by Nakamura method and the DF spectra are classified into five groups in terms of the DF peak patterns and the recording locations relative to the coastline. The frequencies and energy levels of the DF peaks in horizontal direction and the amplification factors are associated with the UST which is resulted from seismic site effect. By polarization analysis, the primary vibration directions of the DF peaks are identified and presented as great circles passing through the recording stations intersecting mainly along the continental slope. Correlation analyses of time histories of the DF energy and the ocean wave climate observed at buoys show that the low(<0.2 Hz) and high(>0.2 Hz) frequency DF microseisms are generated in the deep ocean and the continental shelf respectively. It is concluded that the continental slope plays a significant role in the generation of DF microseisms as it causes reflection of waves from the open ocean, initiating standing waves.

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℃) 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 ℃).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.

第四纪松散沉积物中隐性活断层的显微构造特征

第四纪松散沉积物中普遍存在断层的隐性现象 ,包括断层的隐形和尖灭 ,给古地震研究带来了复杂性和多解性。选择了一些典型古地震剖面 ,对涉及到断层隐形或尖灭的部位 ,进行了定向原状样品采集 ,通过室内样品固结 ,显微薄片制作和显微构造现象观察 ,从显微域里找到了鉴定隐形断层的许多标志 ,并对断层尖灭机制进行了研究。认为通过显微构造分析 ,排除或肯定隐形断层的存在 ,或者追踪断层尖灭的层位 ,结合宏观剖面研究和年代测定 。

基于弯曲元技术的含水合物松散沉积物声学特性研究

含水合物松散沉积物的声学特性对海上天然气水合物地球物理勘探和资源评价具有重要意义.研制了适用于高压条件下含水合物沉积物声学特性探测的纵横波一体化新型弯曲元换能器,提出利用频谱分析(FFT)和小波分析(WT)相结合的方法获取纵横波速度,并进行了多个轮次的水合物声学特性模拟实验研究.结果表明,新型弯曲元技术可以灵敏探测松散沉积物中水合物的生成和分解,随着水合物饱和度(Sh)的增大,纵横波速度呈规律性增长:当Sh<25%时,纵横波速度增长较快,水合物可能胶结沉积物颗粒生成;25%～60%之间,声速增长较为缓慢,水合物可能与沉积物颗粒呈接触关系;在Sh>60%时声速随着水合物饱和度增加又快速增长,表明水合物可能重新胶结沉积物颗粒生成.

含甲烷水合物松散沉积物的力学特性

通过含甲烷水合物松散沉积物三轴测试,首次基于临界状态原理探讨水合物沉积物发生应变软化、硬化破坏形式的机制,重点分析各强度参数变化规律及其对破坏模式的敏感性。结果表明:三轴剪切试验过程中沉积物破坏模式受有效围压、水合物饱和度等因素共同控制;破坏模式对峰值强度、起始屈服强度、起始屈服模量、内聚力、内摩擦角等参数的影响较小;不同破坏模式条件下水合物沉积物切线模量、峰值剪切模量等参数变化规律完全不同,其计算模型须在不同破坏模式框架内分别分析,而不能忽略破坏模式的影响建立笼统的水合物沉积物强度参数计算模型。

近地表低降速带地震波传播规律初探

通过对沙漠区近地表地层大量微测井资料的对比分析发现,速度梯度带的存在可能是导致低降速带地震波衰减的一个重要原因.本文在沙漠地区低降速带速度结构分析的基础上,研究地震波在线性过渡体地层的传播规律,并同实际观测记录进行对比,从理论和实际上验证上述推论的正确性.

活动断裂带内第四纪松散沉积物的变形类型

选择了一些典型活断层地质剖面 ,对经受了构造变动的第四纪松散沉积物进行了定向原状样品采集。通过室内样品固结、显微薄片制作和显微构造现象观察 ,从显微域里找到了第四纪松散沉积物变形的一些特点 ,并进行了分类。第四纪松散沉积物的变形类型有两种 :一种是破裂变形 ,主要表现为平行滑动条带、平直滑动界面、碎屑颗粒的破碎等 ;另一种是流动变形 ,主要表现为 :流动构造、碎砾旋转、粘土矿物的拖曳滑动等。

第四纪松散沉积物中活断层滑动面的显微构造研究方法

第四纪松散沉积物中的活断层滑动面是重要的古地震遗迹 ,也是鉴定古地震事件和确定古地震时代的重要标志。以往 ,对第四纪松散沉积物中活断层滑动面主要借助宏观观察进行研究 ,但遇到了一些难以解决的问题 ,如隐性断层问题。作者利用显微构造分析 ,找到了研究这些问题的途径 ,其方法是对第四纪松散沉积物进行定向原状样品采集 ,通过室内样品固结、显微薄片制作和显微构造现象观察等 ,从显微域里研究各种变形现象。用此方法 ,可以在没有宏观资料支持的情况下确定断层的运动性质 ;发现并描述第四纪松散沉积物中的隐性断层 ,研究断层的尖灭机制 ;还可以对工程建设场地发现的不同松散沉积物相接触的现象进行活断层鉴别。

河北西北部熔积岩特征及其地质意义

熔积岩是火山碎屑岩的一种特殊类型,由熔浆和未固结的湿沉积物两种组分掺杂混合而成。熔积岩的形成主要受炽热熔浆与未固结的湿沉积物接触时引起的淬碎或蒸汽爆炸作用以及寄主沉积物流体化作用控制,通常分布于熔岩流底部或前缘,也可分布于超浅成侵入体周围。据熔浆碎屑物的结构特征,冀西北熔积岩可分为流状和块状两种类型。流状熔积岩多是熔浆与细粒沉积物混合的结果,块状熔积岩大多与粗粒沉积物相关。正确鉴别熔积岩对确定沉积作用与岩浆作用的时序、研究盆地发展演化历史具有重要意义。

大同盆地孔隙地下水化学场的分带规律性研究

本文通过对大同盆地2004年孔隙地下水水化学资料的分析发现,盆地内孔隙地下水的水化学特征在水平方向上具有以盆地中部为中心,呈环状分布的特点,且与盆地水动力分区具有很好的一致性。由山前冲洪积倾斜平原到中部冲湖积平原,地下水依次经历了补给区、径流区和排泄区,相应的主要水化学类型分别为HCO3型、HCO3.SO4型和HCO3.SO4.Cl型。与中深层孔隙水相比,浅层孔隙水由于水位埋深浅,蒸发浓缩强烈,易受人类活动的影响,各组分的含量较高,变化幅度较大,水化学类型也相对复杂。浅层地下水的水质呈好转趋势,深层地下水水质基本保持稳定。