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...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.展开更多
Natural gas hydrate(NGH)can cause pipeline blockages during the transportation of oil and gas under high pressures and low temperatures.Reducing hydrate adhesion on pipelines is viewed as an efficient way to prevent N...Natural gas hydrate(NGH)can cause pipeline blockages during the transportation of oil and gas under high pressures and low temperatures.Reducing hydrate adhesion on pipelines is viewed as an efficient way to prevent NGH blockages.Previous studies suggested the water film can greatly increase hydrate adhesion in gas-dominant system.Herein,by performing the molecular dynamics simulations,we find in water-dominant system,the water film plays different roles in hydrate deposition on Fe and its corrosion surfaces.Specifically,due to the strong affinity of water on Fe surface,the deposited hydrate cannot convert the adsorbed water into hydrate,thus,a water film exists.As water affinities decrease(Fe>Fe_(2)O_(3)>FeO>Fe_(3)O_(4)),adsorbed water would convert to amorphous hydrate on Fe_(2)O_(3)and form the ordered hydrate on FeO and Fe_(3)O_(4)after hydrate deposition.While absorbed water film converts to amorphous or to hydrate,the adhesion strength of hydrate continuously increases(Fe<Fe_(2)O_(3)<FeO<Fe_(3)O_(4)).This is because the detachment of deposited hydrate prefers to occur at soft region of liquid layer,the process of which becomes harder as liquid layer vanishes.As a result,contrary to gas-dominant system,the water film plays the weakening roles on hydrate adhesion in water-dominant system.Overall,our results can help to better understand the hydrate deposition mechanisms on Fe and its corrosion surfaces and suggest hydrate deposition can be adjusted by changing water affinities on pipeline surfaces.展开更多
Understanding the hydrate adhesion is important to tackling hydrate accretion in petro-pipelines.Herein,the relationship between the Tetrahydrofuran(THF)hydrate adhesion strength(AS)and surface stiffness on elastic co...Understanding the hydrate adhesion is important to tackling hydrate accretion in petro-pipelines.Herein,the relationship between the Tetrahydrofuran(THF)hydrate adhesion strength(AS)and surface stiffness on elastic coatings is systemically examined by experimental shear force measurements and theoretical methods.The mechanical factor-elastic modulus of the coatings greatly dictates the hydrate AS,which is explained by the adhesion mechanics theory,beyond the usual factors such as wettability and structural roughness.Moreover,the hydrate AS increases with reducing the thickness of the elastic coatings,resulted from the decrease of the apparent surface elastic modulus.The effect of critical thickness for the elastic materials with variable elastic modulus on the hydrate AS is also revealed.This study provides deep perspectives on the regulation of the hydrate AS by the elastic modulus of elastic materials,which is of significance to design anti-hydrate surfaces for mitigation of hydrate accretion in petro-pipelines.展开更多
The safe and efficient development of natural gas hydrate requires a deep understanding of the deformation behaviors of reservoirs.In this study,a series of triaxial shearing tests are carried out to investigate the d...The safe and efficient development of natural gas hydrate requires a deep understanding of the deformation behaviors of reservoirs.In this study,a series of triaxial shearing tests are carried out to investigate the deformation properties of hydrate-bearing sediments.Variations of volumetric and lateral strains versus hydrate saturation are analyzed comprehensively.Results indicate that the sediments with high hydrate saturation show dilative behaviors,which lead to strain-softening characteristics during shearing.The volumetric strain curves have a tendency to transform gradually from dilatation to compression with the increase in effective confining pressure.An easy prediction model is proposed to describe the relationship between volumetric and axial strains.The model coefficientβis the key dominating factor for the shape of volumetric strain curves and can be determined by the hydrate saturation and stress state.Moreover,a modified model is established for the calculation of lateral strain.The corresponding determination method is provided for the easy estimation of model coefficients for medium sand sediments containing hydrate.This study provides a theoretical and experimental reference for deformation estimation in natural gas hydrate development.展开更多
It has been evidenced that shallow gas hydrate resources are abundant in deep oceans worldwide.Their geological back-ground,occurrence,and other characteristics differ significantly from deep-seated hydrates.Because o...It has been evidenced that shallow gas hydrate resources are abundant in deep oceans worldwide.Their geological back-ground,occurrence,and other characteristics differ significantly from deep-seated hydrates.Because of the high risk of well construction and low production efficiency,they are difficult to be recovered by using conventional oil production methods.As a result,this paper proposes an alternative design based on a combination of radial drilling,heat injection,and backfilling methods.Multi-branch holes are used to penetrate shallow gas hydrate reservoirs to expand the depressurization area,and heat injection is utilized as a supplement to improve gas production.Geotechnical information collected from an investigation site close to the offshore production well in the South China Sea is used to assess the essential components of this plan,including well construction stability and gas production behavior.It demonstrates that the hydraulic fracturing of the 60mbsf overburden layer can be prevented by regulating the drilling fluid densities.However,the traditional well structure is unstable,and the suction anchor is advised for better mechanical performance.The gas produc-tion rate can be significantly increased by combining hot water injection and depressurization methods.Additionally,the suitable produc-tion equipment already in use is discussed.展开更多
Natural gas hydrate(NGH)is generally produced and accumulated together with the underlying conventional gas.Therefore,optimizing the production technology of these two gases should be seen as a relevant way to effecti...Natural gas hydrate(NGH)is generally produced and accumulated together with the underlying conventional gas.Therefore,optimizing the production technology of these two gases should be seen as a relevant way to effectively reduce the exploitation cost of the gas hydrate.In this study,three types of models accounting for the coexistence of these gases are considered.Type A considers the upper hydrate-bearing layer(HBL)adjacent to the lower conventional gas layer(CGL);with the Type B a permeable interlayer exists between the upper HBL and the lower CGL;with the type C there is an impermeable interlayer between the upper HBL and the lower CGL.The production performances associated with the above three models are calculated under different conditions,including only a depressurized HBL(only HBL DP);only a depressurized CGL(only CGL DP);and both the HBL and the CGL being depressurized(HBL+CGL DP).The results show that for Type A and Type B coexistence accumulation models,when only HBL or CGL is depressurized,the gas from the other layer will flow into the production layer due to the pressure difference between the two layers.In the coexistence accumulation model of type C,the cumulative gas production is much lower than that of Type A and Type B,regardless of whether only HBL DP,only CGL DP,or HBL+CGL DP are considered.This indicates that the impermeable interlayer restricts the cross-flow of gas between HBL and CGL.For three different coexistence accumulation models,CGL DP has the largest gas-to-water ratio.展开更多
Many locations with concentrated hydrates at vents have confirmed the presence of abundant thermogenic gas in the middle of the Qiongdongnan Basin(QDNB).However,the impact of deep structures on gasbearing fluids migra...Many locations with concentrated hydrates at vents have confirmed the presence of abundant thermogenic gas in the middle of the Qiongdongnan Basin(QDNB).However,the impact of deep structures on gasbearing fluids migration and gas hydrates distribution in tectonically inactive regions is still unclear.In this study,the authors apply high-resolution 3D seismic and logging while drilling(LWD)data from the middle of the QDNB to investigate the influence of deep-large faults on gas chimneys and preferred gasescape pipes.The findings reveal the following:(1)Two significant deep-large faults,F1 and F2,developed on the edge of the Songnan Low Uplift,control the dominant migration of thermogenic hydrocarbons and determine the initial locations of gas chimneys.(2)The formation of gas chimneys is likely related to fault activation and reactivation.Gas chimney 1 is primarily arises from convergent fluid migration resulting from the intersection of the two faults,while the gas chimney 2 benefits from a steeper fault plane and shorter migration distance of fault F2.(3)Most gas-escape pipes are situated near the apex of the two faults.Their reactivations facilitate free gas flow into the GHSZ and contribute to the formation of fracture‐filling hydrates.展开更多
Conductor and suction anchor are the key equipment providing bearing capacity in the field of deep-water drilling or offshore engineering,which have the advantages of high operation efficiency and short construction p...Conductor and suction anchor are the key equipment providing bearing capacity in the field of deep-water drilling or offshore engineering,which have the advantages of high operation efficiency and short construction period.In order to drill a horizontal well in the shallow hydrate reservoir in the deep water,the suction anchor wellhead assembly is employed to undertake the main vertical bearing capacity in the second round of hydrate trial production project,so as to reduce the conductor running depth and heighten the kick-off point position.However,the deformation law of the deep-water suction anchor wellhead assembly under the moving load of the riser is not clear,and it is necessary to understand the lateral bearing characteristics to guide the design of its structural scheme.Based on 3D solid finite element method,the solid finite element model of the suction anchor wellhead assembly is established.In the model,the seabed soil is divided into seven layers,the contact between the wellhead assembly and the soil is simulated,and the vertical load and bending moment are applied to the wellhead node to simulate the riser movement when working in the deep water.The lateral bearing stability of conventional wellhead assembly and suction anchor wellhead assembly under the influence of wellhead load is discussed.The analysis results show that the bending moment is the main factor affecting the lateral deformation of the wellhead string;the anti-bending performance from increasing the outer conductor diameter is better than that from increasing the conductor wall thickness;for the subsea wellhead,the suction anchor obviously improves the lateral bearing capacity and reduces the lateral deformation.The conduct of the suction anchor wellhead assembly still needs to be lowered to a certain depth that below the maximum disturbed depth to ensure the lateral bearing stability,Thus,a method for the minimum conductor running depth for the suction anchor wellhead assembly is developed.The field implementations show that compared with the first round of hydrate trial production project,the conductor running depth is increased by 9.42 m,and there is no risk of wellhead overturning during the trial production.The method for determining the minimum conductor running depth in this paper is feasible and will still play an important role in the subsequent hydrate exploration and development.展开更多
Sand production is one of the main obstacles restricting gas extraction efficiency and safety from marine natural gas hydrate(NGH)reservoirs.Particle migration within the NGH reservoir dominates sand production behavi...Sand production is one of the main obstacles restricting gas extraction efficiency and safety from marine natural gas hydrate(NGH)reservoirs.Particle migration within the NGH reservoir dominates sand production behaviors,while their relationships were rarely reported,severely constrains quantitative evaluation of sand production risks.This paper reports the optical observations of solid particle migration and production from micrometer to mesoscopic scales conditioned to gravel packing during depressurization-induced NGH dissociation for the first time.Theoretical evolutionary modes of sand migration are established based on experimental observations,and its implications on field NGH are comprehensively discussed.Five particle migration regimes of local borehole failure,continuous collapse,wormhole expansion,extensive slow deformation,and pore-wall fluidization are proved to occur during depressurization.The types of particle migration regimes and their transmission modes during depressurization are predominantly determined by initial hydrate saturation.In contrast,the depressurization mainly dominates the transmission rate of the particle migration regimes.Furthermore,both the cumulative mass and the medium grain size of the produced sand decrease linearly with increasing initial methane hydrate(MH)saturation.Discontinuous gas bubble emission,expansion,and explosion during MH dissociation delay sand migration into the wellbore.At the same time,continuous water flow is a requirement for sand production during hydrate dissociation by depressurization.The experiments enlighten us that a constitutive model that can illustrate visible particle migration regimes and their transmission modes is urgently needed to bridge numerical simulation and field applications.Optimizing wellbore layout positions or special reservoir treatment shall be important for mitigating sand production tendency during NGH exploitation.展开更多
Electrical properties are important physical parameters of natural gas hydrate,and,specifically,resistivity has been widely used in the quantitative estimation of hydrate saturation.There are three main methods to stu...Electrical properties are important physical parameters of natural gas hydrate,and,specifically,resistivity has been widely used in the quantitative estimation of hydrate saturation.There are three main methods to study the electrical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments:experimental laboratory measurements,numerical simulation,and resistivity logging.Experimental measurements can be divided into three categories:normal electrical measurement,complex resistivity measurement,and electrical resistivity tomography.Experimental measurements show that the resistivity of hydrate-bearing sediment is affected by many factors,and its distribution as well as the hydrate saturation is not uniform;there is a distinct non-Archie phenomenon.The numerical method can simulate the resistivity of sediments by changing the hydrate occurrence state,saturation,distribution,etc.However,it needs to be combined with X-ray CT,nuclear magnetic resonance,and other imaging techniques to characterize the porous characteristics of the hydrate-bearing sediments.Resistivity well logging can easily identify hydrate layers based on their significantly higher resistivity than the background,but the field data of the hydrate layer also has a serious non-Archie phenomenon.Therefore,more experimental measurements and numerical simulation studies are needed to correct the parameters of Archie’s formula.展开更多
Gas and water migration through the hydrate-bearing sediment are characteristic features in marine gas hydrate reservoirs worldwide.However,there are few experimental investigations on the effect of water-gas flow on ...Gas and water migration through the hydrate-bearing sediment are characteristic features in marine gas hydrate reservoirs worldwide.However,there are few experimental investigations on the effect of water-gas flow on the gas hydrate reservoir.In this study,gas-water migration in gas hydrate stability zone(GHSZ)was investigated visually employing a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)apparatus,and the formation of hydrate seal was experimentally investigated.Results revealed that normal flow of gas-water at the low flow rate of 1–0.25 mL/min will induce the hydrate reformation.Conversely,higher gas-water flow rates(at 2–0.5 and 4–1 mL/min)need higher reservoir pressure to induce the hydrate reformation.In addition,the hydrate reformation during the gas-water flow process produced the hydrate seal,which can withstand an over 9.0 MPa overpressure.This high overpressure provides the development condition for the underlying gas and/or water reservoir.A composite MRI image of the whole hydrate seal was obtained through the MRI.The pore difference between hydrate zone and coexistence zone produces a capillary sealing effect for hydrate seal.The hydrate saturation of hydrate seal was more than 51.6%,and the water saturation was more than 19.3%.However,the hydrate seal can be broken through when the overpressure exceeded the capillary pressure of the hydrate seal,which induced the sudden drop of reservoir pressure.This study provides a scientific explanation for the existence of high-pressure underlying gas below the hydrate layer and is significant for the safe exploitation of these common typical marine hydrate reservoirs.展开更多
Fractured hydrate-bearing reservoirs show significantly anisotropic geophysical properties. The joint application of seismic and electromagnetic explorations is expected to accurately assess hydrate resources in the f...Fractured hydrate-bearing reservoirs show significantly anisotropic geophysical properties. The joint application of seismic and electromagnetic explorations is expected to accurately assess hydrate resources in the fractured reservoirs. However, the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in such reservoirs that are the key to the successful application of the joint explorations, remain poorly understood. To obtain such knowledge, we designed and implemented dedicated laboratory experiments to study the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in fractured artificial silica sandstones (with fracture density of about 6.2%, porosity of approximately 25.7%, and mean grainsize of 0.089 mm) with evolving methane hydrate. The experimental results showed that the anisotropic compressional wave velocities respectively increased and decreased with the forming and dissociating hydrate, and the variation in the increasing trend and the decreasing extent of the velocity perpendicular to the fractures were more significant than that parallel to the fractures, respectively. The experimental results also showed that the overall decreasing trend of the electrical conductivity parallel to the fractures was steeper than that perpendicular to the fractures during hydrate formation, and the general variations of the two conductivities with complex trend were similar during hydrate dissociation. The variations in the elastic and electrical anisotropic parameters with forming and dissociating hydrate were also found to be distinct. Interpretation of the experimental results suggested that the hydrate binding to the grains evolved to bridge the surfaces of fractures when saturation exceeded 10% during hydrate formation, and the bridging hydrate gradually evolved to floating in fractures during dissociation. The experimental results further showed that the anisotropic velocities and electrical conductivities were correlated with approximately consistent trends of different slopes during hydrate formation, and the joint elastic-electrical anisotropic parameters exhibited a sharp peak at the hydrate saturation of about 10%. The results suggested that the anisotropic joint properties can be employed not only to accurately estimate hydrate saturation but also possibly to identify hydrate distribution in the fractures.展开更多
It is known that injection of carbon dioxide into the petroleum reservoir(CO_(2) flooding) is one of the effective methods for enhanced oil recovery. CO_(2) flooding may be complicated by formation of CO_(2) hydrate p...It is known that injection of carbon dioxide into the petroleum reservoir(CO_(2) flooding) is one of the effective methods for enhanced oil recovery. CO_(2) flooding may be complicated by formation of CO_(2) hydrate plugs. It makes topical investigation of CO_(2) hydrate formation in the system gaseous CO_(2)-oil-water. In this work, the growth rates of carbon dioxide hydrate films at the water-oil as well as the water-gas interface are studied in the pressure range of 2.30-3.04 MPa and at temperatures between -5.4 and 5.0℃. It is found that the growth rate for the water-oil interface is 3.5 times lower than that for the water-gas interface with carbon dioxide. It is hypothesised that the observed decrease in the growth rate is related to the mechanical resistance of the oil components adsorbed on the interface to the growth of the hydrate film. The growth rate of the film has been shown to depend on the experimental procedure,most likely due to the different initial concentrations of carbon dioxide in the aqueous solutions.展开更多
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 Qiong...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.展开更多
How natural gas hydrates nucleate and grow is a crucial scientific question.The research on it will help solve practical problems encountered in hydrate accumulation,development,and utilization of hydrate related tech...How natural gas hydrates nucleate and grow is a crucial scientific question.The research on it will help solve practical problems encountered in hydrate accumulation,development,and utilization of hydrate related technology.Due to its limitations on both spatial and temporal dimensions,experiment cannot fully explain this issue on a micro-scale.With the development of computer technology,molecular simulation has been widely used in the study of hydrate formation because it can observe the nucleation and growth process of hydrates at the molecular level.This review will assess the recent progresses in molecular dynamics simulation of hydrate nucleation and growth,as well as the enlightening significance of these developments in hydrate applications.At the same time,combined with the problems encountered in recent hydrate trial mining and applications,some potential directions for molecular simulation in the research of hydrate nucleation and growth are proposed,and the future of molecular simulation research on hydrate nucleation and growth is prospected.展开更多
Hydrate reservoirs are different from the host reservoirs of all other fossil energy sources because the characteristics of hydrate reservoirs are generally controlled by deep-sea fine-grained sedimentation. In such r...Hydrate reservoirs are different from the host reservoirs of all other fossil energy sources because the characteristics of hydrate reservoirs are generally controlled by deep-sea fine-grained sedimentation. In such reservoirs, the reliability of the classical logging evaluation models established for diagenetic reservoirs is questionable. This study used well W8 in the Qiongdongnan Basin to explore the clay content, porosity, saturation, and hydrate-enriched layer identification of a logging-based hydrate reservoir, and it was found that considering the effect of the clay content on the log response is necessary in the logging evaluation of hydrate reservoirs. In the evaluation of clay content, a method based on the optimization inversion method can obtain a more reliable clay content than other methods. Fine-grained sediment reservoirs have a high clay content, and the effect of clay on log responses must be considered when calculating porosity. In addition, combining density logging and neutron porosity logging data can obtain the best porosity calculation results, and the porosity calculation method based on sonic logging predicted that the porosity of the studied reservoir was low. It was very effective to identify hydrate layers based on resistivity, but the clay distribution and pore structure will also affect the relationship between resistivity, porosity and saturation, and it was suggested that the factors effecting the resistivity of different layers should be considered in the saturation evaluation and that a suitable model should be selected. This study also considered the lack of clarity of the relationships among the lithology, physical properties, hydrate-bearing occurrence properties, and log response properties of hydrate reservoirs and the lack of specialized petrophysical models. This research can directly help to improve hydrate logging evaluation.展开更多
Cavitating jet is a promising drilling rate improvement technology in both the marine natural gas hydrate (NGH) fluidization exploitation method and the integrated radial jet drilling and completion method. In present...Cavitating jet is a promising drilling rate improvement technology in both the marine natural gas hydrate (NGH) fluidization exploitation method and the integrated radial jet drilling and completion method. In present study, we aim to improve the efficiency of jet erosion and extracting NGH. With a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, the pressure, velocity and cavitation field characteristics of organ-pipe cavitating jet (OPCJ) are analysed. The divergent angle, throat length, and divergent length of OPCJ nozzle are preferred to obtain stronger jet cavitation erosion effect. Laboratory experiments of gas hydrate-bearing sediments (GHBS) erosion by OPCJ and conical jet (CJ) are conducted to compare and validate the jet erosion performance. The impinging models of OPCJ and CJ are constructed to study the impact characteristics. Results show that the preferred values of divergent angle, throat length, and divergent length are 15°, 1d, and 3d, respectively, in present simulation conditions. For GHBS, the OPCJ possesses the advantages of high efficiency and low energy consumption. Moreover, the OPCJ has higher penetration efficiency, while showing equivalent penetration ability compared to CJ. During the impinging process, the OPCJ can induce stronger impact pressure and turbulence effect, and also shows stronger chambering effect and bottom cleaning ability compared to CJ. This study presents the erosion performance of OPCJ and CJ on GHBS, and provides preliminary insights on the potential field applications in NGH exploitation.展开更多
The natural gas hydrate has been regarded as an important future green energy.Significant progress on the hydrate exploitation has been made,but some challenges are still remaining.In order to enhance the hydrate expl...The natural gas hydrate has been regarded as an important future green energy.Significant progress on the hydrate exploitation has been made,but some challenges are still remaining.In order to enhance the hydrate exploitation efficiency,a significant understanding of the effective thermal conductivity(ETC)of the hydrate-bearing sediment has become essential,since it directly controls the heat and mass transfer behaviors,and thereby determines the stability of hydrate reservoir and production rate.In this study,the effective thermal conductivities of various hydrate-bearing sediments were in-situ measured and studied.The impacts of temperature,particle size and type of sediment were investigated.The effective thermal conductivities of the quartz sand sediments before and after hydrate formation were in-situ measured.The results show the weak negative correlation of effective thermal conductivity of the quartz sand sediment on the temperature before and after the hydrate formation.The effective thermal conductivity of the hydrate-bearing sediment decreases with the increase of particle size of the sediment.The dominant effect of the type of porous medium on the characteristics of the effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediment was highlighted.The results indicate that both the effective thermal conductivities of hydrate-bearing quartz sand sediment and hydrate-bearing silicon carbide sediment are weakly negatively correlated with temperature,but the effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing clay sediment is weakly positively dependent on the temperature.In addition,the values of the effective thermal conductivities of various hydrate-bearing sediments are in the order of hydrate-bearing silicon carbide sediment>hydrate-bearing quartz sand sediment>hydrate-bearing clay sediment.These findings could suggest that the intrinsic thermal conductivity of porous medium could control the characteristics of effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediment.展开更多
Gas hydrate technology has considerable potential in many fields.However,due to the lack of understanding of the micro mechanism of hydrate formation,it has not been commercially applied so far.Gas hydrate formation i...Gas hydrate technology has considerable potential in many fields.However,due to the lack of understanding of the micro mechanism of hydrate formation,it has not been commercially applied so far.Gas hydrate formation is essentially a gas-liquid-solid phase transition of water and gas molecules at a certain temperature and pressure.The key to the hydrate formation is the transformation of water molecule from disordered arrangement to ordered arrangement.In this process,weakly hydrogen bonded water will be correspondingly converted to strongly hydrogen bonded water.Through in situ Raman analysis and experiments,the position change of the corresponding peaks of the strongly hydrogen bonded water and the weakly hydrogen bonded water was compared in this work,and the key microscopic process and influence of gas hydrate formation in different systems were comprehensively studied and summarized.It is found that,with the decrease of temperature,the OAH of the weakly hydrogen bonded water remains unchanged when the temperature drops to a certain value,which is the key to the transformation of water into cage hydrate rather than ice.The conversion from the weakly hydrogen bonded water to the strongly hydrogen bonded water is closely related to the gas-liquid interface force,the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the promoter,the ionization degree of liquid,and the electrostatic field of the system.Among the four most common promoters,tetrahydrofuran(THF)has the highest efficiency in promoting methane(CH4)hydrate formation.Therefore,this study provides a scientific direction and basis for the development of high efficient hydrate formation promoters,which can effectively weaken the hydrogen bond of weakly hydrogen bonded water and promote the conversion of weakly hydrogen bonded water to strongly hydrogen bonded water.展开更多
In addition to the temperature and pressure conditions,the pore fluid composition and migration behavior are also crucial to control hydrate decomposition in the exploitation process.In this work,to investigate the ef...In addition to the temperature and pressure conditions,the pore fluid composition and migration behavior are also crucial to control hydrate decomposition in the exploitation process.In this work,to investigate the effects of these factors,a series of depressurization experiments were carried out in a visible one-dimensional reactor,using hydrate reservoir samples with water saturations ranging from 20%to 65%.The results showed a linear relationship between gas production rates and gas saturations of the reservoir,suggesting that a larger gas-phase space was conducive to hydrate decomposition and gas outflow.Therefore,the rapid water production in the early stage of hydrate exploitation could release more gas-phase space in the water-rich reservoir,which in turn improved the gas production efficiency.Meanwhile,the spatiotemporal evolution of pore fluids could lead to partial accelerated decomposition or secondary formation of hydrates.In the unsealed reservoir,the peripheral water infiltration kept reservoir at a high water saturation,which hindered the overall production process and caused higher water production.Importantly,depressurization assisted with the N2 sweep could displace the pore water rapidly.According to the results,it is recommended that using the short-term N2 sweep as an auxiliary means in the early stage of depressurization to expand the gas-phase space in order to achieve the highest production efficiency.展开更多
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.20CX05005A)the Major Scientific and Technological Projects of CNPC(No.ZD2019-184-001)+2 种基金the PetroChina Innovation Foundation(No.2018D-5007-0214)the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation(No.ZR2019MEE095)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42174141).
文摘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.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51874332,51991363)the CNPC's Major Science and Technology Projects(ZD2019-184-003)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities(20CX05008A)“14th Five-Year plan”forward-looking basic major science and technology project of CNPC(2021DJ4901).
文摘Natural gas hydrate(NGH)can cause pipeline blockages during the transportation of oil and gas under high pressures and low temperatures.Reducing hydrate adhesion on pipelines is viewed as an efficient way to prevent NGH blockages.Previous studies suggested the water film can greatly increase hydrate adhesion in gas-dominant system.Herein,by performing the molecular dynamics simulations,we find in water-dominant system,the water film plays different roles in hydrate deposition on Fe and its corrosion surfaces.Specifically,due to the strong affinity of water on Fe surface,the deposited hydrate cannot convert the adsorbed water into hydrate,thus,a water film exists.As water affinities decrease(Fe>Fe_(2)O_(3)>FeO>Fe_(3)O_(4)),adsorbed water would convert to amorphous hydrate on Fe_(2)O_(3)and form the ordered hydrate on FeO and Fe_(3)O_(4)after hydrate deposition.While absorbed water film converts to amorphous or to hydrate,the adhesion strength of hydrate continuously increases(Fe<Fe_(2)O_(3)<FeO<Fe_(3)O_(4)).This is because the detachment of deposited hydrate prefers to occur at soft region of liquid layer,the process of which becomes harder as liquid layer vanishes.As a result,contrary to gas-dominant system,the water film plays the weakening roles on hydrate adhesion in water-dominant system.Overall,our results can help to better understand the hydrate deposition mechanisms on Fe and its corrosion surfaces and suggest hydrate deposition can be adjusted by changing water affinities on pipeline surfaces.
基金This work is financially supported by the Key Laboratory of Icing and Anti/De-icing of CARDC(Grant No.IADL20210402)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.12002350,12172314,11772278 and 11904300)+1 种基金the Jiangxi Provincial Outstanding Young Talents Program(Grant No.20192BCBL23029)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Xiamen University:Grant No.20720210025).
文摘Understanding the hydrate adhesion is important to tackling hydrate accretion in petro-pipelines.Herein,the relationship between the Tetrahydrofuran(THF)hydrate adhesion strength(AS)and surface stiffness on elastic coatings is systemically examined by experimental shear force measurements and theoretical methods.The mechanical factor-elastic modulus of the coatings greatly dictates the hydrate AS,which is explained by the adhesion mechanics theory,beyond the usual factors such as wettability and structural roughness.Moreover,the hydrate AS increases with reducing the thickness of the elastic coatings,resulted from the decrease of the apparent surface elastic modulus.The effect of critical thickness for the elastic materials with variable elastic modulus on the hydrate AS is also revealed.This study provides deep perspectives on the regulation of the hydrate AS by the elastic modulus of elastic materials,which is of significance to design anti-hydrate surfaces for mitigation of hydrate accretion in petro-pipelines.
基金supported by the Qingdao Natural Science Foundation(No.23-2-1-54-zyyd-jch)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.42076217,41976074)+1 种基金the Laoshan Laboratory(No.LSKJ202203506)the Key Laboratory of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering of Ministry of Education,Tongji University(No.KLE-TJGE-G2202).
文摘The safe and efficient development of natural gas hydrate requires a deep understanding of the deformation behaviors of reservoirs.In this study,a series of triaxial shearing tests are carried out to investigate the deformation properties of hydrate-bearing sediments.Variations of volumetric and lateral strains versus hydrate saturation are analyzed comprehensively.Results indicate that the sediments with high hydrate saturation show dilative behaviors,which lead to strain-softening characteristics during shearing.The volumetric strain curves have a tendency to transform gradually from dilatation to compression with the increase in effective confining pressure.An easy prediction model is proposed to describe the relationship between volumetric and axial strains.The model coefficientβis the key dominating factor for the shape of volumetric strain curves and can be determined by the hydrate saturation and stress state.Moreover,a modified model is established for the calculation of lateral strain.The corresponding determination method is provided for the easy estimation of model coefficients for medium sand sediments containing hydrate.This study provides a theoretical and experimental reference for deformation estimation in natural gas hydrate development.
基金financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(No.ZR202011030013)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41976205)+1 种基金the Marine S&T Fund of Shandong Province for Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology(Qingdao)(No.2021QNLM020002)the China Geological Survey Program(No.DD20221704).
文摘It has been evidenced that shallow gas hydrate resources are abundant in deep oceans worldwide.Their geological back-ground,occurrence,and other characteristics differ significantly from deep-seated hydrates.Because of the high risk of well construction and low production efficiency,they are difficult to be recovered by using conventional oil production methods.As a result,this paper proposes an alternative design based on a combination of radial drilling,heat injection,and backfilling methods.Multi-branch holes are used to penetrate shallow gas hydrate reservoirs to expand the depressurization area,and heat injection is utilized as a supplement to improve gas production.Geotechnical information collected from an investigation site close to the offshore production well in the South China Sea is used to assess the essential components of this plan,including well construction stability and gas production behavior.It demonstrates that the hydraulic fracturing of the 60mbsf overburden layer can be prevented by regulating the drilling fluid densities.However,the traditional well structure is unstable,and the suction anchor is advised for better mechanical performance.The gas produc-tion rate can be significantly increased by combining hot water injection and depressurization methods.Additionally,the suitable produc-tion equipment already in use is discussed.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.52074334,51991365)the National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFC2800903),which are gratefully acknowledged.
文摘Natural gas hydrate(NGH)is generally produced and accumulated together with the underlying conventional gas.Therefore,optimizing the production technology of these two gases should be seen as a relevant way to effectively reduce the exploitation cost of the gas hydrate.In this study,three types of models accounting for the coexistence of these gases are considered.Type A considers the upper hydrate-bearing layer(HBL)adjacent to the lower conventional gas layer(CGL);with the Type B a permeable interlayer exists between the upper HBL and the lower CGL;with the type C there is an impermeable interlayer between the upper HBL and the lower CGL.The production performances associated with the above three models are calculated under different conditions,including only a depressurized HBL(only HBL DP);only a depressurized CGL(only CGL DP);and both the HBL and the CGL being depressurized(HBL+CGL DP).The results show that for Type A and Type B coexistence accumulation models,when only HBL or CGL is depressurized,the gas from the other layer will flow into the production layer due to the pressure difference between the two layers.In the coexistence accumulation model of type C,the cumulative gas production is much lower than that of Type A and Type B,regardless of whether only HBL DP,only CGL DP,or HBL+CGL DP are considered.This indicates that the impermeable interlayer restricts the cross-flow of gas between HBL and CGL.For three different coexistence accumulation models,CGL DP has the largest gas-to-water ratio.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42376221,42276083)Director Research Fund Project of Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey(2023GMGSJZJJ00030)+2 种基金National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFC2800901)Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research(2020B030103003)the project of the China Geological Survey(DD20230064).
文摘Many locations with concentrated hydrates at vents have confirmed the presence of abundant thermogenic gas in the middle of the Qiongdongnan Basin(QDNB).However,the impact of deep structures on gasbearing fluids migration and gas hydrates distribution in tectonically inactive regions is still unclear.In this study,the authors apply high-resolution 3D seismic and logging while drilling(LWD)data from the middle of the QDNB to investigate the influence of deep-large faults on gas chimneys and preferred gasescape pipes.The findings reveal the following:(1)Two significant deep-large faults,F1 and F2,developed on the edge of the Songnan Low Uplift,control the dominant migration of thermogenic hydrocarbons and determine the initial locations of gas chimneys.(2)The formation of gas chimneys is likely related to fault activation and reactivation.Gas chimney 1 is primarily arises from convergent fluid migration resulting from the intersection of the two faults,while the gas chimney 2 benefits from a steeper fault plane and shorter migration distance of fault F2.(3)Most gas-escape pipes are situated near the apex of the two faults.Their reactivations facilitate free gas flow into the GHSZ and contribute to the formation of fracture‐filling hydrates.
基金This research was jointly supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2021YFC2800801)the Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou)(GML2019ZD0501)+3 种基金the Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Foundation(202102020611)the project of Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey of the China Geology Survey(DD20221700)the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province(2020B1111030003)the High-tech Ship Research Project of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology(CJ05N20).
文摘Conductor and suction anchor are the key equipment providing bearing capacity in the field of deep-water drilling or offshore engineering,which have the advantages of high operation efficiency and short construction period.In order to drill a horizontal well in the shallow hydrate reservoir in the deep water,the suction anchor wellhead assembly is employed to undertake the main vertical bearing capacity in the second round of hydrate trial production project,so as to reduce the conductor running depth and heighten the kick-off point position.However,the deformation law of the deep-water suction anchor wellhead assembly under the moving load of the riser is not clear,and it is necessary to understand the lateral bearing characteristics to guide the design of its structural scheme.Based on 3D solid finite element method,the solid finite element model of the suction anchor wellhead assembly is established.In the model,the seabed soil is divided into seven layers,the contact between the wellhead assembly and the soil is simulated,and the vertical load and bending moment are applied to the wellhead node to simulate the riser movement when working in the deep water.The lateral bearing stability of conventional wellhead assembly and suction anchor wellhead assembly under the influence of wellhead load is discussed.The analysis results show that the bending moment is the main factor affecting the lateral deformation of the wellhead string;the anti-bending performance from increasing the outer conductor diameter is better than that from increasing the conductor wall thickness;for the subsea wellhead,the suction anchor obviously improves the lateral bearing capacity and reduces the lateral deformation.The conduct of the suction anchor wellhead assembly still needs to be lowered to a certain depth that below the maximum disturbed depth to ensure the lateral bearing stability,Thus,a method for the minimum conductor running depth for the suction anchor wellhead assembly is developed.The field implementations show that compared with the first round of hydrate trial production project,the conductor running depth is increased by 9.42 m,and there is no risk of wellhead overturning during the trial production.The method for determining the minimum conductor running depth in this paper is feasible and will still play an important role in the subsequent hydrate exploration and development.
基金supported by the Laoshan Laboratory(No.LSKJ LSKJ202203506)the Taishan Scholars Program,and the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41976074).
文摘Sand production is one of the main obstacles restricting gas extraction efficiency and safety from marine natural gas hydrate(NGH)reservoirs.Particle migration within the NGH reservoir dominates sand production behaviors,while their relationships were rarely reported,severely constrains quantitative evaluation of sand production risks.This paper reports the optical observations of solid particle migration and production from micrometer to mesoscopic scales conditioned to gravel packing during depressurization-induced NGH dissociation for the first time.Theoretical evolutionary modes of sand migration are established based on experimental observations,and its implications on field NGH are comprehensively discussed.Five particle migration regimes of local borehole failure,continuous collapse,wormhole expansion,extensive slow deformation,and pore-wall fluidization are proved to occur during depressurization.The types of particle migration regimes and their transmission modes during depressurization are predominantly determined by initial hydrate saturation.In contrast,the depressurization mainly dominates the transmission rate of the particle migration regimes.Furthermore,both the cumulative mass and the medium grain size of the produced sand decrease linearly with increasing initial methane hydrate(MH)saturation.Discontinuous gas bubble emission,expansion,and explosion during MH dissociation delay sand migration into the wellbore.At the same time,continuous water flow is a requirement for sand production during hydrate dissociation by depressurization.The experiments enlighten us that a constitutive model that can illustrate visible particle migration regimes and their transmission modes is urgently needed to bridge numerical simulation and field applications.Optimizing wellbore layout positions or special reservoir treatment shall be important for mitigating sand production tendency during NGH exploitation.
基金the financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42174133 and 41676032)China Geological Survey(Grant No.DD20190234)。
文摘Electrical properties are important physical parameters of natural gas hydrate,and,specifically,resistivity has been widely used in the quantitative estimation of hydrate saturation.There are three main methods to study the electrical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments:experimental laboratory measurements,numerical simulation,and resistivity logging.Experimental measurements can be divided into three categories:normal electrical measurement,complex resistivity measurement,and electrical resistivity tomography.Experimental measurements show that the resistivity of hydrate-bearing sediment is affected by many factors,and its distribution as well as the hydrate saturation is not uniform;there is a distinct non-Archie phenomenon.The numerical method can simulate the resistivity of sediments by changing the hydrate occurrence state,saturation,distribution,etc.However,it needs to be combined with X-ray CT,nuclear magnetic resonance,and other imaging techniques to characterize the porous characteristics of the hydrate-bearing sediments.Resistivity well logging can easily identify hydrate layers based on their significantly higher resistivity than the background,but the field data of the hydrate layer also has a serious non-Archie phenomenon.Therefore,more experimental measurements and numerical simulation studies are needed to correct the parameters of Archie’s formula.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Plan of China(2021YFC2800902)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52206076,U19B2005)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(DUT21ZD103)the Opening Fund of MOE Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation(LOEC-202204).
文摘Gas and water migration through the hydrate-bearing sediment are characteristic features in marine gas hydrate reservoirs worldwide.However,there are few experimental investigations on the effect of water-gas flow on the gas hydrate reservoir.In this study,gas-water migration in gas hydrate stability zone(GHSZ)was investigated visually employing a high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)apparatus,and the formation of hydrate seal was experimentally investigated.Results revealed that normal flow of gas-water at the low flow rate of 1–0.25 mL/min will induce the hydrate reformation.Conversely,higher gas-water flow rates(at 2–0.5 and 4–1 mL/min)need higher reservoir pressure to induce the hydrate reformation.In addition,the hydrate reformation during the gas-water flow process produced the hydrate seal,which can withstand an over 9.0 MPa overpressure.This high overpressure provides the development condition for the underlying gas and/or water reservoir.A composite MRI image of the whole hydrate seal was obtained through the MRI.The pore difference between hydrate zone and coexistence zone produces a capillary sealing effect for hydrate seal.The hydrate saturation of hydrate seal was more than 51.6%,and the water saturation was more than 19.3%.However,the hydrate seal can be broken through when the overpressure exceeded the capillary pressure of the hydrate seal,which induced the sudden drop of reservoir pressure.This study provides a scientific explanation for the existence of high-pressure underlying gas below the hydrate layer and is significant for the safe exploitation of these common typical marine hydrate reservoirs.
基金financial supports received from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42174136,41821002 and 41874151)the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation,China(ZR2021JQ14).
文摘Fractured hydrate-bearing reservoirs show significantly anisotropic geophysical properties. The joint application of seismic and electromagnetic explorations is expected to accurately assess hydrate resources in the fractured reservoirs. However, the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in such reservoirs that are the key to the successful application of the joint explorations, remain poorly understood. To obtain such knowledge, we designed and implemented dedicated laboratory experiments to study the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in fractured artificial silica sandstones (with fracture density of about 6.2%, porosity of approximately 25.7%, and mean grainsize of 0.089 mm) with evolving methane hydrate. The experimental results showed that the anisotropic compressional wave velocities respectively increased and decreased with the forming and dissociating hydrate, and the variation in the increasing trend and the decreasing extent of the velocity perpendicular to the fractures were more significant than that parallel to the fractures, respectively. The experimental results also showed that the overall decreasing trend of the electrical conductivity parallel to the fractures was steeper than that perpendicular to the fractures during hydrate formation, and the general variations of the two conductivities with complex trend were similar during hydrate dissociation. The variations in the elastic and electrical anisotropic parameters with forming and dissociating hydrate were also found to be distinct. Interpretation of the experimental results suggested that the hydrate binding to the grains evolved to bridge the surfaces of fractures when saturation exceeded 10% during hydrate formation, and the bridging hydrate gradually evolved to floating in fractures during dissociation. The experimental results further showed that the anisotropic velocities and electrical conductivities were correlated with approximately consistent trends of different slopes during hydrate formation, and the joint elastic-electrical anisotropic parameters exhibited a sharp peak at the hydrate saturation of about 10%. The results suggested that the anisotropic joint properties can be employed not only to accurately estimate hydrate saturation but also possibly to identify hydrate distribution in the fractures.
基金supported by a grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, Agreement No. 075-152020-806 (Contract No. 13.1902.21.0014)。
文摘It is known that injection of carbon dioxide into the petroleum reservoir(CO_(2) flooding) is one of the effective methods for enhanced oil recovery. CO_(2) flooding may be complicated by formation of CO_(2) hydrate plugs. It makes topical investigation of CO_(2) hydrate formation in the system gaseous CO_(2)-oil-water. In this work, the growth rates of carbon dioxide hydrate films at the water-oil as well as the water-gas interface are studied in the pressure range of 2.30-3.04 MPa and at temperatures between -5.4 and 5.0℃. It is found that the growth rate for the water-oil interface is 3.5 times lower than that for the water-gas interface with carbon dioxide. It is hypothesised that the observed decrease in the growth rate is related to the mechanical resistance of the oil components adsorbed on the interface to the growth of the hydrate film. The growth rate of the film has been shown to depend on the experimental procedure,most likely due to the different initial concentrations of carbon dioxide in the aqueous solutions.
基金Supported by the K.C.Wong Education Foundation(No.GJTD-2018-13)the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences+7 种基金the Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory(Guangzhou)(Nos.GML2019ZD0104,GML2019ZD0205)the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Program(No.201904010285)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42076077)the Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering,Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.ISEE2018PY02)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2021YFC3100604)the Hainan Key Laboratory of Marine Geological Resources and Environment(No.HNHYDZZYHJKF003)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(No.2021A1515011298)the Guangdong Special Support Talent Team Program(No.2019BT02H594)。
文摘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.
基金jointly supported by Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao)the IGGCAS (IGGCAS-201903 and SZJJ201901)the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ZDBSLY-DQC003)。
文摘How natural gas hydrates nucleate and grow is a crucial scientific question.The research on it will help solve practical problems encountered in hydrate accumulation,development,and utilization of hydrate related technology.Due to its limitations on both spatial and temporal dimensions,experiment cannot fully explain this issue on a micro-scale.With the development of computer technology,molecular simulation has been widely used in the study of hydrate formation because it can observe the nucleation and growth process of hydrates at the molecular level.This review will assess the recent progresses in molecular dynamics simulation of hydrate nucleation and growth,as well as the enlightening significance of these developments in hydrate applications.At the same time,combined with the problems encountered in recent hydrate trial mining and applications,some potential directions for molecular simulation in the research of hydrate nucleation and growth are proposed,and the future of molecular simulation research on hydrate nucleation and growth is prospected.
基金funded by the Laboratory for Marine Geology,Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology(No.MGQNLM-KF202004)Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.422RC746 and 421QN281)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42106213)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Nos.2021M690161 and 2021T140691)the Postdoctorate Funded Project in Hainan Province.
文摘Hydrate reservoirs are different from the host reservoirs of all other fossil energy sources because the characteristics of hydrate reservoirs are generally controlled by deep-sea fine-grained sedimentation. In such reservoirs, the reliability of the classical logging evaluation models established for diagenetic reservoirs is questionable. This study used well W8 in the Qiongdongnan Basin to explore the clay content, porosity, saturation, and hydrate-enriched layer identification of a logging-based hydrate reservoir, and it was found that considering the effect of the clay content on the log response is necessary in the logging evaluation of hydrate reservoirs. In the evaluation of clay content, a method based on the optimization inversion method can obtain a more reliable clay content than other methods. Fine-grained sediment reservoirs have a high clay content, and the effect of clay on log responses must be considered when calculating porosity. In addition, combining density logging and neutron porosity logging data can obtain the best porosity calculation results, and the porosity calculation method based on sonic logging predicted that the porosity of the studied reservoir was low. It was very effective to identify hydrate layers based on resistivity, but the clay distribution and pore structure will also affect the relationship between resistivity, porosity and saturation, and it was suggested that the factors effecting the resistivity of different layers should be considered in the saturation evaluation and that a suitable model should be selected. This study also considered the lack of clarity of the relationships among the lithology, physical properties, hydrate-bearing occurrence properties, and log response properties of hydrate reservoirs and the lack of specialized petrophysical models. This research can directly help to improve hydrate logging evaluation.
基金financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52174009 and No.51827804)Marine Economy Development Foundation of Guangdong Province(GDNRC[2022]44)“Technical Support for Stimulation and Testing of Gas Hydrate Reservoirs”.
文摘Cavitating jet is a promising drilling rate improvement technology in both the marine natural gas hydrate (NGH) fluidization exploitation method and the integrated radial jet drilling and completion method. In present study, we aim to improve the efficiency of jet erosion and extracting NGH. With a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method, the pressure, velocity and cavitation field characteristics of organ-pipe cavitating jet (OPCJ) are analysed. The divergent angle, throat length, and divergent length of OPCJ nozzle are preferred to obtain stronger jet cavitation erosion effect. Laboratory experiments of gas hydrate-bearing sediments (GHBS) erosion by OPCJ and conical jet (CJ) are conducted to compare and validate the jet erosion performance. The impinging models of OPCJ and CJ are constructed to study the impact characteristics. Results show that the preferred values of divergent angle, throat length, and divergent length are 15°, 1d, and 3d, respectively, in present simulation conditions. For GHBS, the OPCJ possesses the advantages of high efficiency and low energy consumption. Moreover, the OPCJ has higher penetration efficiency, while showing equivalent penetration ability compared to CJ. During the impinging process, the OPCJ can induce stronger impact pressure and turbulence effect, and also shows stronger chambering effect and bottom cleaning ability compared to CJ. This study presents the erosion performance of OPCJ and CJ on GHBS, and provides preliminary insights on the potential field applications in NGH exploitation.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U19B2005,21808238,U20B6005,22127812)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFC2800902).
文摘The natural gas hydrate has been regarded as an important future green energy.Significant progress on the hydrate exploitation has been made,but some challenges are still remaining.In order to enhance the hydrate exploitation efficiency,a significant understanding of the effective thermal conductivity(ETC)of the hydrate-bearing sediment has become essential,since it directly controls the heat and mass transfer behaviors,and thereby determines the stability of hydrate reservoir and production rate.In this study,the effective thermal conductivities of various hydrate-bearing sediments were in-situ measured and studied.The impacts of temperature,particle size and type of sediment were investigated.The effective thermal conductivities of the quartz sand sediments before and after hydrate formation were in-situ measured.The results show the weak negative correlation of effective thermal conductivity of the quartz sand sediment on the temperature before and after the hydrate formation.The effective thermal conductivity of the hydrate-bearing sediment decreases with the increase of particle size of the sediment.The dominant effect of the type of porous medium on the characteristics of the effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediment was highlighted.The results indicate that both the effective thermal conductivities of hydrate-bearing quartz sand sediment and hydrate-bearing silicon carbide sediment are weakly negatively correlated with temperature,but the effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing clay sediment is weakly positively dependent on the temperature.In addition,the values of the effective thermal conductivities of various hydrate-bearing sediments are in the order of hydrate-bearing silicon carbide sediment>hydrate-bearing quartz sand sediment>hydrate-bearing clay sediment.These findings could suggest that the intrinsic thermal conductivity of porous medium could control the characteristics of effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediment.
基金financial support from the Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China(51736009)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,China(2023A1515012061)+3 种基金the Guangdong Special Support Program-Local innovation and entrepreneurship team project(2019BT02L278)the Special Project for Marine Economy Development of Guangdong Province(GDME-2022D043)the Fundamental Research&Applied Fundamental Research Major Project of Guangdong Province(2019B030302004,2020B030103003)the Science and Technology Apparatus Development Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(YZ201619),the Frontier Sciences Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(QYZDJSSW-JSC033)。
文摘Gas hydrate technology has considerable potential in many fields.However,due to the lack of understanding of the micro mechanism of hydrate formation,it has not been commercially applied so far.Gas hydrate formation is essentially a gas-liquid-solid phase transition of water and gas molecules at a certain temperature and pressure.The key to the hydrate formation is the transformation of water molecule from disordered arrangement to ordered arrangement.In this process,weakly hydrogen bonded water will be correspondingly converted to strongly hydrogen bonded water.Through in situ Raman analysis and experiments,the position change of the corresponding peaks of the strongly hydrogen bonded water and the weakly hydrogen bonded water was compared in this work,and the key microscopic process and influence of gas hydrate formation in different systems were comprehensively studied and summarized.It is found that,with the decrease of temperature,the OAH of the weakly hydrogen bonded water remains unchanged when the temperature drops to a certain value,which is the key to the transformation of water into cage hydrate rather than ice.The conversion from the weakly hydrogen bonded water to the strongly hydrogen bonded water is closely related to the gas-liquid interface force,the hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of the promoter,the ionization degree of liquid,and the electrostatic field of the system.Among the four most common promoters,tetrahydrofuran(THF)has the highest efficiency in promoting methane(CH4)hydrate formation.Therefore,this study provides a scientific direction and basis for the development of high efficient hydrate formation promoters,which can effectively weaken the hydrogen bond of weakly hydrogen bonded water and promote the conversion of weakly hydrogen bonded water to strongly hydrogen bonded water.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,China(Nos.52004136,22127812,U20B6005)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,China(Nos.2020M670347,2021T140382)Guangdong MEPP Fund(No.GDNRC[2021]055).
文摘In addition to the temperature and pressure conditions,the pore fluid composition and migration behavior are also crucial to control hydrate decomposition in the exploitation process.In this work,to investigate the effects of these factors,a series of depressurization experiments were carried out in a visible one-dimensional reactor,using hydrate reservoir samples with water saturations ranging from 20%to 65%.The results showed a linear relationship between gas production rates and gas saturations of the reservoir,suggesting that a larger gas-phase space was conducive to hydrate decomposition and gas outflow.Therefore,the rapid water production in the early stage of hydrate exploitation could release more gas-phase space in the water-rich reservoir,which in turn improved the gas production efficiency.Meanwhile,the spatiotemporal evolution of pore fluids could lead to partial accelerated decomposition or secondary formation of hydrates.In the unsealed reservoir,the peripheral water infiltration kept reservoir at a high water saturation,which hindered the overall production process and caused higher water production.Importantly,depressurization assisted with the N2 sweep could displace the pore water rapidly.According to the results,it is recommended that using the short-term N2 sweep as an auxiliary means in the early stage of depressurization to expand the gas-phase space in order to achieve the highest production efficiency.
