Experimental Techniques for Mechanical Properties of Gas Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

Abstract

The mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments are important basic parameters during natural gas hydrate drilling and exploitation. It’s very hard to get and preserve the actual gas hydrate specimens for the measurements of these characteristics. Experimental techniques for mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments are essential and unique because of the special high pressure and low temperature conditions for the stability of gas hydrate. Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology has developed an experimental equipment (Chinese National patent No. ZL 2010 2 0253067.3) to study the variation of mechanical properties along with gas hydrate saturation in different sediments. The combination, configuration and advantages of the equipment, as well as some preliminary experimental results were introduced in this article.