Numerical analysis of experimental studies of methane hydrate formation in a sandy porous medium

Yin, Zhenyuan; Moridis, George J.; Tan, Hoon Kiang; Linga, Praveen

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.075

Cited by 101 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 102 publications

(115 reference statements)

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“…The pressure changes in the equilibrium model matched relatively well with those in the experiment. However, Yin et al (Yin, Moridis, Chong, et al, ; Yin, Moridis, Tan, & Linga, ) found that the Kinetic model is highly reliable to determine temperature changes and productivity. For future work, it will be necessary to identify changes in critical gas hydrate saturation using the equilibrium and kinetic models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Analysis of Dissociation Behavior at Critical Gas Hydrate Saturation Using Depressurization Method

et al. 2019

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The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources conducted depressurization experiments at various gas hydrate saturation conditions, using mini pressure cells, to determine critical gas hydrate saturation. Their results indicated that it is necessary to carry out a numerical simulation in connection with the experiments to determine the critical gas hydrate saturation at numerous conditions that could not be incorporated into the experiments. In this study, a numerical simulation model, which simulated a mini pressure cell, was developed to verify the results of the aforementioned experiments. The changes in the fluid density and computer tomography values showed a similar trend. The validated numerical simulation model was used to determine the dissociation behaviors and productivities for various gas hydrate saturation levels (10–80%). As the gas hydrate saturation increased, the fluid permeability decreased. The gas hydrate dissociation was slowed by this correlation, and the production of gas and water was delayed at 50–60% gas hydrate saturation. Thus, the critical gas hydrate saturation was determined to be 50–60% for the experimental conditions of the field production test at the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Korea. A pressure difference was noticed between the production and injection points due to the pressure propagation being delayed at critical gas hydrate saturation. Verifying the results of the experiments proved useful to understanding the dissociation and multiphase flow patterns in various depressurization scenarios.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Analysis of Dissociation Behavior at Critical Gas Hydrate Saturation Using Depressurization Method

et al. 2019

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“…The numerical studies of Yin et al [33,34] analysed through history-matching (inverse modelling) laboratory data of MH formation and dissociation in a sandy core in a 1.0 L reactor, and the optimized parameters determined in the process closely matched the pressure and temperature measurements and yielded consistent predictions of heterogeneous spatial distributions of all phases. The MH formation method of Chong et al [23,35] that provided the data for the Yin et al [33,34] studies was shown to lead to significantly heterogeneous spatial distributions of SH (high SH near the reactor cooling boundary, and low SH at the reactor centre) as a result of the apparatus design. The numerical studies of Yin et al [33,34] also determined that the thermal processes associated with the reactor cooling and the warm water injection (to effect dissociation) had a considerable impact on the spatial distribution of SH in the hydrate-bearing core, as did the ambient air temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Gleaning from our past experience with both experiments and simulations of the MH formation process in sandy media [20,23,33], we postulate that the rate of hydrate formation rate (and the corresponding heterogeneity effects on the spatial distribution of SH) can be controlled by the degree of sub-cooling (∆Tsub) applied to the closed system (laboratory apparatus) used in the excess-water method. The term ∆Tsub can be defined as the onset temperature of MH below its equilibrium temperature (Teq).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The MH formation method of Chong et al [23,35] that provided the data for the Yin et al [33,34] studies was shown to lead to significantly heterogeneous spatial distributions of SH (high SH near the reactor cooling boundary, and low SH at the reactor centre) as a result of the apparatus design. The numerical studies of Yin et al [33,34] also determined that the thermal processes associated with the reactor cooling and the warm water injection (to effect dissociation) had a considerable impact on the spatial distribution of SH in the hydrate-bearing core, as did the ambient air temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For studies without the benefit of in-situ phase visualization, numerical predictions of the hydrate distribution in the sample and of its behaviour during dissociation are the only means of addressing the issue of heterogeneity [33,34,36]. Numerical simulation can address the complexity of the various intertwined physical and chemical processes during hydrate formation and dissociation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of multi-stage cooling processes in improving the CH4-hydrate saturation uniformity in sandy laboratory samples

et al. 2019

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Laboratory-created samples of methane hydrate (MH)-bearing media are a necessity because of the rarity and difficulty of obtaining naturally-occurring samples. The hypothesis that the inevitable heterogeneity in the phase saturations of the laboratory samples may lead to unreliable and non-repeatable results provided the impetus for this study, which aimed to determine the conditions under which maximum uniformity can be achieved. To that end, we designed four experiments involving different multi-stage cooling regimes (in terms of their duration and number of stages) to induce MH formation under excess-water conditions. In the absence of direct visualization capabilities, we analysed the experimental results by means of numerical simulation, which provided high-resolution predictions of the spatial distributions of the phase saturations in the cores and enabled the estimation of the parameters controlling the kinetic MH-formation behaviour through history-matching. Analysis of the numerical results indicated that, under the conditions of the experiments and with the design of the reactor, significant heterogeneities in phase saturation distributions were observed in all cases, leading to the conclusion that it is not possible to obtain cores with uniform phase saturation. Additionally, contrary to expectations, heterogeneities increased with the number of cooling stages and the duration of cooling, and this was attributed to imperfect insulation of the upper part of the reactor. A set of simulations involving perfect insulation of the reactor top confirmed the validity of this assumption: (a) predicting the formation of high-uniformity MH-bearing cores that became more homogeneous as 1 The short version of the paper was presented at ICAE2018, Aug 22-25 (2018), Hong Kong. This paper is a substantial extension of the short version of the conference paper.2 the number of cooling stages and the length of the cooling period increased; and (b) providing important information for the improvement of the standard design of the experimental apparatus for the laboratory creation of MH-bearing cores using the excess water method.

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Numerical study on gas production via a horizontal well from hydrate reservoirs with different slope angles in the South China Sea

Luo,

Song,

Sun

et al. 2024

Deep Underground Science and Engineering

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It is important to study the effect of hydrate production on the physical and mechanical properties of low‐permeability clayey–silty reservoirs for the large‐scale exploitation of hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea. In this study, a multiphysical‐field coupling model, combined with actual exploration drilling data and the mechanical experimental data of hydrate cores in the laboratory, was established to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of low‐permeability reservoirs with different slope angles during 5‐year hydrate production by the depressurization method via a horizontal well. The result shows that the permeability of reservoirs severely affects gas production rate, and the maximum gas production amount of a 20‐m‐long horizontal well can reach 186.8 m3/day during the 5‐year hydrate production. Reservoirs with smaller slope angles show higher gas production rates. The depressurization propagation and hydrate dissociation mainly develop along the direction parallel to the slope. Besides, the mean effective stress of reservoirs is concentrated in the near‐wellbore area with the on‐going hydrate production, and gradually decreases with the increase of the slope angle. Different from the effective stress distribution law, the total reservoir settlement amount first decreases and then increases with the increase of the slope angle. The maximum settlement of reservoirs with a 0° slope angle is up to 3.4 m, and the displacement in the near‐wellbore area is as high as 2.2 m after 5 years of hydrate production. It is concluded that the pore pressure drop region of low‐permeability reservoirs in the South China Sea is limited, and various slope angles further lead to differences in effective stress and strain of reservoirs during hydrate production, resulting in severe uneven settlement of reservoirs.

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Numerical analysis of experimental studies of methane hydrate formation in a sandy porous medium

Cited by 101 publications

References 102 publications

Numerical Analysis of Dissociation Behavior at Critical Gas Hydrate Saturation Using Depressurization Method

Numerical Analysis of Dissociation Behavior at Critical Gas Hydrate Saturation Using Depressurization Method

Effectiveness of multi-stage cooling processes in improving the CH4-hydrate saturation uniformity in sandy laboratory samples

Numerical study on gas production via a horizontal well from hydrate reservoirs with different slope angles in the South China Sea

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