Numerical Modeling of Gas Hydrate Recycling in Complex Media: Implications for Gas Migration Through Strongly Anisotropic Layers

Abstract

Methane hydrates are one of the most complex natural geosystems whose formation and dynamics is characterized by a wide range of strongly coupled and competing multi-physics processes such as gas migration through an evolving GHSZ, rapidly changing pressure-temperature-salinity fields, gas-water-hydrate (i.e., fluid-fluid-solid) phase transitions, locally appearing and disappearing phases, and evolving sediment properties (like permeability, capillary pressure, effective flow pathways, reaction surface area, etc.). Methane hydrates form an organic carbon repository in the earth, and have a significant contribution to the global carbon cycle. Besides, methane is an important greenhouse gas with drastic implications for climate (