A coupled thermal–hydraulic–mechanical–chemical (THMC) model for methane hydrate bearing sediments using COMSOL Multiphysics

Abstract

Methane gas extraction by a deep well installed in methane hydrate bearing sediments (MHBS) found in deep subsea and permafrost regions is a coupled thermal–hydraulic–mechanical–chemical (THMC) process. The key processes include heat convection between layers, local deformation due to compaction, and stress relaxation caused by damage of the bonded structure. As improper production may induce formation compaction, sand production, and wellbore failures, a numerical code is needed to simulate the THMC processes during methane gas production so that geomechanics and production risks can be quantified. In this study, a nonlinear THMC model was implemented in the partial differential equations (PDE) and structural mechanics module of the COMSOL Multiphysics® finite element code. This paper describes the non-linear coupled governing equations of the mechanical behavior during hydrate dissociation. In particular, it introduces a new thermodynamics-based constitutive model to simulate the mechanical behavior of hydrate bearing sediments. The performance of the newly developed code was examined by comparing the computed results with test data and other simulation results. The differences between fully coupled and semi-coupled models were analyzed. For example, heterogeneous turbidite layers observed in the Nankai Trough were modeled, and behaviors such as heat convection between different layers, shear stress and strain concentration were examined.