Constant rate natural gas production from a well in a hydrate reservoir

Abstract

Using a computational model, production of natural gas at a constant rate from a well that is drilled into a confined methane hydrate reservoir is studied. It is assumed that the pores in the reservoir are partially saturated with hydrate. A linearized model for an axisymmetric condition with a fixed well output is used in the analysis. For different reservoir temperatures and various well outputs, time evolutions of temperature and pressure profiles, as well as the gas flow rate in the hydrate zone and the gas region, are evaluated. The distance of the decomposition front from the well as a function of time is also computed. It is shown that to maintain a constant natural gas production rate, the well pressure must be decreased with time. A constant low production rate can be sustained for a long duration of time, but a high production rate demands unrealistically low pressure at the well after a relatively short production time. The simulation results show that the process of natural gas production in a hydrate reservoir is a sensitive function of reservoir temperature and hydrate zone permeability.