Experimental laboratory complex for studying the physical properties of artificially formed gas-hydrate-containing sediments

Abstract

Physical properties of gas hydrate-containing sediments (HCS) are extremely important information for the development of methods for their search and exploration. The presence of gas hydrates in marine bottom sediments significantly changes their physical properties, so they can be detected by marine remote geophysical observations. The physical properties of HCS are very important for detecting the presence of these compounds, estimating the amount of captured gas hydrates by sediments, as well as developing methods for using this resource. Currently, the study of physical properties concerned mainly artificial gas hydrates in the process of formation and decomposition under various thermodynamic conditions in their pure form. Therefore, very little is known about the physical properties of HCS, which makes their detection by remote geophysical surveys too difficult. Development and creation of experimental laboratory modular complex for formation of artificial methane gas hydrates in various lithological-granulometric matrices (sandstones, argillites, siltstones, etc.) and measurement of their physical properties in thermodynamic conditions of bottom sediments of the Black Sea, will increase efficiency technology of methane hydrate deposits development. Under experimental conditions, along with the thermal conductivity and velocities of longitudinal and transverse waves of artificial HCS, the parameters of elastic deformation, strength, and decay characteristics will be measured, which will allow performing theoretical analysis to build models based on different hypotheses of their genesis. At the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine created a model of the installation for the formation and study of the physical properties of HCS. The development is based on the modern technological level of research in the field of thermobaric petro- physical experimental modeling of geological environments, as well as on the use of modern software and hardware laboratory research to obtain physical properties of bottom sediments of various lithological and particle size distribution.