Experimental study of permeability characteristics of fracture-hosted hydrate-bearing clay sediments under triaxial shear

Abstract

Reservoir permeability during the hydrate exploitation process is closely related to gas production. Fractures influence hydrate distribution and the evolution of reservoir permeability. Moreover, shear during exploitation can disturb the structure of sediments. Therefore, studying permeability and its evolution under shear in fracture-hosted hydrate-bearing sediments is significant for hydrate exploitation projects in the South China Sea. In this paper, standard sand and montmorillonite were mixed, and three different fracture angles were created to simulate sediment fracture. Consolidation, shear, and permeability measurements were employed to investigate mechanical and permeability properties. The results showed that the permeability of fracture-hosted hydrate-bearing sediments decreased and then increased with increasing hydrate saturation, both before and after consolidation. The compressibility of sediments played an important role in the permeability damage rate caused by consolidation and normalized permeability at the breaking point. Furthermore, fractures caused an undesired double peak and the disappearance of the permeability breaking point hysteresis relative to the stress breaking point. However, these effects were mitigated by increasing saturation. Lastly, the analysis of permeability sensitivity coefficients revealed that permeability was most sensitive to strain in the early shear stages. This study can guide methane hydrate exploitation in the South China Sea.