Introducing realistic distributions of gas bubble size and inclusion aspect ratio to model the coexistence of gas hydrate and free gas

Abstract

The coexisting free gas within the hydrate stability zone is recognized by laboratory and field studies. The conventional resistivity method fails to obtain hydrate saturation in the sediment with gas hydrate and free gas because both of them are electrical insulators. Hydrate saturation can be obtained from a velocity log based on a certain rock physics model. However, few studies of rock physics have been conducted on gas and hydrate coexistence. In this study, a more realistic distribution of gas bubble size and inclusion aspect ratio was introduced into an effective medium model to elucidate how such coexistence affects velocity and attenuation at a broad-band frequency. The modeling results obtained indicate that such coexistence decreases P-wave velocity at low frequencies, while increases P- and S-wave velocities at high frequencies. The velocity decrease of P-wave at low frequencies is attributed to the overwhelming effect of gas bubble vibration, while it seems not to affect P-wave velocity at high frequencies significantly. Moreover, coexisting gas hydrate and free gas may strengthen P-wave attenuation at the broad-band frequency range. It is found that the damping of oscillating gas bubbles dominates P-wave attenuation at low frequencies, while squirt flow in the porous hydrate is more likely to contribute to P-wave attenuation at high frequencies. Hydrate morphology is also a significant factor affecting P-wave velocity and attenuation at high frequencies. This research reveals that rock physics modeling can provide insight into how to characterize the coexisting gas hydrate and free gas as referring to the acoustic velocity and attenuation at seismic, sonic, and ultrasonic frequencies.