Non-isothermal, multi-phase, multi-component flows through deformable methane hydrate reservoirs

Abstract

We present a hydro-geomechanical model for subsurface methane hydrate systems. Our model considers kinetic hydrate phase change and non-isothermal, multi-phase, multi-component flow in elastically deforming soils. The model accounts for the effects of hydrate phase change and pore pressure changes on the mechanical properties of the soil, and also for the effect of soil deformation on the fluid-solid interaction properties relevant to reaction and transport processes (e.g., permeability, capillary pressure, reaction surface area). We discuss a 'cause-effect' based decoupling strategy for the model and present our numerical discretization and solution scheme. We then identify the important model components and couplings which are most vital for a hydro-geomechanical hydrate simulator, namely, 1) dissociation kinetics, 2) hydrate phase change coupled with non-isothermal two phase two component flow, 3) two phase flow coupled with linear elasticity (poroelasticity coupling), and finally 4) hydrate phase change coupled with poroelasticity (kinetics-poroelasticity coupling) and present numerical examples where, for each example, one of the aforementioned model components/couplings is isolated. A special emphasis is laid on the kinetics-poroelasticity coupling. We also present a more complex 3D example based on a subsurface hydrate reservoir which is destabilized through depressurization using a low pressure gas well. In this example, we simulate the melting of hydrate, methane gas generation, and the resulting ground subsidence and stress build-up in the vicinity of the well.