Gas Hydrate Decomposition Research Articles

Comprehensive correlation analysis enabled neural network prediction of heat and mass transfer during gas hydrate decomposition

A significant amount of natural gas is stored in a form of hydrate. Yet commercial exploitation of natural gas hydrate remains quite challenging due to limited comprehension of internal heat and mass transfer processes. In this work, a numerical model is developed to describe heat and mass transfer during methane hydrate decomposition and to provide sufficient data for neural network modeling. Based on the numerical model, the temporal and spatial evolution patterns of several decomposition characteristics, including multiphase saturation, temperature, gas pressure, and gas velocity, are elucidated. More importantly, the effects of 19 types of variables related to various boundary conditions, physical properties, and initial conditions are comprehensively investigated. A comprehensive correlation map between these variables and four key heat and mass transfer parameters reveals 41 positive and 35 negative correlations. Driven by abundant simulation data, an artificial neural network model is then developed to predict the heat and mass transfer parameters. As validated, the neural network model shows satisfactory efficiency and accuracy, achieving relative errors below 2% in the prediction of various heat and mass transfer parameters. This study provides a comprehensive theoretical guide and a useful method for understanding, regulating, and optimizing the natural gas hydrate exploitation.

Research on Key Parameters of Wellbore Stability for Horizontal Drilling in Offshore Hydrate Reservoirs

The South China Sea has abundant reserves of natural gas hydrates, and if developed effectively, it can greatly alleviate the pressure on the energy supply in China. But the hydrate reservoirs in the sea area are loose, shallow, porous, and have poor mechanical properties. During the drilling process, the invasion of drilling fluid into this kind of reservoir is likely to induce mass decomposition of gas hydrate and, in turn, a significant reduction in mechanical strength around the wellbore as well as instability of the wellbore. In this study, in light of the engineering background of exploratory wells at the South China Sea, a temperature and pressure field model in a gas hydrate reservoir at sea during open circuit drilling was established, and then, based on this model, a comprehensive model for the stability analysis of the well drilled in the hydrate reservoir at sea was constructed, both of them with errors of less than 10%. With these two models, the effects of different drilling parameters on wellbore stability were investigated. The gas and liquid produced by the decomposition of hydrates in the formation will increase the pore pressure in the formation, thereby reducing the effective stress in the formation. The closer the formation is to the wellbore, the more thorough the decomposition of hydrates in the formation and the greater the effective plastic strain. Keeping all other conditions constant, the increase in drilling fluid invasion pressure and temperature, as well as reservoir permeability, will lead to a decrease in the mechanical strength of the formation around the wellbore and an expansion of the wellbore yield zone. The results can provide a theoretical reference for the stability analysis at sea.

Borehole Stability of Natural Gas Hydrate Reservoirs

Abstract The decomposition of natural gas hydrate (NGH) due to long-term drilling may decrease the strength of reservoirs and increase the borehole failure risk. Meanwhile, the creep properties of NGH reservoirs also may give rise to engineering problems including borehole shrinkage and jamming of drilling tools in the late stage of drilling, which seriously impairs the drilling safety. A thermal-fluid-solid multi-field coupling model considering the decomposition kinetics of NGH and creep properties of reservoirs was established to explore the influence mechanism of NGH decomposition and creep properties of hydrate-bearing sediments on mechanical behaviors of boreholes. In addition, influences of drilling parameters and geomechanical properties of reservoirs on borehole stability in the drilling process of NGH reservoirs were analyzed. Research results show that creep properties of NGH deposits causes homogenization of stress distribution in different directions of NGH reservoirs around boreholes, transition of plastic zones around boreholes to a round shape, and possibly overall borehole collapse. As the horizontal geostress becomes more inhomogeneous, the borehole instability risk increases; the higher the initial pore pressure of formation is, the lower the effective geostress and the lower the borehole instability risk. The research results can provide theoretical support for safe drilling of NGH reservoirs in South China Sea and promote the early commercial exploitation of NGH resources in China.

Experimental study on the effect of hydrate saturation in reservoir on microwave heating hydrate decomposition gas production

Microwave heating technology is an effective method to promote the decomposition of hydrates, with hydrate saturation being an important parameter influencing this process. This study has synthesized natural gas hydrates with different saturations within a high-pressure reaction vessel to conduct experiments on the decomposition of natural gas hydrates by microwave heating. The reservoir temperature, gas production dynamics, and energy utilization rate are investigated for hydrate saturations of 30.26 %, 35.63 %, and 39.61 %, respectively. The results indicate that increasing hydrate saturation enhances the microwave penetration depth, which in turn elevates the reservoir temperature and accelerates hydrate decomposition. When the hydrate saturation increases from 30.26 % to 39.61 %, the gas production time decreases. Simultaneously, both the volume and rate of gas production increase, accompanied by enhanced energy utilization rate. When the hydrate saturation is 39.61 %, the experiment achieves an average gas production rate of 1.17 L/min, a total volume of 19.73 L, and an energy utilization rate of 2.716. The research results can promote the application of microwave heating technology in the development of hydrates.

Numerical study on decomposition characteristics of natural gas hydrate based on molecular dynamics method

The molecular dynamics method is used to investigate decomposition characteristics of natural gas hydrate under different pressure and salinity. In this paper, the influence of pressure variation on the stability of natural gas hydrate under high pressure is studied from the molecular point of view based on the seabed pressure in Shenhu sea area. At the same time, taking the real marine conditions in the South China Sea as a reference, the effect of the synergistic effect of various salt ions on the decomposition of natural gas hydrate under the effect of salinity is studied. Its decomposition behavior is discussed by analyzing the parameters such as cell conformation, radial distribution function, mean square displacement and self-diffusion coefficient. The results show that pressure and salinity influence the decomposition of natural gas hydrate through modifying stable its conditions, from solid state to gas-liquid state. And the reduction of pressure accelerates the decomposition of natural gas hydrate under high pressure, while the increase of salinity promotes the decomposition of natural gas hydrate under the condition of high salinity.

Impact of gas arising from gas hydrate decomposition on the effective permeability of bottom sediments of the Arctic shelf: a laboratory simulation

Relevance. The necessity to investigate the mechanism of gas (methane) flow occurring during decomposition of gas hydrate formations within the layers of bottom sediments. This process is evident through substantial releases of methane bubbles in extensive shallow regions of the Russian Arctic shelf and has the potential to alter the equilibrium of atmospheric methane, a critical greenhouse gas. Aim. To quantitatively investigate, within the context of gas transport in bottom sediments, the impact of free and bound gas within the pores on the nonlinearity of filtration flows. Methods. The model samples with filtration properties similar to those of the bottom rocks of the East Siberian Arctic shelf. During the experiments, a specific amount of gas was injected into the saturated model sample, followed by the measurement of its effective permeability during a slow decrease in pore pressure gradient. The obtained curve was interpreted within the framework of the threshold gradient model. Results. The experiments yielded curves showing the dependency of the threshold gradient magnitude on gas saturation for several samples. It was found that the threshold gradient linearly increases with the growth in gas fraction within the pore space. Already at a gas fraction of approximately 0.02, this value in the experiments reached 0.01 MPa/m, corresponding to the hydrostatic pressure gradient in water. This suggests that even areas with relatively low gas saturation may be impermeable to convective fluid flow. This possibility should be considered when creating models for bubble gas transporting through the rock layers of bottom sediments. Furthermore, the existence of gas-saturated zones with threshold gradients can significantly impact the vertical profile of pore pressure and lead to a reassessment of the depth of gas hydrate stability zones.

Comparison of physicochemical properties between CO2 and CH4 nanobubbles produced by gas hydrate decomposition

Nanobubbles, known for their distinctive physicite and chemical properties, have been successfully applied in various fields. However, the basic properties of nanobubbles formed by gas hydrate dissociation remain poorly understood. In this work, a series of experiments are conducted to investigate the physicochemical properties and stability of CO2 and CH4 nanobubbles produced by hydrate dissociation. The results indicate that the average size of CO2 and CH4 nanobubbles derived from hydrate decomposition slightly increases as the static time prolongs, exhibiting the excellent stability of nanobubbles. Similar to macroscopic bubbles, the size variation of both nanobubble types exhibits a positive correlation with temperature. The absolute value of the surface zeta potential of the CH4 nanobubbles decreases with time, while the opposite is true for the CO2 nanobubbles. Moreover, the expansion in size for both nanobubble types demonstrates a negative correlation with increasing pH, whereas the zeta potential displays a positive correlation with pH. We observed that nanobubble potential is substantially influenced by metal cations within the solution, and the potential effect of CO2 and CH4 nanobubbles was preliminarily discussed by settlement tests as well. These findings may serve as valuable references for future assessments of the role of nanobubbles in reservoir seepage processes and the advancement of gas hydrate technology.

Dissociation of Gas Hydrates in the Combustion Environment

This paper proposes mathematical models of gas hydrate decomposition in high-temperature media. These models are based on heat and mass balances with a set of assumptions about transfer mechanisms and features of chemical reactions. The calculations provide an insight into dynamics of hydrate particles in a flame environment and shed light on possible results of interaction between the combustion front and emission of gas and vapor. Several examples are provided to illustrate the potential of hydrates as a fuel and as a flame extinguishing material. The developed models enable the generation of numerical estimates, which can be employed to design technologies for beneficial uses of gas hydrates.

Preparation of hydrated calcium silicate phase change microcapsules and its application of temperature regulation in deep-water natural gas hydrate layer cementing process

The effective hydration of cement at low temperatures is a critical factor affecting the sealing stability of the cement sheath. Effective hydration of cement slurry is typically accompanied by significant exotherm, and can cause the decomposition of natural gas hydrates, ultimately leading to gas migration and affecting cementing quality. To ensure effective hydration with low exothermic cement slurry, hydrated calcium silicate (C-S-H) shell phase change microcapsules (TDCSH) were prepared by oil-in-water emulsification with chemical precipitation. Compared with traditional phase change microcapsule with polymer shell, the rough C-S-H shell with large surface area improves the thermal conductive area of the microcapsules and their compatibility with the cement composition. Results showed that the TDCSH has a high phase change enthalpy of 169.9 J/g and 65.25% encapsulate efficiency compared to other inorganic shell materials. Furthermore, the addition of 3% TDCSH can reduce the hydration temperature of cement by 3.9°C and increase the compressive strength by 19.0% under the curing condition of 20°C. The mechanism of action of microcapsules in cement was analyzed. The results showed that the incorporation of TDCSH reduced the heat of hydration of cement while promoting the generation of more hydration products and increased the compressive strength of cement.

Study on the Mechanism of Natural Gas Hydrate Decomposition and Seabed Seepage Triggered by Mass Transport Deposits

Previous studies indicate that mass transport deposits are related to the dynamic accumulation of natural gas hydrates and gas leakage. This research aims to elucidate the causal mechanism of seabed seepage in the western region of the southeastern Qiongdongnan Basin through the application of seismic interpretation and attribute fusion techniques. The mass transport deposits, bottom simulating reflector, submarine mounds, and other phenomena were identified through seismic interpretation techniques. Faults and fractures were identified by utilizing variance attribute analysis. Gas chimneys were identified using instantaneous frequency attribute analysis. Free gas and paleo-seepage points were identified using sweetness attributes, enabling the analysis of fluid seepage pathways and the establishment of a seepage evolution model. Research has shown that in areas where the mass transport deposits develop thicker layers, there is a greater uplift of the bottom boundary of the gas hydrate stability zone, which can significantly alter the seafloor topography. Conversely, the opposite is true. The research indicates that the upward migration of the gas hydrate stability zone, induced by the mass transport deposits in the study area, can result in the rapid decomposition of gas hydrates. The gas generated from the decomposition of gas hydrates is identified as the principal factor responsible for inducing seabed seepage. Moderate- and low-speed natural gas seepage can create spiny seamounts and domed seamounts, respectively.

Molecular dynamics simulations to evaluate the decomposition properties of methane hydrate under different thermodynamic conditions

Understanding the thermodynamic effect on methane hydrate decomposition is beneficial for designing controllable methane recovery processes under conditions of continental margins and oceanic sediments. In this work, we systematically examined the effects of varying temperatures and pressures on the natural gas hydrate decomposition in the presence of 20 mol% methanol through the molecular dynamics approach. Taking advantages of key parameters of angular order parameter (AOP), radial distribution function (RDF), mean square displacement (MSD), and potential energy, we mainly aimed to explore the impact of temperature and pressure on the decomposition of methane hydrate. It can be founded that high temperature is a positive factor for the methane hydrate decomposition, and as the temperature increases from 272.15 K to 277.15 K, the promotion effect becomes more obvious, resulting in a reduction of decomposition time by 3.93 ns. On the contrary, pressure has a negative effect on the methane hydrate decomposition, and as the pressure increases from 1 bar to 200 bar, the inhibitory effect becomes smaller. Additionally, the potential energy as a function of time can be used to evaluate the decomposition rates under different thermodynamic conditions. The obtained results underscore the significant dependence of methane hydrate decomposition rates on temperature and pressure, providing essential guidelines for optimizing gas hydrate decomposition processes.

Exploration of production capacity-geomechanical evaluation and CO2 reinjection repair strategy in natural gas hydrate production by multilateral horizontal wells

Multilateral horizontal wells (MHW) can enhance gas production by expanding the natural gas hydrate (NGH) decomposition area, but inevitably leading to larger changes in reservoir pressure and rock stresses, causing subsidence or disasters. Therefore, this study established a THMC model that evaluated the production effect and geomechanical response of MHW in Class-I reservoirs with different permeability and proposed a CO2 reinjection repair strategy to achieve subsidence recovery and carbon storage. Results indicate that MHW with vertical branch arrangements performs best in short-term production for low-permeability reservoirs, while the temperature and pressure evolution in high-permeability reservoirs is more drastic than in low-permeability reservoirs, producing many unfavorable factors. Higher capacity also results in larger strata subsidence and stress changes, affecting the reservoir stability and wellbore safety: (i) subsidence occurs mainly in the NGH sediment and the upper zone of the wellbore; (ii) normal stresses around the wellbore increase most significantly in the vertical direction, while shear stresses generally decrease. The repair indicators of subsidence recovery rate, energy recovery rate, and hydrate conversion rate suggest that reinjecting CO2 into depleted NGH reservoirs can improve the mechanical properties of the strata and achieve carbon storage via the hydrate method as well.

О механизме разрушения ледяных пленок метастабильных газогидратов и его возможном приложении к процессу эмиссии метана в Арктике

The release of methane deposits in the Arctic, which is bound in the form of gas hydrates, can accelerate global warming. The threat of increasing methane content in the atmosphere is associated with the decomposition of gas hydrates located in the sedimentary layer in a metastable state. The authors formulate destruction mechanisms that can affect the dissociation of natural gas hydrates and assess the risks of possible gas emissions during the advancement of slow tectonic waves. They have studied the instability of moving granules of the sedimentary strata and obtained the condition for the bifurcation of the micropolar continuum, which may be associated with the emission of methane from zones of accumulation of metastable relict gas hydrates.

FEATURES OF DECOMPOSITION OF GAS HYDRATE IN NONEQUILIBRIUM MODE IN A POROUS MEDIUM

The paper presents a mathematical model of the nonequilibrium decomposition of a gas hydrate contained in a porous reservoir of finite extent. The system of basic equations, which includes the law of conservation of mass, the heat inflow equation and Darcy’s law, also contains an equation describing the kinetics of nonequilibrium hydrate decomposition, which is determined by pressure, temperature and surface area of particles. On the basis of the numerical solution of the problem, dependences are obtained that allow us to identify the regularities of the process of nonequilibrium decomposition of gas hydrate in a natural reservoir when warm gas is injected into a porous reservoir. It is shown that at the initial moments of time after the start of injection, the extent of the region saturated with gas, hydrate and water is very small compared to the extent of the formation, which corresponds to the mode of hydrate decomposition on the frontal surface. At long injection times, the nonequilibrium hydrate decomposition process is characterized by the formation of three characteristic zones: the near one, where the pores are saturated with gas and water, the far one, saturated with methane and its gas hydrate, and the intermediate one, where gas, hydrate and water are located. It is established that the pressure and temperature in the extended region are connected by the condition of phase equilibrium. The influence of the main parameters of the system on the distributions of pressure, temperature, water saturation and hydrate saturation, as well as on the dynamics of their changes over time, is analyzed. It is shown that injection pressure, as well as reservoir permeability and porosity have a significant effect on the decomposition rate of gas hydrate. An increase in the values of these parameters contributes to an increase in the rate of nonequilibrium hydrate decomposition. An increase in the injection temperature leads only to an increase in the extent of the area containing methane and water.

Fines migration characteristics of illite in clayey silt sediments induced by pore water under the depressurization of natural gas hydrate

Marine gas hydrate is widely distributed in clayey silt sediments, which have high clay content and low permeability. The decomposition of natural gas hydrate will cause the mechanical failure of the reservoir and the decrease of pore water salinity, inducing the migration of clay minerals to clog the pore throat, which has a significant impact on the production efficiency of natural gas hydrate. In this work, the migration behaviour of illite in clayey silt sediments driven by pore water under the depressurization of hydrate was studied through pressure difference, pore throat and content changes. We studied the migration process of silt, excluding the interference of synergistic migration of silt and illite, and then studied the migration of illite under the change of flow rate and salinity. The results show that illite will migrate before silt and that critical flow rate and critical salinity exist. The flow rate mainly affects the torque generated by the forces detaching the illite particles. Illite particle detachment will occur if the flow rate exceeds the critical value and the torque balance is disrupted, and then the pore throat is clogged. There are two effects of salinity decrease on illite migration. Above the critical salinity, the expansion of the pore throat due to decomposition has a significant effect on illite migration. Below the critical salinity, the increase of the diffuse electric double layer thickness and the electrostatic repulsion will lead to an increase of the particle concentration in the pore water, making clogging more likely to occur even at low flow rates. This work suggests that clay migration has a complex impact on the development of clayey silt hydrate, and helps to consider the reasonable combination of saturation and production rate when designing a development plan to reduce the impact of permeability decline due to continuous pore throat clogging on development efficiency.

Research on Wellbore Stability in Deepwater Hydrate-Bearing Formations during Drilling

Marine gas hydrate formations are characterized by considerable water depth, shallow subsea burial, loose strata, and low formation temperatures. Drilling in such formations is highly susceptible to hydrate dissociation, leading to gas invasion, wellbore instability, reservoir subsidence, and sand production, posing significant safety challenges. While previous studies have extensively explored multiphase flow dynamics between the formation and the wellbore during conventional oil and gas drilling, a clear understanding of wellbore stability under the unique conditions of gas hydrate formation drilling remains elusive. Considering the effect of gas hydrate decomposition on formation and reservoir frame deformation, a multi-field coupled mathematical model of seepage, heat transfer, phase transformation, and deformation of near-wellbore gas hydrate formation during drilling is established in this paper. Based on the well logging data of gas hydrate formation at SH2 station in the Shenhu Sea area, the finite element method is used to simulate the drilling conditions of 0.1 MPa differential pressure underbalance drilling with a borehole opening for 36 h. The study results demonstrate a significant tendency for wellbore instability during the drilling process in natural gas hydrate formations, largely due to the decomposition of hydrates. Failure along the minimum principal stress direction in the wellbore wall begins to manifest at around 24.55 h. This is accompanied by an increased displacement velocity of the wellbore wall towards the well axis in the maximum principal stress direction. By 28.07 h, plastic failure is observed around the entire circumference of the well, leading to wellbore collapse at 34.57 h. Throughout this process, the hydrate decomposition extends approximately 0.55 m, predominantly driven by temperature propagation. When hydrate decomposition is taken into account, the maximum equivalent plastic strain in the wellbore wall is found to increase by a factor of 2.1 compared to scenarios where it is not considered. These findings provide crucial insights for enhancing the safety of drilling operations in hydrate-bearing formations.

Investigation on hydrate exploitation in submarine slope: Insights from discontinuous pillar exploitation

The decomposition of natural gas hydrate (NGH) will cause a decrease in reservoir strength, which can easily induce submarine landslides when hydrate reservoirs are located on a submarine slope. Although there have been several studies on the stability of hydrate-bearing submarine slopes (HBSS), little attention has been paid to minimizing the risk of landslides due to NGH exploitation. The “multistage reduction method” based on strength reduction was described in this paper. Subsequently, “discontinuous pillar exploitation” was proposed to achieve safe extraction of NGH and avoid submarine landslides. Finally, the “discontinuous pillar exploitation” was analyzed using the “multistage reduction method”. The results show that NGH decomposition has a far-reaching impact on the HBSS; it reduces the stability of HBSS and can trigger submarine landslides. The “discontinuous pillar exploitation” can divide the continuous plastic failure zone into short discontinuous plastic zones through the setting up of pillars, which significantly improves the stability of HBSS. With the decrease in the exploitation ratio, the safety factor of the submarine slope increases continuously. When the “discontinuous pillar exploitation” is adopted for NGH production on a submarine slope, there are two positions that require special attention: the junctions between the pillars and the exploitation area (peak area of shear stress); the side of exploitation area near the top of the slope (peak area of tensile stress).

Numerical study of the gas production process from a gas hydrate deposit in the presence of thermal and depression effects

Today the issue of gas production technology from existing gas hydrate deposits discovered on the shelf of the World Ocean and in permafrost areas is still very significant since the methane reserves in the free state are significantly inferior to its reserves in the form of its gas hydrates. One of the tasks for possible gas production from a hydrate-containing porous medium is to study the process of gas hydrate decomposition under thermal and depression effects since they are most commonly used ones. It is necessary to conduct a theoretical study including the development of a mathematical mode and its algorithmization, the creation of a computational program and the conduct of numerical experiments. The paper presents one-dimensional axisymmetric problem of heating and/or pressure reduction at the bottom of a well passing through the entire thickness of a porous formation when its pores are initially filled with methane and its hydrate. The utilized mathematical model includes the continuity equations for methane, its hydrate and water; the equation of the gas phase motion in a porous medium as the Darcy filtration law; the state equation of methane and water, the energy conservation equation considering the Joule–Thomson effects and adiabatic cooling for gas, the latent heat of the “gas hydrate  methane + water” phase transition. A numerical implementation of the proposed mathematical model and a numerical study of the thermal and/or depression impact on the studied hydrate-bearing deposit are carried out. The results of calculations show that the size of a zone containing only the gas hydrate decomposition products (gas and water) slightly increases with a smaller length of a porous layer. They also show that the thermal effect (increasing the temperature at the bottomhole of production well) on the hydrate-saturated reservoir simultaneously with the depression effect is not efficient enough due to the intensive flow of cold gas (with a temperature equal to the initial temperature of the reservoir) from the hydrate-containing deposit to the well.

Experimental study of the formation and decomposition of mixed gas hydrates in water-hydrocarbon system

The phase transition of gas hydrate with two or more guests is associated with gas recovery, storage and separation. In this work, the formation and decomposition of binary and ternary gas hydrates containing CH4, C2H6 and C3H8 were investigated experimentally in high-pressure reactors equipped with visual windows. The gas compositions during mixed hydrates formation and decomposition were analyzed to track the occupation of guests in hydrate structures and the release of guests from hydrate cages. It was found that of CH4 was adsorbed in the hydrate cages constructed by C2H6 and C3H8 in the initial stage. In the depressurized decomposition of CH4-C3H8 hydrates and CH4-C2H6-C3H8 hydrates slurry, CH4 and C2H6 molecules were preferentially released from hydrate structures while more C3H8 molecules were able to stay in hydrate phase, which was in accordance with the order of the diameter ratio of guest molecule to hydrate cage. The preservation of CH4-C3H8 hydrates and CH4-C2H6-C3H8 hydrates above 0 ℃ was observed under a low pressure. It was proposed that the reconstitution or reformation of hydrate layer rich of C3H8 may encrust the remaining hydrate particles, preventing hydrate from further quick decomposition. In-situ Raman spectra confirmed the enrichment of C3H8 molecules at the surface of CH4-C3H8 hydrates, which revealed that the metastable hydrate layer rich of C3H8 molecules may act as mass transfer resistance of gas release from hydrate decomposition. Differently, the decompositions of CH4-C2H6 hydrates and C2H6-C3H8 hydrates were uniform as different guests were produced concurrently without preservation. The new insights into mixed hydrates decomposition in this work may provide a new basis for mixed gas production from gas hydrate, and gas storage and separation with hydrate.

INJECTION OF SUPERHEATED WATER VAPOR INTO A POROUS RESERVOIR SATURATED IN THE INITIAL STATE WITH METHANE AND ITS HYDRATE

The work presents a mathematical model of the process of pumping superheated water vapor into a semi-infinite natural porous reservoir, which in its initial state is saturated with gas (methane) and its gas hydrate, in a flat-one-dimensional approximation. The most general case is considered, when four zones of different composition of the saturating phases and three moving boundary surfaces separating these zones appear in a natural reservoir: between the first and second zones, on which condensation of superheated water vapor occurs, between the second and third zones, where displacement takes place condensed methane water, as well as between the third and fourth zones, where the dissociation of the gas hydrate occurs. In the considered formulation of the problem, the first zone of the porous reservoir is saturated with superheated water vapor, the second zone is saturated with condensed water, the third zone is saturated with methane and still water (released during the dissociation of gas hydrate), and the fourth zone of the reservoir is saturated with methane and its gas hydrate. On the basis of a numerical solution, the hydrodynamic and temperature fields that arise in a porous reservoir are studied. It is shown that solutions with the indicated areas and boundaries exist only at relatively low values of injection pressure and reservoir permeability. It has been established that an increase in both the injection pressure and the reservoir permeability leads to a noticeable increase in only the coordinates of the boundary separating the second and third regions; in this case, the coordinate of the methane hydrate decomposition front is practically independent of the indicated parameters. An increase in the values of these parameters leads to the confluence of the boundaries of methane displacement and gas hydrate decomposition. The dependence of the limiting value of the injection pressure on the permeability at which these boundaries merge occurs is obtained.