Natural Gas Hydrate Exploitation Research Articles

Molecular dynamics study on roles of surface mixed hydrate in the CH4/CO2 replacement mechanisms

The CH4/CO2 replacement method is a promising approach for the exploitation of natural gas hydrates, offering dual benefits of extracting CH4 and sequestering CO2. This technique not only facilitates the extraction process but also mitigates the greenhouse effect and maintains geological stability, thereby contributing to sustainable energy utilization and environmental preservation. Currently, there are multiple viewpoints about the replacement mechanism. Furthermore, mixed hydrates can form on the surface during the replacement process. The unclear mechanism of CH4/CO2 replacement and the obstruction of mass transfer caused by the mixed hydrate impede its practical applicability. Clarifying the effects of surface mixed hydrate in replacement mechanisms can offer valuable insights for identifying optimal operating conditions in practical exploitation applications. Therefore, the present study aims to reveal the significant roles of surface mixed hydrates in the replacement mechanism by employing the molecular dynamics simulation methodology. The results showed that under the mechanism of cage complete rupture, the surface mixed hydrate decomposes rapidly to form a thickening water zone. Additionally, each layer of the hydrate cage structure undergoes a process from deformation or partial rupture to sudden complete disintegration, which is concomitant with an abrupt change of potential energy. Under the mechanism of cage incomplete rupture, the surface mixed hydrates hinder mass transfer and decelerate the reaction rate. A similar situation arises when the number of the surface mixed hydrate layers is increased. Therefore, the key to distinguishing the replacement mechanism lies in whether the environmental conditions are sufficient to break the potential energy barrier of the surface mixed hydrate and disrupt its cage structure.

DEM-CFD coupling verification and analysis of a sand control medium structure with weakened particle blockage performance

This study addresses the prominent contradiction between solid phase control and production capacity release during the exploitation of natural gas hydrate in fine silty sand reservoirs. A novel mechanical sand control medium structure incorporating the filter slots/nets (referred to as the sand control component, SCC) and the cylindrical/spherical structures placed outside the SCC (referred to as the blockage control component, BCC) has been designed. Concurrently, a DEM-CFD sand-retaining numerical model is developed, and the traditional/new structural screens have been separately simulated for sand retention. Through the spatiotemporal evolution of DEM and CFD characteristic model parameters during simulation, the blockage mechanism and characteristics of fine particles are obtained. Compared to the traditional screen structure without a BCC, the existence of a BCC effectively evacuates particles within the accumulated sand body towards the wellbore, reducing the compactness and stress level within the sand body; while the pressure loss generated by fluid flow through the sand body decreases, significantly improving the porous and permeable conditions within the sand body. The degree of influence of a BCC on different DEM and CFD characteristic model parameters is further determined and ranked. A comprehensive blockage optimization index is introduced to quantify the performance of weakening sand blockage by the BCC and optimize the spatial position of the BCC. The BCC enables the design of sand control schemes to reduce the filter aperture of the SCC to a sufficiently small size to effectively control the fine silty sand production, while avoiding gradually severe blockage as production progresses.

Investigation on multi-parameter of hydrate-bearing synthetic sediment during hydrate replacement process: A in-situ X-ray computed tomography study

Carbon sequestration can be achieved by carbon dioxide replacement in natural gas hydrate exploitation, which reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing an effective solution to address climate change, while simultaneously protecting the environment and promoting sustainable energy development. Gas replacement can achieve gas exploitation, gas storage, and stability enhancement simultaneously. However, time-varying microstructure evolution of the hydrate-bearing sediment (HBS) during this process remain a large amount of uncertainty. In this study, with microfocus computer tomography, hydrate replacement process is realized using xenon gas to replace krypton hydrate. During this period, the initial hydrate saturation and effective confining pressure were 63 % and 1 MPa respectively, the results were obtained as follows: 1. Hydrate occurrence dynamically adjusted during replacement process due to the “barrier effect” and “diffusion effect”. 2. Dissociated water migration occurred in the sediment, and this induced local hydrate enrichment temporarily and blockages, but the blockages were eventually dredged with the dissociation of the Kr hydrate. 3. The sphericity and surface roughness of the hydrate particles were slightly improved, the pore space connectivity was well enhanced, and both tortuosity and absolute permeability was better strengthened after replacement process, where the absolute permeability was increased by 225.23 %, though the blockage occurrence temporarily weakened this strengthener.

Optimized dual-gas co-production from hydrate reservoirs with underlying gas through depressurization & well closure cycling: An experimental evaluation

The regular depressurization method for the exploitation of natural gas hydrate, while effective in gas production, carries a high risk of hydrate regeneration and significant reservoir shrinkage. In this study, the hydrate reservoirs containing underlying gas were synthesized by controlling the initial water distribution, and confining pressure was applied to replicate sub-seafloor conditions. An innovative cyclic depressurization (DP) + well closure (WC) cycling scheme was implemented to facilitate the joint production of hydrate and underlying gas. The heat transfer, gas production, and sediment deformation characteristics during dual-gas co-production were compared and examined considering different DP and WC duration. The findings clearly indicate that the DP + WC cycling method yielded significantly superior results compared to the regular DP approach. Specifically, it achieved effective CH4 recovery rates 1.83–2.33 times higher, temperature recovery rates 1.2–1.3 times greater, and a reduced the duration of reservoir contraction. More importantly, the extent of influence on these factors could be controlled by adjusting DP or WC duration. A discovery like this offers diverse gas production approaches tailored to various hydrate reservoir requirements. Overall, this study provides preliminary evidence that the DP + WC cycling method allows for the simultaneous attainment of efficient production and reservoir security, highlighting its potential significance for gas production from hydrate reservoirs containing underlying gas.

Influence of gravity on methane hydrate dissociation characteristics by depressurization in marine hydrate reservoirs

Since the thickness of hydrate-bearing sediments is usually tens to hundreds of meters, the influence of gravity on hydrate dissociation characteristics can no longer be ignored. In this study, experimental simulations were designed to investigate the influences of gravity on hydrate dissociation characteristics by depressurization. The experimental results showed that for sealed water-rich marine hydrate reservoir, gravity could cause more water to migrate downward. The free pore space in sediments was thus rapidly vacated, resulting in faster hydrate dissociation and gas production. The average gas production rate increased from 0.018 mol/min to 0.038 mol/min. In addition, the free pore space at the top of the sediments was vacated first. Hydrate dissociation there was thus faster. For unsealed water-rich marine hydrate reservoir, gravity could not only cause more and faster migration of water, but also more easily cause the formation of dominant channels for water migration, leading to an effective reduction in reservoir pressure. The cumulative water yield increased from 1380g to 8950g. Hydrate thus dissociated. Hydrate dissociated faster at positions close to the mining well where the pressure was lower. These findings can provide deep insights into the spatial evolution of multiphase flows during the exploitation of natural gas hydrates.

Cementation breaking and grit separation characteristics of weakly cemented natural gas hydrate by a new structure hydrocyclone

Solid fluidization exploitation technology is one of the most promising methods for the safe exploitation of shallow natural gas hydrates (NGH) in the deep sea. However, after primary jet breaking in the solid fluidization exploitation, the hydrate and argillaceous silt particles are in a state of weak cementation and agglomeration. When the argillaceous silt particles enter the offshore drilling platform with the drilling fluid, it causes substantial sand production, high energy consumption, and pipeline blockage, considerably affecting the development process of the NGH test. Therefore, in-situ desanding has become one of the key technologies of solid fluidization exploitation. In this study, a coupling method of hydrocyclone cementation breaking and hydrocyclone desanding was proposed, and a new structure of cementation breaking and grit separation hydrocyclone was designed. In a lab-designed cementation breaking and grit separation hydrocyclone system, the cementation breaking and grit separation characteristics of weakly cemented NGH similar materials in the swirl flow field were studied. The experimental results under the operating conditions studied show that the swirl flow field exhibits good cementation breaking and grit separation performance for weakly cemented NGH similar materials. For weakly cemented NGH similar materials with a compressive strength of 0.06–0.42 MPa, the cementation breaking efficiency of the cementation breaking and grit separation hydrocyclone is in the range of 27.17–99.61%. After the cementation breaking, the mixture of hydrate similar materials (hydrophilic polyethylene powder) and quartz sand was separated in the hydrocyclone. The separation efficiency of hydrate similar materials is 27.59–99.64%, and the desanding efficiency is 87.66–99.98%. The cementation breaking and grit separation of weakly cemented NGH similar materials were successfully realized. Based on the experimental data, a multiple regression model for the cementation strength of similar materials and the swirl flow field strength was established using the least squares method. This method is expected to provide new technical support for in-situ desanding and safe exploitation of the deep-sea shallow NGH production process.

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).

Molecular design of switchable nanochannels modified by zwitterion polymer chains with dissipative particle dynamics simulation

Conventional artificial nanochannels have obvious shortcomings in permeability regulation and environmental friendliness, which challenge their practical applications. Polymer-modified switchable nanochannels are considered as a potential solution owing to their high chemoselectivity and controllability. Herein, systematic dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations are performed to investigate the conformational transition and stretching behavior of polysulfobetaine in the presence of an explicit solvent. Polysulfobetaine is one kind of zwitterion polymer with a responsive property to the change of salt ion concentration, which is grafted onto the internal surface of the nanochannel to achieve the "open-close-open" switch. The simulation results indicate that the grafting ratio of 1.52 chains/rc2 (rc is a reduced unit of length, 1 rc = 0.857 nm) and salt ion concentration of 5 wt% NaCl are optimal parameters to achieve the "open-close-open" functionality. Specifically, salt ions promote the closure of nanochannels via regulating the electrostatic attraction of the polymer chain in z-direction and the excluded volume effect caused by conservative forces. On the other hand, the competition mechanism between electrostatic force and conservative force is revealed, i.e. at low salt concentration, electrostatic force dominates and close the nanochannel; With salt ions concentration increasing, conservative force gradually exceeds electrostatic force, and becomes the dominant force and reopens the nanochannel. This study provides some molecular insights for the design of stimulus-responsive artificial nanochannels, which may find application in the exploitation of natural gas hydrates, such as temporary plugging agents in well drilling for gas hydrate reservoirs.

Development of a novel suction cylinder exploitation device for marine natural gas hydrate and the feasibility studies

Natural gas hydrate (NGH), a novel clean energy with enormous potential, has drawn the attention of many countries for research and development. In recent years, exploitation theories and technical capabilities have advanced quickly. However, commercial production, in terms of current exploitation equipment and tried tests, is still challenging to implement. In this paper, a novel suction cylinder exploitation device (SCED) was proposed based on marine NGH depressurization exploitation technology and suction anchor to replace conventional wellbore. The SCED is a prefabricated steel construction that enters the NGH reservoir by suction and gravity and has the potential to be recycled after exploitation. Through indoor experiments, the SCED penetration mechanisms and characteristics were investigated to confirm whether it can smoothly penetrate the NGH reservoir. Simultaneously, the gas production situation of the SCED was explored by CMG software. Results show that: (i) the super sizeable length-to-diameter ratio SCED model can complete the penetration from the experimental results. Although the “soil plug” height increases with the increase of the length-diameter ratio, it can be solved by taking appropriate methods for specific engineering; (ii) Due to the larger diameter and higher strength of the SCED, it can achieve greater pressure reduction and exploitation range, making the efficiency of gas production roughly 5.7–11.77 times greater than that of a conventional wellbore. In summary, it is anticipated that the SCED will open up new opportunities for the early commercial exploitation of marine NGH due to its advanced advantages of high equipment strength, big exploitation diameter, and easy construction.

Acoustic characterization for creep behaviors of marine sandy hydrate-bearing sediment

Marine natural gas hydrate (NGH) is a promising substitutive low-carbon energy resource, whereas NGH-production induced geoengineering concerns remain challenging. Advanced forecast of possible geoengineering risks is the fundamental for eco-friendly NGH exploitation. Reservoir creep deformation is an early symptom of the geoengineering risks. However, whether the creep deformation behaviors of the NGH-bearing strata is predictable remains controversial. In this study, a series of multi-step loading creep test are conducted for sandy gas hydrate bearing sediment (GHBS) samples, during which the ultrasonic responses are recorded simultaneously. The acoustic velocity, compression-to-shear velocity ratio, Poission’s ratio, main frequency, and main frequency amplitude are used to characterize creep failures of the GHBS for the first time. Combining analyses of the creep behaviors and acoustic responses yield the following conclusions. Firstly, the long-term strength derived from creeping test is 0.45–0.60 times of the shear strength derived from triaxial shearing. Ignoring the creep effect might underestimate the scale and intensity of possible geoengineering risks during long-term NGH exploitation. Secondly, the acoustic velocity increases gently and then decreases continuously during creeping. Once the accelerated creep appears, the acoustic velocity plummets significantly, together with a sudden decrease in the compression-to-shear velocity ratio, and fluctuations in the main frequency and its amplitude. Furthermore, the main frequency and its amplitude shall fluctuate abruptly prior to the emergence of the accelerated creep. Therefore, we anticipate that the combination of abnormal fluctuations of main frequency and its amplitude can be used as early-warning indicators for possible creep failure of the GHBS. The results might have great significance for in-situ detection and prediction of possible reservoir failure during long-term NGH exploitation.

Numerical simulation of gas production behavior of class Ⅰ, class Ⅱ and class Ⅲ hydrate reservoirs for different well locations

The exploitation of natural gas hydrate, an unconventional natural gas, has drawn attention on a global scale due to increasing imbalance between energy supply and demand. Horizontal wells are considered to have a better production performance, while vertical wells have been mostly employed in previous field tests and laboratory research. Therefore, based on the representative properties of three kinds of hydrate reservoirs, a hydrate decomposition model is built to study the gas generation behaviors of various hydrate reservoirs with different horizontal well-spacing strategies in this work. The results show that for Class I hydrate reservoirs, placing the production well near the free gas layer can improve gas generation by 47%, and GWR (gas-water ratio) to 346.0 and maintain higher temperature in hydrate reservoir than that with placing the well in the hydrate reservoir. For Class Ⅱ hydrate reservoirs, placing the producing well away from the free water layer can cut down water production by 92%, while gas production could be also elevated, causing GWR increasing to 175.8. In Class Ⅲ reservoirs, the reduction of 30% in water production, and increment in GWR from 81.5 to 118.0 can be achieved by placing the well on the top of the hydrate layer, rather than that on the bottom. In addition, the presence of free gas layer, free water layer can promote the pressure-drop interface spread, provide sensible heat, and then accelerate hydrate decomposition further.

Modeling and Numerical Investigations of Gas Production from Natural Gas Hydrates

As ice-like crystals and non-stoichiometric compounds comprising gas and water, natural gas hydrates have drawn significant attention as a potential alternative energy source. This work focuses on holistically reviewing theoretical modeling and numerical studies conducted on the production of gas from natural gas hydrates. Firstly, fundamental models for the dissociation of a hydrate in a porous sediment are summarized in terms of the phase equilibrium and dissociation kinetics. The main features of different models and improvements for them are identified by clarifying crucial driving mechanisms and kinetic parameters. Subsequently, various numerical works addressing the dissociation of a hydrate in a porous sediment and the flow characteristics in a wellbore are reviewed, including aspects such as the theoretical background, computational scheme, and the physics involved. In general, profiting from a significant capacity to solve nonlinear differential equations, numerical simulations have contributed to great progress in fundamentally understanding the mechanism driving gas production and in developing effective exploitation methods. Owing to the substantial fundamental physics involved in the exploitation of natural gas hydrates, existing challenges, alternative strategies, and future directions are provided correspondingly from a practical application perspective.

Modeling on effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments considering the shape of sediment particle

The estimation of effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of hydrate-bearing sediment is of great importance for the exploitation of natural gas hydrate. At present, existing ETC models have been lack of consideration of the influences of sediment particle shape and stacking patterns. Thus, in this work, new models considering the shape (octahedral, plate-shaped, spindle-shaped and elongated) of sediment particles and stacking patterns were established and verified by a series of existed laboratory data. The verification results indicate that the octahedral model, plate-shape model and the average values of the four models have high accuracy in predicting ETC of hydrate-bearing sediments. The ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment under water-saturated state were calculated by the models in this work. The average ETC predicted by four models decreased from 2.87 W⋅m-1⋅K-1 to 1.47 W⋅m-1⋅K-1 with porosity increasing from 0.22 to 0.47 and decreased from 1.61 W⋅m-1⋅K-1 to 1.58 W⋅m-1⋅K-1 with hydrate saturation increasing from 0 to 1. Finally, the effects of porosity, hydrate saturation and intrinsic thermal conductivity of sediment particles on the ETC were discussed and analyzed. This modeling work could contribute to the understanding and prediction of the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment with different shapes of sediment particles in the complex porous system.

Study on acoustic properties of hydrate-bearing sediments with reconstructed CO2 hydrate in different layers during CH4 hydrate mining

Natural gas hydrate (NGH), a clean energy source with huge reserves in nature, and its safe and efficient exploitation fits perfectly with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-7). However, large-scale NGH decomposition frequently results in subsea landslides, reservoir subsidence, and collapse. In this work, in order to achieve safe and efficient exploitation of NGHs, the stability variation of different reservoir layers by depressurization/intermittent CO2/N2 injection (80:20 mol%, 50:50 mol%) was investigated using acoustic properties (P-wave velocity, elastic modulus), as well as reservoir subsidence under an overburden stress of 10 MPa. The P-wave velocity increased from 1282 m/s to 2778 m/s in the above-reservoir and from 1266 m/s to 2564 m/s in the below-reservoir, significantly increasing reservoir strength after CO2 hydrate formation. The P-wave velocity and elastic modulus in the top reconstructed reservoir were continually decreased by the shear damage of the overlying stress, while they remained stable in the bottom reconstructed reservoir during hydrate mining. However, due to superior pressure-bearing ability of the top CO2 hydrate reservoir, which was lacking in the bottom CO2 hydrate reservoir, the reservoir subsidence was relieved greatly. Despite the stiffness strength of reconstructed reservoir was ensured with CO2/N2 sweeping, the skeletal structure of CH4 hydrate reservoir was destroyed, and only the formation of CO2 hydrate could guarantee the stability of P-wave velocity and elastic modulus which was most beneficial to relieve reservoir subsidence. A large amount of CO2 was used in reservoir reconstruction and CH4 hydrate mining, which achieved the geological storage of CO2 (SDG-13). This work provided a new idea for safe and efficient NGHs mining in the future, and the application of acoustic properties served as a guide for the efficient construction of reconstructed reservoirs and offers credible technical assistance for safe exploitation of NGHs.

Effect of interlayer mixed zone and effective stress on permeability anisotropy of NGH turbidite reservoir

Resulting from the bedding structure of turbidite reservoir, permeability anisotropy is an essential parameter for natural gas hydrate (NGH) exploitation. Fundamentally, the evolution of permeability anisotropy under increasing effective stress are investigated in this study. Taking the turbidite sediments in northern Cascadia as an example, a series of experimental tests and co-simulations of discrete element method (DEM) and computational fluid dynamics method (CFD) are conducted. For layered turbidite sediments, an interlayer mixed zone will be formed in the interface between fine-grained layer and coarse-grained layer after loading. Fine particles will migrate to the coarse layer, blocking the horizontal preponderance flow paths and further reduce the permeability anisotropy. Moreover, the development of interlayer mixed zone mainly occurs in initial compaction stage and slows down in higher stress level, for which the permeability anisotropy shows a staged reduction with increasing effective stress. Considering the effect of interlayer mixed zone, a predictive model of permeability anisotropy is proposed and verified by the experimental results, which has higher accuracy than traditional “layered cake” model. The finding of this research also confirms the mixing effect in deep sediments, which may affect the geological history records in target sedimentary sequence.

Investigation of multi-field coupling mechanisms during well cement through gas hydrate layer in horizontal well

Exploitation of natural gas hydrates from horizontal wells can significantly improve the production rate and final recovery. However, the long interaction surfaces of horizontal wells may easily disturb the hydrate reservoir. Cement hydration in wellbore is an exothermic reaction, which may lead to the premature dissociation of hydrate, thereby threatening the wellbore integrity. In the present study, experimental and numerical investigations are carried out to analyze the cement hydration in a wide range of temperatures. Then, a coupled model is established considering the multi-field coupling mechanisms between horizontal wells and the hydrate reservoir during well cementing. In the proposed model, the cement hydration, phase change of hydrate, and the multiphase flow in porous hydrate layer are considered. The cement hydration process, transient temperature and pressure distributions, and the hydrate phase change are analyzed by numerical simulations. Results show that the temperature of wellbore and hydrate increases rapidly. The saturation of the hydrate layer within the region 3 times of wellbore diameter decreases significantly. The pressure at the wellbore-hydrate layer interface increases significantly, which may lead to gas penetration into the wellbore. Moreover, threats imposed by the premature dissociation of hydrate last even for a long period after well cementing.

Permeability properties of natural gas hydrate-bearing sediments considering dynamic stress coupling: A comprehensive experimental investigation

As a key exploitative parameter, permeability affects the extraction efficiency and program for natural gas hydrate (NGH). However, few studies have considered the effect of dynamic stress (continuously changing stress) on permeability, let alone permeability evolution during reservoir instability. Given the dynamic stress-seepage coupling process of actual NGH exploitation, this paper upgrades the triaxial apparatus to new equipment that can realize the unified tests of dynamic stress and water permeability. Subsequently, the seabed clay recovered from the South China Sea and quartz sand were used to remold fine-grained hydrate-bearing clayey-silty sediments (HBCSS). Finally, a series of stress-seepage coupling tests were carried out to reveal the permeability characteristics during sediment destabilization and to explain the coupling mechanism. The results show that seepage can reduce the strength and stiffness, and enhance the softening or weaken the hardening of the stress-strain curve. The dynamic stress-influenced permeability exhibits a non-monotonic evolution, which is essentially an expansion or contraction of seepage channels. Stress-strain relationship, volume deformation, and permeability are coupled and have good correspondence. The shear-seepage coupling process can be divided into four stages: initial compression, plastic strain development, plastic expansion and fracture development, plastic failure, and rapid expansion. This paper enriches the existing research from three aspects: permeability properties affected by dynamic stress, mechanical behavior affected by seepage, and stress-seepage coupling mechanism. It has played a significant reference for the safe and efficient exploitation of fine-grained NGH.

Synergistic CH4 hydrate recovery and CO2 storage by coupling depressurization with CO2/N2 injection: A pilot-scale investigation

To ensure sustainable energy supply while mitigating climate change, combining CH4 recovery with CO2 storage in marine natural gas hydrate (NGH) reservoirs is a promising carbon–neutral technology. In this study, a pilot-scale reactor (V = 22 L) was used to study the combined processes of CH4 recovery from the methane hydrate-bearing sediment by using depressurization followed by in-situ CO2/N2 injection to form mixed CH4/CO2/N2 hydrate (Mix-H) at marine NGH reservoir conditions (T = 283.8 K and P = 11.0 MPa). The bottom hole pressure (BHP = 3.2 MPa, 5.3 MPa, and 6.8 MPa) during depressurization and the setting of horizontal wellbore (HW), were systematically investigated to optimize the synergistic CH4 recovery and CO2 storage. The CH4 recovery ratio (55.4–80.6%) and the CH4 production rate (5.15–134.98 mol/d) increased as BHP decreased. After CO2/N2 injection, Mix-H formed first in the CH4-rich region in the upper section of the reactor and propagated downward to the lower. The Mix-H formation kinetics were significantly enhanced with an increase in BHP, leading to a decrease in CO2 composition in the Mix-H. The use of a horizontal wellbore (HW) facilitates a more even distribution of the CO2/N2 within sediments, resulting in a 13.5% increase in CO2 composition of Mix-H compared with no HW setting. The CO2 conversion ratio and hydrate restoration ratio reaches 52.8% and 69.4% at BHP = 5.3 MPa with HW, respectively. The technical feasibility of CO2 storage in exploited marine NGH reservoirs was first proved at pilot-scale. The results provided insights into the synergistic method of NGH exploitation and CO2 storage at the marine NGH reservoirs.

Design and feasibility analysis of a new completion monitoring technical scheme for natural gas hydrate production tests

As a prerequisite and a guarantee for safe and efficient natural gas hydrates (NGHs) exploitation, it is imperative to effectively determine the mechanical properties of NGHs reservoirs and clarify the law of the change in the mechanical properties with the dissociation of NGHs during NGHs production tests by depressurization. Based on the development of Japan’s two offshore NGHs production tests in vertical wells, this study innovatively proposed a new subsea communication technology—accurate directional connection using a wet-mate connector. This helps to overcome the technical barrier to the communication between the upper and lower completion of offshore wells. Using this new communication technology, this study explored and designed a mechanical monitoring scheme for lower completion (sand screens). This scheme can be used to monitor the tensile stress and radial compressive stress of sand screens caused by NGHs reservoirs in real time, thus promoting the technical development for the rapid assessment and real-time feedback of the in-situ mechanical response of NGHs reservoirs during offshore NGHs production tests by depressurization.

TBAB hydrate formation and growth in a microdevice under static and dynamic conditions

The natural gas hydrate has become one of the most promising future green energy sources on the earth. The natural gas hydrates mostly exist in the sediments with porous structure, so a solid understanding of the hydrate formation and growth processes in the porous medium is of significance for the exploitation of natural gas hydrate. The micro-packed bed device is one of the efficient microfluidic devices in the engineering field, but it has been rarely used for the hydrate-based research. In this study, a transparent micro-packed bed device filled with glass beads was developed to mimic the porous condition of sediments, and used to in-situ visualize the hydrate formation and growth habits in the pore spaces under both static and dynamic conditions. For the static experiment, two types of hydrate growth patterns in porous medium were observed and identified in the micro-packed bed device, which were the grain-coating growth and pore-filling growth. For the dynamic condition, the hydrate formation, growth, distribution habits and hydrate blockage phenomena in the pore spaces were in-situ visually captured. The impacts of flowrate and subcooling on the pressure variation of the micro-packed bed and the duration of the hydrate growth under dynamic flow condition in pores were in-situ monitored and analyzed. The higher flowrate could result in the faster hydrate growth and more severe blockage in pores, but the effect of subcooling condition might be less significant at the high flowrate.