Submarine slope stability analysis during natural gas hydrate dissociation: Discussion

Abstract

Volume change during natural gas hydrate dissociation is important for calculation of excess pore pressure and corresponding submarine slope stability. A short discussion is presented here to the paper of Wang et al. including some notes about the standard condition and parameters used in their model. This discussion calls attention to the wrong use of standard temperature and pressure during calculation of volume change, excess pore pressure, and submarine slope stability.     

利用孔隙水Br/Cl、I/Cl比和氯同位素组成来示踪南海北部东沙海域浅层流体来源

The Dongsha area is one of the most promising target areas for gas hydrate exploration in the South China Sea(SCS).The study of pore water geochemistry has played a key role in Chinese gas hydrate exploration.Br/Cl,I/Cl and δ37Cl in pore water were applied here in tracing gas hydrate occurrence,chemical evolution of pore fluids and water/rock interactions in low temperature sediment environments.The samples were collected from Sites HD255 PC and HD309 PC in the Dongsha area in 2004.At Site HD255 PC,we found the elevated Br/Cl,I/Cl and decreased SO_4/Cl at the depth of 4–5 m,suggestive of a laterally migrated fluid probably generated from the gas hydrate occurrence.The range of δ37Cl is –0.54‰ to +0.96‰,and positive δ~(37)Cl at 4–5 m interval should be related with different diffusion rates between ~(35)Cl and ~(37)Cl.At Site HD309 PC,a laterally migrated fluid was also found at the depth of 3–4 m,with the Br/Cl two times to that of the seawater and decreased I/Cl,indicating the fluid has no relationship with the gas hydrate.In this site,the chlorine isotopic composition varies from –0.7‰ to+1.9‰.Extra high Br/Cl might relate with the deep generated fluid.At higher temperature and pressure,the Br/Cl of the fluid is elevated during the hydrous silicate formation,while positive δ37Cl is also associated with the same mechanism.     

Submarine slope stability analysis during natural gas hydrate dissociation

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the stability of submarine slope during the natural gas hydrate dissociation. A model is deduced to calculate the excess pore fluid pressure. In addition, a new method is proposed to define and calculate the factor of safety (FoS) of the submarine slope. Case study is also performed, results of which show that dissociation of hydrates would decrease the stability of submarine slope. If the cohesion of the hydrate-bearing sediments is small, the submarine slope would become unstable because of the shear failure. If the cohesion of the hydrate-bearing sediments is large enough, the tensile failure would happen in the hydrate-bearing sediments and the excess pore pressure may explode the submarine slope. Under the drained condition, the submarine slope may remain stable because the buildup of excess pore fluid pressure could not take place. Moreover, FoS would be underestimated by the assumption that natural gas hydrates dissociate in the horizontally confined space, but would be overestimated by only taking into account of the base of the natural gas hydrate-bearing sediments. The compressibility factor of natural gas should also be considered because treating natural gas as ideal gas would underestimate the stability of submarine slope.     

Geochemistry of gas hydrate accumulation offshore NE Sakhalin Island (the Sea of Okhotsk): results from the KOMEX-2002 cruise

Geochemical properties of gas hydrate accumulation associated with an active gas vent on the continental slope offshore northeast Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk have been investigated. The pore water chemistry data suggest that the gas hydrates (GHs) were formed in an environment of upward-migrating fluid combined with a mechanism of pore water segregation. The upward infiltration of water enriched mainly by Cl^– and K⁺ species appears to occur on the background of earlier diagenesis processes within the gas vent sediments. The GHs were formed from water with chlorinity ranging from 530 to 570 mM. The ¹⁸O and D of GH water varied from –1.4 to –1.8 and from –13 to –18, respectively, representing a mix of seawater and infiltrating fluid water. A complex interaction of pore water, water of ascending fluid and segregated pore water during hydrate formation is also supported by water content measurements and observed gas hydrate structure. The direction of segregated water is opposite to upward fluid migration. Decreasing activity of the gas vent is inferred by comparing the present top of the recovered hydrate layer with previous observations.     

In situ hydrocarbon concentrations from pressurized cores in surface sediments, Northern Gulf of Mexico

Two newly developed coring devices, the Multi-Autoclave-Corer and the Dynamic Autoclave Piston Corer were deployed in shallow gas hydrate-bearing sediments in the northern Gulf of Mexico during research cruise SO174 (Oct–Nov 2003). For the first time, they enable the retrieval of near-surface sediment cores under ambient pressure. This enables the determination of in situ methane concentrations and amounts of gas hydrate in sediment depths where bottom water temperature and pressure changes most strongly influence gas/hydrate relationships. At seep sites of GC185 (Bush Hill) and the newly discovered sites at GC415, we determined the volume of low-weight hydrocarbons (C₁ through C₅) from nine pressurized cores via controlled degassing. The resulting in situ methane concentrations vary by two orders of magnitudes between 0.031 and 0.985 mol kg^− 1 pore water below the zone of sulfate depletion. This includes dissolved, free, and hydrate-bound CH₄. Combined with results from conventional cores, this establishes a variability of methane concentrations in close proximity to seep sites of five orders of magnitude. In total four out of nine pressure cores had CH₄ concentrations above equilibrium with gas hydrates. Two of them contain gas hydrate volumes of 15% (GC185) and 18% (GC415) of pore space. The measurements prove that the highest methane concentrations are not necessarily related to the highest advection rates. Brine advection inhibits gas hydrate stability a few centimeters below the sediment surface at the depth of anaerobic oxidation of methane and thus inhibits the storage of enhanced methane volumes. Here, computerized tomography (CT) of the pressure cores detected small amounts of free gas. This finding has major implications for methane distribution, possible consumption, and escape into the bottom water in fluid flow systems related to halokinesis.     

Excess pore pressure in Mississippi delta front sediments: Initial report

Abstract

In September 1975, a differential piezometer probe was successfully implanted in the soft seafloor sediments of Block 28, South Pass, Mississippi Delta. The probe sensor is located approximately 6.4 m below the mudline in a water depth of 19 m, and has essentially continuously monitored excess pore pressure (the difference between sediment pore pressure and hydrostatic pressure at that depth) since installation. Excess pore pressure will be monitored until March 1976, when the probe will be recovered.

Immediately after deployment, an excess pore pressure of 54 kPa was recorded. An ambient excess pore pressure of approximately 32 kPa remained after dissipation of that developed during probe installation. Because of the possible presence of gas in the sediments in this area, it is not known with certainty whether the measured excess pressure is pore water pressure, pore gas pressure, or some combination of the two. An excess pore pressure of about 32 ±4 kPa was monitored during Hurricane Eloise and subsequent storms. The exact magnitude and time distribution of these pressure fluctuations is presently being evaluated.     

Heat and mass transfer effects during displacement of deepwater methane hydrate to the surface of Lake Baikal

The present paper focuses on heat and mass exchange processes in methane hydrate fragments during in situ displacement from the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) to the water surface of Lake Baikal. After being extracted from the methane hydrate deposit at the lakebed, hydrate fragments were placed into a container with transparent walls and a bottom grid. There were no changes in the hydrate fragments during ascent within the GHSZ. The water temperature in the container remained the same as that of the ambient water (~3.5 °С). However, as soon as the container crossed the upper border of the GHSZ, first signs of hydrate decomposition and transformation into free methane gas were observed. The gas filled the container and displaced water from it. At 300 m depth, the upper and lower thermometers in the container simultaneously recorded noticeable decreases of temperature. The temperature in the upper part of the container decreased to –0.25 °С at about 200 m depth, after which the temperature remained constant until the water surface was reached. The temperature at the bottom of the container reached –0.25 °С at about 100 m depth, after which it did not vary during further ascent. These observed effects could be explained by the formation of a gas phase in the container and an ice layer on the hydrate surface caused by heat consumption during hydrate decomposition (self-preservation effect). However, steady-state simulations suggest that the forming ice layer is too thin to sustain the hydrate internal pressure required to protect the hydrate from decomposition. Thus, the mechanism of self-preservation remains unclear.     

海洋天然气水合物生成机制的实验研究

天然气水合物在海洋环境中与在纯水溶液中的生成条件有很大的不同。海洋天然气水合物的生成除了受温度和压力的影响外,还要受到孔隙水的化学组成、流体中气体的浓度及沉积物类型的影响。本文综述了国外海洋天然气水合物的实验研究成果及其进展,重点介绍了海洋天然气水合物生成与分解的热力学条件及各种影响因素,并探讨了今后该领域的研究方向和问题。     

天然气水合物及其实测的地球物理测井特征

沉积盆地内能够形成天然气水合物的先决条件包括：富含分散有机质的沉积物中充有地下水、深水区的水动力处于滞流状态、存在生物成因的气体、压力与温度具有特定的相关关系等。许多科学家提出天然气水合物主要有两种成因机制：（1）先存天然气田因温度或孔隙压力的有利变化而转变为天然气水合物；（2）微生物成因气或热成因气从下部运移至天然气水合物稳定带。     

Experimental studies on the possible influences of composition changes of pore water on the stability conditions of methane hydrate in marine sediments

Experiments with a set of electrolyte solutions have been carried out to investigate the effects of pore water composition changes on the stability conditions of methane hydrate in marine sediments. The results reveal that (1) SO₄²⁻ and Cl⁻ concentration changes can affect hydrate stability slightly, (2) the changes in both the type and the concentration of cations, which occur in normal diagenetic processes, do not exert a significant influence on the methane hydrate stability conditions, and (3) the shift of hydrate stability in pore water can be expressed as a function of the Cl⁻ concentration only. Based on the results above, an empirical equation ΔT (K)=0.00206 Cl⁻ (mmol/dm³) has been obtained for estimating the shift in the equilibrium temperature of methane hydrate in pore water at a given pressure.     

南海北部大陆边缘天然气水合物稳定带厚度的地热学研究

The exploration of unconventional and/or new energy resources has become the focus of energy research worldwide,given the shortage of fossil fuels.As a potential energy resource,gas hydrate exists only in the environment of high pressure and low temperature,mainly distributing in the sediments of the seafloor in the continental margins and the permafrost zones in land.The accurate determination of the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is essential yet challenging in the assessment of the exploitation potential.The majority of previous studies obtain this thickness by detecting the bottom simulating reflectors(BSRs) layer on the seismic profiles.The phase equilibrium between gas hydrate stable state with its temperature and pressure provides an opportunity to derive the thickness with the geothermal method.Based on the latest geothermal dataset,we calculated the thickness of the gas hydrate stability zone(GHSZ) in the north continental margin of the South China Sea.Our results indicate that the thicknesses of gas hydrate stability zone vary greatly in different areas of the northern margin of the South China Sea.The thickness mainly concentrates on 200–300 m and distributes in the southwestern and eastern areas with belt-like shape.We further confirmed a certain relationship between the GHSZ thickness and factors such as heat flow and water depth.The thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is found to be large where the heat flow is relatively low.The GHSZ thickness increases with the increase of the water depth,but it tends to stay steady when the water depth deeper than 3 000 m.The findings would improve the assessment of gas hydrate resource potential in the South China Sea.     

Investigation of the hydrate reservoir production under different depressurization modes

Abstract

Large reserves of natural gas hydrates exist, and the depressurization method has the greatest potential for gas hydrate reservoir recovery. Currently, the most commonly adopted depressurization simulation method is a constant bottom-hole pressure production scheme. This study proposes a new depressurization mode with decreasing bottom-hole pressure. The production characteristic was numerically investigated using this method. The results show the following: (1) As the depressurization exponent (n) decreases, the development effect improves, and production indexes including cumulative gas production/dissociation and gas-water ratio increase. However, the reservoir energy consumption is higher and the hydrate reformation is more severe. (2) Compared to the proposed depressurization mode, the hydrate production index of the constant bottom-hole pressure production (n?=?0) is better. However, the hydrate reservoir energy consumption is higher and the hydrate reformation is more severe using constant bottom-hole pressure production. (3) To achieve a balance between production and reservoir energy consumption during depressurization production, the bottom-hole pressure should be controlled by selecting a suitable depressurization exponent between n_min and n_max, which can be determined through numerical simulations.     

Evidence of gas hydrate accumulation and its resource estimation in Andaman deep water basin from seismic and well log data

2D and 3D seismic reflection and well log data from Andaman deep water basin are analyzed to investigate geophysical evidence related to gas hydrate accumulation and saturation. Analysis of seismic data reveals the presence of a bottom simulating reflector (BSR) in the area showing all the characteristics of a classical BSR associated with gas hydrate accumulation. Double BSRs are also observed on some seismic sections of area (Area B) that suggest substantial changes in pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions in the past. The manifestation of changes in P–T conditions can also be marked by the varying gas hydrate stability zone thickness (200–650 m) in the area. The 3D seismic data of Area B located in the ponded fill, west of Alcock Rise has been pre-stack depth migrated. A significant velocity inversion across the BSR (1,950–1,650 m/s) has been observed on the velocity model obtained from pre-stack depth migration. The areas with low velocity of the order of 1,450 m/s below the BSR and high amplitudes indicate presence of dissociated or free gas beneath the hydrate layer. The amplitude variation with offset analysis of BSR depicts increase in amplitude with offset, a similar trend as observed for the BSR associated with the gas hydrate accumulations. The presence of gas hydrate shown by logging results from a drilled well for hydrocarbon exploration in Area B, where gas hydrate deposit was predicted from seismic evidence, validate our findings. The base of the hydrate layer derived from the resistivity and acoustic transit-time logs is in agreement with the depth of hydrate layer interpreted from the pre-stack depth migrated seismic section. The resistivity and acoustic transit-time logs indicate 30-m-thick hydrate layer at the depth interval of 1,865–1,895 m with 30 % hydrate saturation. The total hydrate bound gas in Area B is estimated to be 1.8 × 10¹⁰ m³, which is comparable (by volume) to the reserves in major conventional gas fields.     

Evidence of gas hydrate from downhole logging data in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea

The Gas Hydrate Research and Development Organization (GHDO) of Korea successfully accomplished both coring (hydraulic piston and pressure coring) and logging (logging-while-drilling, LWD, and wireline logging) to investigate the presence of gas hydrate during the first deep drilling expedition in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea of Korea (referred to as UBGH1) in 2007. The LWD data from two sites (UBGH1-9, UBGH1-10) showed elevated electrical resistivity (>80 Ω-m) and P-wave velocity (>2000 m/s) values indicating the presence of gas hydrate. During the coring period, the richest gas hydrate accumulation was discovered at these intervals. Based on log data, the occurrence of gas hydrate is primarily controlled by the presence of fractures. The gas hydrate saturation calculated using Archie’s relation shows greater than 60% (as high as ∼90%) of the pore space, although Archie’s equation typically overestimates gas hydrate saturation in near-vertical fractures. The saturation of gas hydrate is also estimated using the modified Biot-Gassmann theory (BGTL) by Lee and Collett (2006). The saturation values estimated rom BGTL are much lower than those calculated from Archie’s equation. Based on log data, the hydrate-bearing sediment section is approximately 70 m (UBGH1-9) to 130 m (UBGH1-10) in thickness at these two sites. This was further directly confirmed by the recovery of gas hydrate samples and pore water freshening collected from deep drilling core during the expedition. LWD data also strongly support the interpretation of the seismic gas hydrate indicators (e.g., vent or chimney structures and bottom-simulating reflectors), which imply the probability of widespread gas hydrate presence in the Ulleung Basin.     

天然气水合物的聚集和形成及南海地质条件分析

天然气水合物目前已经成为世界范围的一个研究热点，而我国的天然气水合物研究起步则相对较晚，通过阅读国内外有关文献，总结了天然气水合物在海底的分布特征，聚集和形成机制，产状及其形成机理，甲烷羽的形成过程，天然气水合物在沉积物中的聚集位置通常有两种情况：一是较浅的沉积物（海底以下几米）中，受控于泥底辟，泥火山，断层等；二是较深的沉积物（海底以下几十米，甚至更深）中，受控于流体，当断层延伸至海底时，通常在水合物聚集处的上部发现甲烷羽，天然气以溶解气，游离气或分子扩散的形式运移，在温，压适宜的沉积物中，即水合物稳定带内聚集并形成水合物，水合物的形成过程是：最初形成晶体，呈分散状分布于沉积物中，之后逐渐聚集，生长成结核状，层状，最后形成块状，在细粒的浅层沉积物中，通常以较慢的速度生长，形成分散状的水合物；而在粗粒沉积物中，水合物通常呈填隙状，并且这种产状可能位于较深层位中，我国南海在温度，压力，构造条件，天然气来源等方面都能满足天然气水合物的形成条件，并且在南海也发现了一些水合物存在的标志，如似海底反射层（BSR）以及孔隙水中氯离子浓度的降低。因此，天然气水合物在我国南海海域可能有很好的前景。     

Isotopic composition of gas hydrates in subsurface sediments from offshore Sakhalin Island, Sea of Okhotsk

Hydrate-bearing sediment cores were retrieved from recently discovered seepage sites located offshore Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. We obtained samples of natural gas hydrates and dissolved gas in pore water using a headspace gas method for determining their molecular and isotopic compositions. Molecular composition ratios C₁/_C2+ from all the seepage sites were in the range of 1,500–50,000, while δ¹³C and δD values of methane ranged from ?66.0 to ?63.2‰ VPDB and ?204.6 to ?196.7‰ VSMOW, respectively. These results indicate that the methane was produced by microbial reduction of CO₂. δ¹³C values of ethane and propane (i.e., ?40.8 to ?27.4‰ VPDB and ?41.3 to ?30.6‰ VPDB, respectively) showed that small amounts of thermogenic gas were mixed with microbial methane. We also analyzed the isotopic difference between hydrate-bound and dissolved gases, and discovered that the magnitude by which the δD hydrate gas was smaller than that of dissolved gas was in the range 4.3–16.6‰, while there were no differences in δ¹³C values. Based on isotopic fractionation of guest gas during the formation of gas hydrate, we conclude that the current gas in the pore water is the source of the gas hydrate at the VNIIOkeangeologia and Giselle Flare sites, but not the source of the gas hydrate at the Hieroglyph and KOPRI sites.     

A seismic study to investigate the prospect of gas hydrate in Mahanadi deep water basin,northeastern continental margin of India

The presence of gas hydrates, one of the new alternative energy resources for the future, along the Indian continental margins has been inferred mainly from bottom simulating reflectors (BSR) and the gas stability zone thickness mapping. Gas hydrate reserves in Krishna Godawari Basin have been established with the help of gas-hydrate related proxies inferred from multidisciplinary investigations. In the present study, an analysis of 3D seismic data of nearly 3,420 km² area of Mahanadi deep water basin was performed in search of seismic proxies related with the existence of natural gas hydrate in the region. Analysis depicts the presence of BSR-like features over a large areal extent of nearly 250 km² in the central western part of the basin, which exhibit all characteristics of a classical BSR associated with gas hydrate accumulation in a region. The observed BSR is present in a specific area restricted to a structural low at the Neogene level. The coherency inversion of pre-stack time migration (PSTM) gathers shows definite inversion of interval velocity across the BSR interface which indicates hydrate bearing sediments overlying the free gas bearing sediments. The amplitude versus offset analysis of PSTM gathers shows increase of amplitude with offset, a common trend as observed in BSR associated with gas hydrate accumulation. Results suggest the possibility of gas hydrate accumulation in the central part of the basin specifically in the area of structural low at the Neogene level. These results would serve as preliminary information for selecting prospective gas hydrate accumulation areas for further integrated or individual study from geophysical, geological, geochemical and microbiological perspectives for confirmation of gas hydrate reserves in the area. Further, on the basis of these results it is envisaged that biogenic gas might have been generated in the region which under suitable temperature and pressure conditions might have been transformed into the gas hydrates, and therefore, an integrated study comprising geophysical, geological, geochemical and microbiological data is suggested to establish the gas hydrate reserves in Mahanadi deep water basin.     

天然气水合物的声学探测模拟实验

在人工岩心中进行天然气水合物的生成和分解实验,同时获取了体系的温度、压力、声学特性(Vp和Vs、幅度和频率)及含水量等参数。经研究发现,温压法、超声探测法和TDR探测法都能灵敏探测沉积物中天然气水合物的形成和分解过程。分析认为,本次实验中水合物形成速率过快,只能宏观研究水合物对沉积物声学特性的影响,建议采用长岩心进一步研究沉积物中水合物的声学特性。     

Hydrate bearing clayey sediments: Formation and gas production concepts

Hydro-thermo-chemo and mechanically coupled processes determine hydrate morphology and control gas production from hydrate-bearing sediments. Force balance, together with mass and energy conservation analyses anchored in published data provide robust asymptotic solutions that reflect governing processes in hydrate systems. Results demonstrate that hydrate segregation in clayey sediments results in a two-material system whereby hydrate lenses are surrounded by hydrate-free water-saturated clay. Hydrate saturation can reach ≈2% by concentrating the excess dissolved gas in the pore water and ≈20% from metabolizable carbon. Higher hydrate saturations are often found in natural sediments and imply methane transport by advection or diffusion processes. Hydrate dissociation is a strongly endothermic event; the available latent heat in a reservoir can sustain significant hydrate dissociation without triggering ice formation during depressurization. The volume of hydrate expands 2-to-4 times upon dissociation or CO₂CH₄ replacement. Volume expansion can be controlled to maintain lenses open and to create new open mode discontinuities that favor gas recovery. Pore size is the most critical sediment parameter for hydrate formation and gas recovery and is controlled by the smallest grains in a sediment. Therefore any characterization must carefully consider the amount of fines and their associated mineralogy.     

Pore fluid geochemistry from the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope

The BPXA-DOE-USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well was drilled and cored from 606.5 to 760.1 m on the North Slope of Alaska, to evaluate the occurrence, distribution and formation of gas hydrate in sediments below the base of the ice-bearing permafrost. Both the dissolved chloride and the isotopic composition of the water co-vary in the gas hydrate-bearing zones, consistent with gas hydrate dissociation during core recovery, and they provide independent indicators to constrain the zone of gas hydrate occurrence. Analyses of chloride and water isotope data indicate that an observed increase in salinity towards the top of the cored section reflects the presence of residual fluids from ion exclusion during ice formation at the base of the permafrost layer. These salinity changes are the main factor controlling major and minor ion distributions in the Mount Elbert Well. The resulting background chloride can be simulated with a one-dimensional diffusion model, and the results suggest that the ion exclusion at the top of the cored section reflects deepening of the permafrost layer following the last glaciation (∼100 kyr), consistent with published thermal models. Gas hydrate saturation values estimated from dissolved chloride agree with estimates based on logging data when the gas hydrate occupies more than 20% of the pore space; the correlation is less robust at lower saturation values. The highest gas hydrate concentrations at the Mount Elbert Well are clearly associated with coarse-grained sedimentary sections, as expected from theoretical calculations and field observations in marine and other arctic sediment cores.