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.     

南海神狐海域天然气水合物注热降压开采数值模拟研究

针对南海神狐海域天然气水合物成藏条件,利用pT+H软件和水平井技术对天然气水合物的注热和注热降压开采效果进行了模拟分析。重点讨论了注入热水温度为30、60、90℃时水合物饱和度以及CH4气体饱和度、CH4产气率、累积CH4产气量和产水量的变化规律,发现两种开采模式下水合物低饱和度分布范围随时间增长和温度升高而增大;CH4产气率在开采10 d内升高较快,之后逐渐减小。模拟结果表明:注热降压开采模式比单纯注热模式的效果有较大改善,而且温度对于提高CH4产气量效果不明显,但因为天然气水合物藏的低渗透性,神狐海域的天然气水合物的CH4产气量不大。研究结果可为南海神狐海域和类似地区天然气水合物开采提供参考。     

Stability analysis of seabed strata and casing structure during the natural gas hydrates exploitation by depressurization in horizontal wells in South China Sea

Natural gas hydrates(NGHs) are a new type of clean energy with great development potential. However, it is urgent to achieve safe and economical NGHs development and utilization. This study established a physical model of the study area using the FLAC^3D software based on the key parameters of the NGHs production test area in the South China Sea, including the depressurization method, and mechanical parameters of strata, NGHs occurrence characteristics, and the technological characteri...     

天然气水合物降压开采过程中储层应力规律分析

为了研究天然气水合物降压开采过程的储层应力及其稳定性,运用线性多孔弹性力学和岩石力学知识,考虑水合物储层原始应力、孔隙压力、渗流附加应力及降压开采水合物过程中水合物饱和度的变化,建立了降压开采天然气水合物储层的力学模型,结合墨西哥湾某处水合物藏的基本参数,对降压开采水合物储层应力变化和开采过程的储层稳定性进行研究。结果表明：井底压力是影响水合物储层应力变化的关键因素之一;渗流附加应力在一定程度上减小了储层的应力;水合物分解储层应力发生变化,储层应力在井壁处的波动最大,井壁处是整个储层所受轴向偏应力最大的位置,因此井壁处是优先发生剪切破坏的位置;为了储层的稳定性,降压开采水合物生产压差应小于2.19 MPa。     

2-D Numerical Simulation of Natural Gas Hydrate Decomposition Through Depressurization by Fully Implicit Method

Natural gas hydrate, as a potential energy resource, deposits in permafrost and marine sediment with large quantities. The current exploitation methods include depressurization, thermal stimulation, and inhibitor injection. However, many issues have to be resolved before the commercial production. In the present study, a 2-D axisymmetric simulator for gas production from hydrate reservoirs is developed. The simulator includes equations of conductive and convective heat transfer, kinetic of hydrate decomposition, and multiphase flow. These equations are discretized based on the finite difference method and are solved with the fully implicit simultaneous solution method. The process of laboratory-scale hydrate decomposition by depressurization is simulated. For different surrounding temperatures and outlet pressures, time evolutions of gas and water generations during hydrate dissociation are evaluated, and variations of temperature, pressure, and multiphase fluid flow conditions are analyzed. The results suggest that the rate of heat transfer plays an important role in the process. Furthermore, high surrounding temperature and low outlet valve pressure may increase the rate of hydrate dissociation with insignificant impact on final cumulative gas volume.     

元宝山露天矿疏干优化设计

从影响元宝山露天矿地下水疏干的主要水文地质参数随机性特征分析入手,建立并求解了元宝山露天矿疏干工程优化设计的随机地下水管理模型,揭示了水文地质参数随机性对管理模型结果的影响,认为参数的随机性越大,管理结果越坏;置信水平越高,管理结果越坏,且渗透系数和边界条件对管理结果影响最大。      

降压开采过程中含水合物沉积物的力学特性研究

天然气水合物是一种潜在的能源资源,开采过程中,水合物的分解会造成工程和地质等安全隐患。为研究降压开采过程中多因素综合影响条件下沉积物的力学性质,在自主研发的低温高压三轴仪上进行了不同围压条件下含水合物沉积物的剪切试验。试验结合常规三轴剪切及一个试样多级加荷的方法,并加入了水合物的降压分解过程。结果表明：水合物的存在可以显著提高沉积物的抗剪强度。在降压分解过程中,含水合物沉积物试样的力学强度受到有效围压和孔隙中水合物含量的综合影响。前期试样由于孔隙压力降低导致有效围压大幅增加,试样抗剪强度增大,后期由于水合物含量的大幅降低,试样在较高有效围压下抗剪强度下降。有效围压对含水合物沉积物试样的体积应变有较大的影响,较高的有效围压会导致含水合物试样产生显著的剪缩现象。     

Numerical Study of Gas Production from a Methane Hydrate Reservoir Using Depressurization with Multi-wells

With the implementation of the production tests in permafrost and offshore regions in Canada, US, Japan, and China, the study of natural gas hydrate has progressed into the stage of technology development for industrial exploitation. The depressurization method is considered as a better strategy to produce gas from hydrate reservoirs based on production tests and laboratory experiments. Multi-well production is proposed to improve gas production efficiency, to meet the requirement for industrial production. For evaluating the applicability of multi-well production to hydrate exploitation, a 2D model is established, with numerical simulations of the performance of the multi-well pattern carried out. To understand the dissociation behavior of gas hydrate, the pressure and temperature distributions in the hydrate reservoir are specified, and the change in permeability of reservoir sediments is investigated. The results obtained indicate that multi-well production can improve the well connectivity, accelerate hydrate dissociation, enhance gas production rate and reduce water production as compared with single-well production.     

Analysis for temperature and pressure fields in process of hydrate dissociation by depressurization

An improved axisymmetric mathematic modeling is proposed for the process of hydrate dissociation by depressurization around vertical well. To reckon in the effect of latent heat of gas hydrate at the decomposition front, the energy balance equation is employed. The semi‐analytic solutions for temperature and pressure fields are obtained by using Boltzmann‐transformation. The location of decomposition front is determined by solving initial value problem for system of ordinary differential equations. The distributions of pressure and temperature along horizontal radiate in the reservoir are calculated. The numeric results indicate that the moving speed of decomposition front is sensitively dependent on the well pressure and the sediment permeability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

海底水合物矿藏降压开采与甲烷气体扩散过程的数值模拟

在深海条件下采用单井降压法开采的天然气水合物矿藏中,利用TOUGH+HYDRATE软件对其开采过程和甲烷气体扩散过程进行数值模拟。物理模型由上至下依次为上盖层、水合物沉积层和下盖层。将上、下盖层外边界的温度设为恒定,与含水合物沉积层之间有热量和质量交换,数值模型采用二维圆柱坐标网格。模拟结果表明开采过程中井口产气速率是一个升高—降低—波动升高的过程,水合物分解产生的气体有一部分通过上盖层溢出,能在一定程度上增加大气中温室气体的量。开采初期水合物分解速率降低的主要原因是水合物分解产生的甲烷气体在地层中大量累积,开采后期水合物分解速率产生波动的主要原因是发生"气穴现象"。井口附近由于压力变化较快水合物分解最为剧烈,其附近有个低温区存在。上、下盖层附近水合物分解速率也较快。