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Title: Methane Recovery from Hydrate-bearing Sediments

Abstract

Gas hydrates are crystalline compounds made of gas and water molecules. Methane hydrates are found in marine sediments and permafrost regions; extensive amounts of methane are trapped in the form of hydrates. Methane hydrate can be an energy resource, contribute to global warming, or cause seafloor instability. This study placed emphasis on gas recovery from hydrate bearing sediments and related phenomena. The unique behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments required the development of special research tools, including new numerical algorithms (tube- and pore-network models) and experimental devices (high pressure chambers and micromodels). Therefore, the research methodology combined experimental studies, particle-scale numerical simulations, and macro-scale analyses of coupled processes. Research conducted as part of this project started with hydrate formation in sediment pores and extended to production methods and emergent phenomena. In particular, the scope of the work addressed: (1) hydrate formation and growth in pores, the assessment of formation rate, tensile/adhesive strength and their impact on sediment-scale properties, including volume change during hydrate formation and dissociation; (2) the effect of physical properties such as gas solubility, salinity, pore size, and mixed gas conditions on hydrate formation and dissociation, and it implications such as oscillatory transient hydrate formation, dissolution within the hydrate stabilitymore » field, initial hydrate lens formation, and phase boundary changes in real field situations; (3) fluid conductivity in relation to pore size distribution and spatial correlation and the emergence of phenomena such as flow focusing; (4) mixed fluid flow, with special emphasis on differences between invading gas and nucleating gas, implications on relative gas conductivity for reservoir simulations, and gas recovery efficiency; (5) identification of advantages and limitations in different gas production strategies with emphasis; (6) detailed study of CH4-CO2 exchange as a unique alternative to recover CH4 gas while sequestering CO2; (7) the relevance of fines in otherwise clean sand sediments on gas recovery and related phenomena such as fines migration and clogging, vuggy structure formation, and gas-driven fracture formation during gas production by depressurization.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1041003
DOE Contract Number:  
FC26-06NT42963
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
03 NATURAL GAS; ALGORITHMS; BEARINGS; DEPRESSURIZATION; DISSOCIATION; DISSOLUTION; FLUID FLOW; FOCUSING; FRACTURES; GAS HYDRATES; GREENHOUSE EFFECT; HYDRATES; INSTABILITY; METHANE; PERMAFROST; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; SALINITY; SAND; SEDIMENTS; SOLUBILITY; STABILITY; TRANSIENTS

Citation Formats

Santamarina, J Carlos, and Tsouris, Costas. Methane Recovery from Hydrate-bearing Sediments. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.2172/1041003.
Santamarina, J Carlos, & Tsouris, Costas. Methane Recovery from Hydrate-bearing Sediments. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1041003
Santamarina, J Carlos, and Tsouris, Costas. 2011. "Methane Recovery from Hydrate-bearing Sediments". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1041003. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1041003.
@article{osti_1041003,
title = {Methane Recovery from Hydrate-bearing Sediments},
author = {Santamarina, J Carlos and Tsouris, Costas},
abstractNote = {Gas hydrates are crystalline compounds made of gas and water molecules. Methane hydrates are found in marine sediments and permafrost regions; extensive amounts of methane are trapped in the form of hydrates. Methane hydrate can be an energy resource, contribute to global warming, or cause seafloor instability. This study placed emphasis on gas recovery from hydrate bearing sediments and related phenomena. The unique behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments required the development of special research tools, including new numerical algorithms (tube- and pore-network models) and experimental devices (high pressure chambers and micromodels). Therefore, the research methodology combined experimental studies, particle-scale numerical simulations, and macro-scale analyses of coupled processes. Research conducted as part of this project started with hydrate formation in sediment pores and extended to production methods and emergent phenomena. In particular, the scope of the work addressed: (1) hydrate formation and growth in pores, the assessment of formation rate, tensile/adhesive strength and their impact on sediment-scale properties, including volume change during hydrate formation and dissociation; (2) the effect of physical properties such as gas solubility, salinity, pore size, and mixed gas conditions on hydrate formation and dissociation, and it implications such as oscillatory transient hydrate formation, dissolution within the hydrate stability field, initial hydrate lens formation, and phase boundary changes in real field situations; (3) fluid conductivity in relation to pore size distribution and spatial correlation and the emergence of phenomena such as flow focusing; (4) mixed fluid flow, with special emphasis on differences between invading gas and nucleating gas, implications on relative gas conductivity for reservoir simulations, and gas recovery efficiency; (5) identification of advantages and limitations in different gas production strategies with emphasis; (6) detailed study of CH4-CO2 exchange as a unique alternative to recover CH4 gas while sequestering CO2; (7) the relevance of fines in otherwise clean sand sediments on gas recovery and related phenomena such as fines migration and clogging, vuggy structure formation, and gas-driven fracture formation during gas production by depressurization.},
doi = {10.2172/1041003},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1041003}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Sat Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}