EXPLOITATION TECHNOLOGY

Developing feasible method for commercial production of natural gas from identified hydrate
reservoir is essential.
The major methods for hydrate dissociation

Depressurization
Thermal simulation
Inhibitor injection (methanol, ethylene glycol)
Depressurization in combination with other methods
Others- CO2 replacement, microwave heating

All these techniques are based on the principle of shifting the hydrate condition from the
hydrate stable region to the hydrate unstable region.
THERMAL STIMULATION
Laboratory studies and numerical simulation are carried out to study the efficiency,
parameters affecting the thermal simulation method and its economic feasibility.
The thermal stimulation method involves dissociating hydrates by
increasing the hydrate deposit temperature above the gas hydrate
equilibrium point by in situ combustion, heating or hot water steam
injection.
Huff & puff method- cyclic steam simulation (steps- 1.injection, 2.soaking,
3.production)
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION INTO METHANE HYDRATE PRODUCTION
DURING THREE-DIMENSIONAL THERMAL HUFF AND PUFF

Using three-dimensional cubic hydrate simulator (5.8 L) with a single vertical well
Studied the decomposition behaviours of methane hydrate in the porous media
With the different injection temperatures and different injection time.
Hydrate decomposition is an expanding process of the moving decomposition

boundary. The injected heat does not diffuse isotropically in the hydrate reservoir.
As the number of cycle increasing, the rate of gas production decreases,
Rate of water production increases at the initial stage, and then tends to be constant.
The highest thermal efficiency and energy efficiency can be obtained with the
injection temperature of 130o C and injection time of 5 min.
A HUFF-AND-PUFF PRODUCTION OF GAS HYDRATE DEPOSITS IN
SHENHU AREA OF SOUTH CHINA SEA THROUGH A VERTICAL WELL

Numerically simulated the hydrate dissociation and gas production by alternately

injecting hot water and producing fluids at a vertical well.

Geological system in study is SH2 in Shenhu area
20m overburden, hydrate bearing layer (HBL) is 40 m thick, 20m under burden
3-yr long production period
The calculations indicated that secondary hydrates forms in early period of

injecting ,and then gas is released due to the thermal stimulation of hot water
The amount of released gas in the injection periods is much smaller than that converts

into secondary hydrates.

Production of 360 days by huff and puff method is very much less than

depressurization.
The simulations showed that the gas production rate in huff-and-puff operations is

very small (50140 m3/d), and unacceptable for commercial production.

Gas production from the hydrate deposits by the huff-and-puff method through a
vertical well are not promising and of industrial potential. A desirable huff-and-puff
production may need novel production schemes and advanced well designs.

THE USE OF HUFF AND PUFF METHOD IN A SINGLE HORIZONTAL WELL

IN GAS PRODUCTION FROM MARINE GAS HYDRATE DEPOSITS IN THE
SHENHU AREA OF SOUTH CHINA SEA

Geological system in study is site SH7- production with a single horizontal

Overburden 30 m, HBL 22 m, under burden 30 m.
The huff and puff method with 2 days hot brine injection followed by 3 days gas
production, without soaking

The study investigated the various factors that may affect production:
The increment of the injection and production rates,
The existence of the impermeable overburden, and impermeable boundaries
The temperature of the injected brine
The existence of brine injection during the injection stage
Injection temperature have a limited effect on gas production performance by using

huff and puff method

Hydrate dissociation efficiency decreases over time due to the limited range of the

thermal diffusion from the injected brine.

Depressurization rather than thermal stimulation is dominant for the gas production

rate at the later cycles.

The hydrate dissociated zone diminishes and enlarges during the injection and

production respectively because of the system pressurization and depressurization

More and more secondary hydrate formed with the hot brine injection in a cycle.
Hydrate deposit at site SH7 in the Shenhu Area in this work is not suitable for
commercial production using the huff and puff method in this work
METHANE HYDRATE DISSOCIATION EXPERIMENT IN A MIDDLE-SIZED
QUIESCENT REACTOR USING THERMAL METHOD

Dissociation kinetic behaviour studied at 268.15 K using thermal method in a closed

quiescent middle-sized reactor of 10 L

Reduced dissociation rate was observed due to buffered dissociation- due to the ice
melting

The effect of the water temperature, the heating rate, the quantity of hydrate, and the

dissociation pressure upon the dissociation rate and the extent of the buffering effect
Results indicated that the thermodynamic driving force of hydrate dissociation and

the rate of heat transfer were the rate-determining factors of the hydrate dissociation.
Buffering effect of gas production can be reduced by increasing the temperature of

heating fluid and decreasing the dissociation pressure

The temperature buffering behaviour cannot be eliminated

LARGE SCALE REACTOR DETAILS AND RESULTS FOR THE FORMATION AND
DECOMPOSITION OF METHANE HYDRATES VIA THERMAL STIMULATION
DISSOCIATION

A 70L pilot scale reactor

To test methane production via in-situ heating
Hydrate was formed @ 2.2 0 C, 4.2 MPa using 99.97% pure methane.
Thermal energy efficiency of 72% was obtained during a 10h test period.
Simulations suggest hydrate began forming at the top section, and continued to form
downwards within the sediment in an on-homogeneous manner.

HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS OF METHANE HYDRATE SEDIMENT

DISSOCIATION IN A CLOSED REACTOR BY A THERMAL METHOD

5L volume reactor- Thermal stimulation by air bath.

To examine the heat transfer performance during hydrate formation and

dissociation.
There are three stages in the hydrate dissociation, which is caused by the rate of

dissociation and heat flow

The delay of hydrate dissociation in radial direction indicates the existence of a
dissociation interface and moving boundary. This is enhanced by raising

production temperature
The interfacial heat transfer and the rate of dissociation is reduced by resistance

to heat transfer due to the sand layer formed during dissociation.

The total duration of the hydrate dissociation depends on the temperature

difference in radial direction.

When the production temperature increases, the dissociation rate and the heat
absorbed for dissociation increases

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS ON GAS PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY FROM HYDRATE

DEPOSITS BY THERMAL STIMULATION: APPLICATION TO THE SHENHU
AREA, SOUTH CHINA SEA

Geological system in study is SH2 in Shenhu area

The model ideally neglects the effects of heat convection and pressure regime in the
sediments for simplicity
This model is for predicting the maximum production efficiency.
Sensitivity analysis were done for
Bottom-hole temperature
Temperature difference
Hydrate saturation
Effective thermal conductivity of formation

Heat consumption efficiency and gas energy efficiency were calculated.

Cumulative gas production is ~509 m3 per meter in three years .Much lower than the

industrial criterion
Even though the production by heat stimulation theoretically has a very high heat
consumption rate and energy efficiency it is not very attractive with vertical well
scheme.

The net efficiency of gas production is closely related to the initial hydrate saturation as
well as free water and gas initially
The heat capacity of water will lead to lower production efficiency
Thermal simulation is considered as complementary method for dissociating hydrate by
depressurization due to the limitation of thermal conduction in porous sediments