PRODUCTION STRATEGIES FOR MARINE HYDRATE RESERVOIRS

• Main Authors: J. Phirani, K. K. Mohanty
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Gas hydrates; Injection Temperature; Injection Pressure; Production Pressure NOMENCLATURE; Arctic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.192.6296; http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/publications/2008_ICGH/ICGH_5823_42960.pdf

Large quantities of natural gas hydrate are present in marine sediments along the coastlines of many countries as well as in arctic regions. This research is aimed at assessing production of natural gas from the marine deposits. We had developed a multiphase, multicomponent, thermal, 3D simulator in the past, which can simulate production of hydrates both in equilibrium and kinetic modes. Four components (hydrate, methane, water and salt) and five phases (hydrate, gas, aqueous-phase, ice and salt precipitate) are considered in the simulator. In this work, we simulate depressurization and warm water flooding for hydrate production in a hydrate reservoir underlain by a water layer. Water flooding has been studied as a function of injection temperature, injection pressure and production pressure. For high injection temperature, the higher pressure increases the flow of warm water (heat) in the reservoir making the production rate faster, but if injection temperature is not high then only depressurization is the best method of production. At intermediate injection temperature, the production rate changes non-monotonically with the injection pressure.