Statistical damage constitutive model based on self‐consistent Eshelby method for natural gas hydrate sediments

Abstract Natural gas hydrate (NGH) is widely distributed in marine sediments and continental permafrost, which is a promising energy resource. The sustainable and safe exploration and production of NGH requires fully understanding of its mechanical behaviors, which is still a challenge to our commun...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy Science & Engineering
Main Authors: Feifei Wang, Zizhen Wang, Di Zhang, Zhenqing Wang
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2021
Subjects:
constitutive model
damage model
Eshelby's inclusion theory
Natural gas hydrate
self‐consistent method
Weibull statistical distribution
Technology
T
Science
Q
permafrost
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/ese3.968
https://doaj.org/article/32062a4021b34eda9f43e942cf6c1379
Description
Summary:Abstract Natural gas hydrate (NGH) is widely distributed in marine sediments and continental permafrost, which is a promising energy resource. The sustainable and safe exploration and production of NGH requires fully understanding of its mechanical behaviors, which is still a challenge to our community. In this paper, a statistical damage constitutive model named SC‐SDCM is developed for NGH sediments. The NGH sediments are regarded as two phases: the matrix phase of solid mineral grains, pore fluid, and gas, and the inclusion phase of hydrate crystal. The effective elastic parameters of such two‐phase composite are estimated by self‐consistent method (SC) according to the equivalent inclusion principle of micromechanics. The mesoscopic element strength of the NGH sediments is described by the Weibull statistical distribution and the damage theory of composite materials. And then combined with the Drucker‐Prager failure criterion of microelement, the damage constitutive model of NGH sediments is established. The new SC‐SDCM is tested to be reliable and robust by triaxial experimental observations on artificial cores and naturally occurring samples under different confining pressures and hydrate saturations. The SC‐SDCM could properly describe the stiffness, peak strength, and strain softening properties of the NGH sediments. Moreover, the predictions of SC‐SDCM are closest to the experiment observations compared to several published constitutive models, especially for the near‐ and after‐damage stages with relatively high hydrate saturation.

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