Investigation of the Stress–Strain and Strength Behaviors of Ice Containing Methane Hydrate

• Published in: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
• Main Authors: Li, Yanghui, Zhao, Honghua, Yu, Feng, Song, Yongchen, Liu, Weiguo, Li, Qingping, Yao, Haiyuan
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE 2012
• Subjects: Methane hydrate
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/42628/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/42628/1/Li.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CR.1943-5495.0000044

Mechanical properties and deformation behaviors of methane hydrate are important to assess the stability of gas hydrate reservoirs. In this study, using a high-pressure and low-temperature triaxial testing apparatus, the stress–strain relationship and strength of ice containing methane hydrate were studied. The results showed that the strength increased with a decrease of temperature, and the stress–strain relationship showed an elastoplastic strain-hardening behavior. When the confining pressure was less than 10 MPa, the strength increased with confining pressure. Also, it decreased with further increases of confining pressure beyond 10 MPa.