Geomechanical Characteristics of Hydrate-bearing Sands

This thesis presents an experimental study on the geomechanical characteristics of lab-synthesized methane hydrate bearing sand. Sand was tested in four different states, namely, base sand (BS), frozen sand (FS), gas-saturated hydrate bearing sand (HS), and water-saturated hydrate bearing sand (WHS)...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Abbas, Muhammad
Other Authors: Priest, Jeffrey A., Hayley, Jocelyn L., Clarkson, Christopher R.
Format: Master Thesis
Language:English
Published: Graduate Studies 2018
Subjects:
Gas hydrates
Geotechnical engineering
Triaxial testing
Resonant column testing
Hydrate bearing sand
Hydrate bearing soils
Permeability of hydrates
Cemented hydrates
Cemented sands
Soil Science
Geology
Engineering > Civil
Geotechnology
Base Sand
Methane hydrate
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1880/108828
https://doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/33168
Description
Summary:This thesis presents an experimental study on the geomechanical characteristics of lab-synthesized methane hydrate bearing sand. Sand was tested in four different states, namely, base sand (BS), frozen sand (FS), gas-saturated hydrate bearing sand (HS), and water-saturated hydrate bearing sand (WHS). Test specimens were evaluated for permeability, stiffness and triaxial strength. It was found that hydrate formation caused a reduction in permeability and a large increase in stiffness of sand. Triaxial test results indicate that both hydrate and ice increased the strength of sand and induced strain-softening behavior. However, HS showed higher peak strength than FS and exhibited different deformation characteristics. Stiffness and triaxial strength of WHS were lower than HS possibly due to marginal hydrate dissociation leading to a potential loss of cementation during water-saturation. The existence of inter-granular cementation in WHS was validated by analysis of experimental data using stress-dilatancy relationship for cohesive soils.

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