一种新的海洋浅层水合物开采法——机械-热联合法

天然气水合物是国家的战略能源之一.天然气水合物分解相变使其开采难度高于常规化石能源.国际天然气水合物试验性开采表明通过降压、注热等方法难以满足商业化开采的需求,尤其在水合物位于浅层、软土情况下,持续稳定且高效率的热量供给是其瓶颈.天然气水合物机械-热联合开采是一种新概念模式,即通过粉碎水合物沉积物通过管道输运并在内部分解,这样既增加了传热的表面积,又利用海水热量和对流传热提高了能量供给效率.分析表明:利用该方法开采时水温过高会导致水合物分解过快而产生不稳定流,温度过低又导致水合物二次生成或结冰;水流流速既要能使被粉碎的水合物沉积物颗粒悬浮和流动,又不能导致流动失稳.为了实现高效安全的机械-热水合物开采,经过初步分析提出原位水合物地层粉碎的颗粒直径设定在0.1~1.0 cm之间,控制水流速度为0.22~0.67m/s,温差保证在5K以上,混合物中水的体积分数大于0.85.      

Fluid-solid coupling model for studying wellbore instability in drilling of gas hydrate bearing sediments

As the oil or gas exploration and development activities in deep and ultra- deep waters become more and more, encountering gas hydrate bearing sediments （HBS） is almost inevitable. The variation in temperature and pressure can destabilize gas hydrate in nearby formation around the borehole, which may reduce the strength of the formation and result in wellbore instability. A non-isothermal, transient, two-phase, and fluid-solid coupling mathematical model is proposed to simulate the complex stability performance of a wellbore drilled in HBS. In the model, the phase transition of hydrate dissociation, the heat exchange between drilling fluid and formation, the change of mechanical and petrophysical properties, the gas-water two-phase seepage, and its interaction with rock deformation are considered. A finite element simulator is developed, and the impact of drilling mud on wellbore instability in HBS is simulated. Results indicate that the re- duction in pressure and the increase in temperature of the drilling fluid can accelerate hydrate decomposition and lead to mechanical properties getting worse tremendously. The cohesion decreases by 25% when the hydrate totally dissociates in HBS. This easily causes the wellbore instability accordingly. In the first two hours after the formation is drilled, the regions of hydrate dissociation and wellbore instability extend quickly. Then, with the soaking time of drilling fluid increasing, the regions enlarge little. Choosing the low temperature drilling fluid and increasing the drilling mud pressure appropriately can benefit the wellbore stability of HBS. The established model turns out to be an efficient tool in numerical studies of the hydrate dissociation behavior and wellbore stability of HBS.     

The simulation of gas production from oceanic gas hydrate reservoir by the combination of ocean surface warm water flooding with depressurization

A new method is proposed to produce gas from oceanic gas hydrate reservoir by combining the ocean surface warm water flooding with depressurization which can efficiently utilize the synthetic effects of thermal, salt and depressurization on gas hydrate dissociation. The method has the advantage of high efficiency, low cost and enhanced safety. Based on the proposed conceptual method, the physical and mathematical models are established, in which the effects of the flow of multiphase fluid, the kinetic process of hydrate dissociation, the endothermic process of hydrate dissociation, ice-water phase equilibrium, salt inhibition, dispersion, convection and conduction on the hydrate dissociation and gas and water production are considered. The gas and water rates, formation pressure for the combination method are compared with that of the single depressurization, which is referred to the method in which only depressurization is used. The results show that the combination method can remedy the deficiency of individual producing methods. It has the advantage of longer stable period of high gas rate than the single depressurization. It can also reduce the geologic hazard caused by the formation deformation due to the maintaining of the formation pressure by injected ocean warm water.     

The Experimental and Numerical Studies on Gas Production from Hydrate Reservoir by Depressurization

A set of experimental system to study hydrate dissociation in porous media is built and some experiments on hydrate dissociation by depressurization are carried out. A mathematical model is developed to simulate the hydrate dissociation by depressurization in hydrate-bearing porous media. The model can be used to analyze the effects of the flow of multiphase fluids, the kinetic process and endothermic process of hydrate dissociation, ice-water phase equilibrium, the variation of permeability, convection and conduction on the hydrate dissociation, and gas and water productions. The numerical results agree well with the experimental results, which validate our mathematical model. For a 3-D hydrate reservoir of Class 3, the evolutions of pressure, temperature, and saturations are elucidated and the effects of some main parameters on gas and water rates are analyzed. Numerical results show that gas can be produced effectively from hydrate reservoir in the first stage of depressurization. Then, methods such as thermal stimulation or inhibitor injection should be considered due to the energy deficiency of formation energy. The numerical results for 3-D hydrate reservoir of Class 1 show that the overlying gas hydrate zone can apparently enhance gas rate and prolong life span of gas reservoir.     

水平井降压法和热激法水合物开采对海底边坡稳定性的影响

天然气水合物广泛赋存在深海沉积物孔隙中, 被认为是具有巨大开发潜力的未来绿色能源之一, 引起全球的关注. 深海水合物开采将造成含水合物储层的强度劣化, 可能产生孔压积聚, 诱发海床失稳. 本文基于边坡稳定极限平衡分析框架, 引入考虑水合物开采热-流-化学耦合过程的数值分析模型, 研究水合物开采对海底边坡稳定性的影响. 采用TOUGH+HYDRATE热-流-化学耦合分析程序, 模拟了采用水平井降压法和热激法开采深海水合物的过程, 分析了水合物分解锋面扩展和瞬态孔压演变的规律, 并通过SLOPE/W程序采用极限平衡分析方法计算水合物开采过程及停采后的海底边坡安全系数, 分析开采井位置和开采方法对海底边坡稳定性的影响. 研究表明, 对于存在致密盖层的细砂储层陡坡, 单水平井降压开采过程中, 由于孔压降低, 土体有效应力增加, 边坡稳定性显著提高, 当开采井布设在坡体中部时, 边坡稳定性提高最为明显; 停采后, 由于水合物分解导致土体黏聚强度降低, 且孔压逐渐回升到静水压状态, 导致边坡稳定性下降, 最危险滑弧通过水合物分解区. 若采用双水平井热激法开采, 开采过程与停采后的最危险滑弧始终通过水合物分解区, 由于开采过程中温度升高, 井周孔压显著上升, 导致边坡安全系数明显下降, 存在诱发滑坡的风险.      

南海水合物黏土沉积物力学特性试验模拟研究

利用自行研制的含水合物沉积物合成、分解与力学性质测量一体化试验设备,以南海水合物区域的海底粉质黏土作为骨架,制备含水合物沉积物样品,并对其进行了三轴压缩试验研究,获得了水合物分解前后的应力应变曲线和抗剪强度特性. 结果表明:在水合物饱和度0%~45% 的范围内,水合物沉积物的应力应变曲线均表现为弹塑性变形,存在明显的应变硬化现象;抗剪强度、内摩擦角和黏聚力随水合物饱和度的增加而增加. 相对而言,内摩擦角随饱和度增加幅度较小,其他参数在水合物饱和度超过25% 时,呈陡然增高趋势;水合物分解后导致抗剪强度最大可降低为初始的1/4,不同初始饱和度条件下水合物完全分解后沉积物的抗剪强度基本相等,并大于同等围压条件下初始不含水合物的沉积物抗剪强度.      

天然气水合物分解对地层稳定性影响的离心机实验模拟

水合物分解后将引起地层强度的降低,可能造成海床沉陷、滑塌以及海洋结构物基础的破坏。针对该问题,首先以南海浅层粉砂为沉积物骨架,采用生物厌氧发酵技术合成水合物沉积物,然后进行水合物热分解引起地层响应的离心机实验模拟,获得了水合物分解引起地层变形与滑塌的特征以及孔隙压力发展的物理过程,为研究水合物分解引起海床失稳的条件进行了新的尝试。     

Multiphase flow model developed for simulating gas hydrate transport in horizontal pipe

The hydrate formation or dissociation in deep subsea flow lines is a challenging problem in oil and gas transport systems. The study of multiphase flows is complex while necessary due to the phase changes (i.e., liquid, solid, and gas) that occur with increasing the temperature and decreasing the pressure. A one-dimensional multiphase flow model coupled with a transient hydrate kinetic model is developed to study the characteristics of the multiphase flows for the hydrates formed by the phase changes in the pipes. The multiphase flow model is derived from a multi-fluid model, while has been widely used in modelling multiphase flows. The heat convection between the fluid and the ambient through the pipe wall is considered in the energy balance equation. The developed multiphase flow model is used to simulate the procedure of the hydrate transport. The results show that the formation of the hydrates can cause hold-up oscillations of water and gas.     

Mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments during hydrate dissociation

The changes in the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments(GHBS) induced by gas hydrate(GH) dissociation are essential to the evaluation of GH exploration and stratum instabilities. Previous studies present substantial mechanical data and constitutive models for GHBS at a given GH saturation under the non-dissociated condition. In this paper, GHBS was formed by the gas saturated method, GH was dissociated by depressurization until the GH saturation reached different dissociation degrees. The stress–strain curves were measured using triaxial tests at a same pore gas pressure and different confining pressures. The results show that the shear strength decreases progressively by 30%–90% of the initial value with GH dissociation, and the modulus decreases by 50% –75%. Simplified relationships for the modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle with GH dissociated saturation were presented.     

海洋天然气水合物降压开采地层井壁力学稳定性分析

降压开采天然气水合物使其分解会导致储层孔隙度、渗透率、孔隙压力和岩层骨架有效应力发生改变, 同时降低沉积物的胶结程度, 使地层的抗剪强度和承载能力降低, 从而引起井壁失稳、海底滑坡、海底面沉降等工程问题. 为此, 在地下多相非等温数值模拟软件TOUGH+Hydrate框架内, 基于扩展的三维Biot固结理论, 考虑水合物分解相变、传热(T)、流动(H)、岩土体变形(M)等过程及其相互耦合作用, 建立了新的水合物开采传热-流动-力学(THM)耦合数学模型, 并开发有限元程序对其进行数值求解. 以中国南海神狐海域GMGS1航次SH2站位水合物储层条件为研究对象, 构建了垂直井降压开采THM耦合地层井壁稳定性分析模型, 预测了水合物开采过程中储层温-压-力场和水合物分解区的演化规律, 揭示了地层优势出砂区域和海底面沉降趋势. 结果表明: 储层降压导致地层有效应力增大, 进而引起井周地层发生沉降, 且地层的沉降主要发生在降压开采前期, 最大沉降位置位于井壁周围, 向储层内部延伸地层沉降量快速减小; 水合物分解导致井周地层力学强度降低, 加剧了储层的沉降; 井筒降压造成射孔段井壁应力集中最为明显, 从而造成井壁破坏的潜在风险, 这些区域正是水合物开采出砂防治的关键区域.      

含水合物粉质黏土压裂成缝特征实验研究

水力压裂技术是一种重要的油气井增产、增注措施,已经广泛应用于页岩油气等非常规资源的商业开采中.目前对于粉质黏土水合物沉积物的水力压裂成缝能力尚不清楚.本文采用南海水合物沉积层的粉质黏土制备沉积物试样,并与实验室配制的粉细砂土沉积物对比,分析粉质黏土沉积物的水力成缝能力及主控因素.实验结果表明含水合物和冰的沉积物破裂压力较高,这与粉质黏土沉积物特殊的应力-应变特征和渗透性有关.当沉积物应变高于6%时, 试样强度迅速上升, 呈现应变强化的特征,对水力拉伸裂缝的扩展具有一定的阻碍作用. 粉质黏土沉积物粒径细小, 渗透性差,难以通过渗透作用传递压力, 提高了沉积层的破裂压力. 此外,粉质黏土水合物沉积层裂缝扩展存在明显延迟效应,说明裂缝扩展受到流体压力和热应力的共同影响. 适当延长注入时间,保持流体与沉积层充分接触, 会起到分解水合物、降低破裂压力的作用.该研究成果有利于深入理解水力裂缝在水合物沉积层中的扩展规律,对探索压裂技术在水合物沉积层开发中的应用具有重要意义.      

Front Regime of Heat and Mass Transfer in a Gas Hydrate Reservoir under the Negative Temperature Conditions

The analytical self-similar solution to the nonlinear problem of the front regime of heatand- mass transfer in a gas hydrate reservoir under the negative temperature conditions is obtained. In the initial state the reservoir is assumed to be saturated with a heterogeneous gas hydrate–ice–gas mixture. In particular cases there may be no ice or/and gas. The ice and gas are formed behind the gas hydrate dissociation front. The calculations are presented for a stable hydrate–gas system. The critical curves are constructed in the well-pressure–reservoir-permeability plane. These curves separate the domains of the front regime and the regime of volume gas hydrate dissociation ahead of the front. The velocity of the gas hydrate dissociation front is investigated as a function of various problem parameters. The characteristic temperature and pressure distributions corresponding to various regimes on the diagram are investigated.     

Methane Hydrate and Two-Dimensional Fluid Transport Model: Comparison with Blake Ridge Chlorinity Measurements

The potential benefits and risks of natural methane hydrate occurrences have raised the need to understand the processes governing hydrate formation and dissociation over the last decades, and models of increasing complexity have been developed for this purpose. We propose a formulation of a multi-dimensional methane hydrate model that couples the established chemistry of hydrate formation to the fluid flow in marine sediments undergoing compaction. The numerical model applies the Finite Volume Method to construct a segregated solver for the coupled system. The solution of the sequence of individual processes is stabilised with an adaptive Picard iteration in each time step. We implement the model based on the OpenFOAM library and extend the functionality by generalising the diffusion term to take into account variable porosity of the sediment matrix. The advantage of this robust and efficient scheme is that the formulation is conservative by construction, allowing an accurate solution of mass transport when strong concentration gradients develop in the vicinity of phase boundaries. We validate the model using data from the Blake Ridge hydrate province. Good agreement is found for the pore water chlorinity, a proxy for hydrate formation, except for regions where heterogeneous hydrate formation results in highly variable measurements.     

沉积物中水合物形成机理及分解动力学研究进展

对沉积物中水合物形成机理的研究进展作了述评. 简述了纯水合物生成的机理及研究进展, 包括成核机理、铠甲效应、记忆效应等现象和机理;阐述了低可溶气体如甲烷生成水合物的难点, 以及主要因素如孔隙尺寸对沉积物中水合物生成的影响研究进展; 简要介绍了目前关于水合物形成和分解动力学的代表性数学模型;并对今后的研究方向进行了阐述.      

含水合物沉积物三轴剪切试验与损伤统计分析

天然气水合物开采诱发水合物分解,削弱水合物地层强度,可能导致地层滑动和生产平台倒塌等工程地质灾害,对水合物开采安全性构成严重威胁.深入理解含水合物沉积物力学性质并建立合理的本构关系模型是水合物开采安全性评价的前提条件.在自主研发的含水合物沉积物力学性质测试实验装置上,采用饱和水海砂沉积物气体扩散法制备了含水合物沉积物样品,并开展了系列的排水三轴剪切试验,通过时域反射技术实现了样品中水合物饱和度的实时在线测量;基于复合材料的罗伊斯(Reuss)应力串联模型和沃伊特(Voigt)应变并联模型提出了含水合物沉积物等效弹性模量的细观力学混合律模型,结合损伤统计理论和摩尔-库伦破坏准则改进了含水合物沉积物的本构关系模型.结果表明:随着水合物饱和度的增加和有效围压的减小,应力-应变曲线由应变硬化型变为应变软化型,割线模量和峰值强度均随水合物饱和度与有效围压的增加而提高,黏聚力受水合物饱和度影响明显,而内摩擦角基本不变;提出的等效弹性模量细观力学混合律模型与改进的本构关系模型均具有良好的适用性,模型参数少且物理意义明确.      

Modeling and Simulation of Local Thermal Non-equilibrium Effects in Porous Media with Small Thermal Conductivity

The two-equation model in porous media can describe the local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) effects between fluid and solid at REV scale, with the temperature differences in a solid particle neglected. A multi-scale model has been proposed in this study. In the model, the temperature differences in a solid particle are considered by the coupling of the fluid energy equation at REV scale with the heat conduction equation of a solid particle at pore scale. The experiments were conducted to verify the model and numerical strategy. The multi-scale model is more suitable than the two-equation model to predict the LTNE effects in porous media with small thermal conductivity. The effects of particle diameter, mass flow rate, and solid material on the LTNE effects have been investigated numerically when cryogenic nitrogen flows through the porous bed with small thermal conductivity. The results indicate that the temperature difference between solid center and fluid has the same trend at different particle diameters and mass flow rates, while the time to reach the local thermal equilibrium is affected by solid diameter dramatically. The results also show that the temperature difference between solid center and surface is much greater than that between solid surface and fluid. The values of \( \rho {\text{c}} \) for different materials have important influence on the time to reach the local thermal equilibrium between solid and fluid.     

沉积物中导热体周围水合物分解范围研究

沉积物水合物在热源周围的分解范围是水合物热开采以及相关灾害分析的重要基础数据.该文针对平面内边界有恒温热源的水合物热分解范围问题进行了理论分析和四氢呋喃水合物沉积物模型实验,并将两者结果进行了对比.结果表明:沉积物水合物最大分解范围主要取决于热源与环境温度的温差;热源周围水合物热分解最大范围的理论值与实验值接近,误差小于5%.     

1-D Modeling of Hydrate Depressurization in Porous Media

A thermal, three-phase, one-dimensional numerical model is developed to simulate two regimes of gas production from sediments containing methane hydrates by depressurization: the dissociation-controlled regime and the flow-controlled regime. A parameter namely dissociation-flow time-scale ratio, R, is defined and employed to identify the two regimes. The numerical model uses a finite-difference scheme; it is implicit in water and gas saturations, pressure and temperature, and explicit in hydrate saturation. The model shows that laboratory-scale experiments are often dissociation-controlled, but the field-scale processes are typically flow-controlled. Gas production from a linear reservoir is more sensitive to the heat transfer coefficient with the surrounding than the longitudinal heat conduction coefficient, in 1-D simulations. Gas production is not very sensitive to the well temperature boundary condition. This model can be used to fit laboratory-scale experimental data, but the dissociation rate constant, the multiphase flow parameters and the heat transfer parameters are uncertain and should be measured experimentally.     

Combustion of a Powder Layer of Methane Hydrate: The Influence of Layer Height and Air Velocity Above the Layer

The paper studies the dissociation and combustion of a layer of methane hydrate powder at a forced air flow over the upper surface of the layer (the air velocity is directed parallel to the upper surface of the layer). The influence of the layer thickness and air velocity on the combustion of gas hydrate is investigated. The calculated curves for the effect of the heat transfer coefficient, external convection and vapor concentration on the combustion temperature are obtained. The layer thickness and the air velocity significantly affect the dissociation rate of methane hydrate.

     

含水合物沉积物多相渗流特性研究进展

天然气水合物作为一种储量大、无污染的清洁能源近些年受到了广泛关注. 近20年来,中国进行了较大范围的陆海域天然气水合物储层勘探与储量预测.2017年,中国地质调查局牵头对南海神狐海域的天然气水合物进行了基于降压渗流原理的试验性开采.国内外已进行的水合物试采工程面临着气体产量低、出砂较多等问题,其最主要的原因之一是开发过程中沉积物内复杂多相渗流机理尚不明晰.本文综述了平行毛细管模型、Kozeny模型等广泛应用于天然气水合物开发渗流分析的理论模型,对比分析了水合物开发多尺度渗流过程模拟方法,简述了国内外含水合物沉积物渗透率测试、渗流过程中沉积物物性演变以及水合物开采室内模拟等方面的渗流实验进展,总结了矿场尺度的天然气水合物储层开采过程中产气数值模拟手段,展望了多相渗流模型、储层原位含水合物样品室内测试及结构与物性演化、矿场尺度数值模拟与水平井压裂技术等应用研究的未来方向与挑战.