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.     

深海天然气水合物机械?热联合开采方法研究综述

天然气水合物由于储量大、污染低等优点, 已成为我国非常重要的战略能源, 世界各国也加快了天然气水合物的勘探和开发工作. 经济高效的开采方法以及相关的灾害控制和环境保护是对天然气水合物进行商业化开采必须要解决好的两个关键问题. 目前, 注热法和降压法的联合使用被认为是最为有效的天然气水合物开采方法. 在降压法和注热法中, 天然气水合物开采涉及传热、相变、渗流和变形等物理过程和效应, 而传热最慢且相变会消耗大量的热量, 无法直接采用常规的单纯依靠渗流原理的油气开采方案来开采天然气水合物. 我国南海的天然气水合物主要赋存于粉砂质黏土和粉细砂等类型的沉积物中, 胶结性差且埋深较浅. 常规的开采方法还不适合我国南海的水合物开采, 需要考虑新型的开采方式, 这其中提高沉积层中的热传导效率是天然气水合物开采的关键. 郑哲敏提出了机械?热联合开采的新概念方法, 利用无穷无尽表层海水的热量, 基于对流传热的原理和管道输送技术, 并兼顾类似采煤挖掘可能导致的深海浅软地层安全问题. 天然气水合物机械?热联合开采法是一种新的概念模式, 具有开采可控、高效且能有效降低地层安全性风险的优点. 本文针对该新方法的能量、装备、经济可行性进行综合评估, 阐述了针对核心问题管道含相变气液固多相流动、地层安全方面的研究进展, 展望了未来推广应用的空间.      

Simulation of the formation of hydrates during gas flow in tubes

Problems of the freezing and decomposition of gaseous hydrates on gas pipeline walls are considered. This process is governed by heat transfer between the gas and surrounding rocks. Simultaneous study of the transport equations in the tube and the heat conduction equations in the hydrate and surrounding rocks makes it possible to follow the variation of the thickness of the hydrate layer in time and with respect to the coordinate. It is shown that there exist gas flow regimes in which there is self-purification of the tube wall of hydrate due to heating of the surrounding rocks. On the other hand, it is possible to have regimes in which there is complete blocking of the flow section by the hydrates.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 105–112, September–October, 1982.     

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.     

Planar dynamics of inclined curved flexible riser carrying slug liquid–gas flows

Flexible risers transporting hydrocarbon liquid–gas flows may be subject to internal dynamic fluctuations of multiphase densities, velocities and pressure changes. Previous studies have mostly focused on single-phase flows in oscillating pipes or multiphase flows in static pipes whereas understanding of multiphase flow effects on oscillating pipes with variable curvatures is still lacking. The present study aims to numerically investigate fundamental planar dynamics of a long flexible catenary riser carrying slug liquid–gas flows and to analyse the mechanical effects of slug flow characteristics including the slug unit length, translational velocity and fluctuation frequencies leading to resonances. A two-dimensional continuum model, describing the coupled horizontal and vertical motions of an inclined flexible/extensible curved riser subject to the space–time varying fluid weights, flow centrifugal momenta and Coriolis effects, is presented. Steady slug flows are considered and modelled by accounting for the mass–momentum balances of liquid–gas phases within an idealized slug unit cell comprising the slug liquid (containing small gas bubbles) and elongated gas bubble (interfacing with the liquid film) parts. A nonlinear hydrodynamic film profile is described, depending on the pipe diameter, inclination, liquid–gas phase properties, superficial velocities and empirical correlations. These enable the approximation of phase fractions, local velocities and pressure variations which are employed as the time-varying, distributed parameters leading to the slug flow-induced vibration (SIV) of catenary riser. Several key SIV features are numerically investigated, highlighting the slug flow-induced transient drifts due to the travelling masses, amplified mean displacements due to the combined slug weights and flow momenta, extensibility or tension changes due to a reconfiguration of pipe equilibrium, oscillation amplitudes and resonant frequencies. Single- and multi-modal patterns of riser dynamic profiles are determined, enabling the evaluation of associated bending/axial stresses. Parametric studies reveal the individual effect of the slug unit length and the translational velocity on SIV response regardless of the slug characteristic frequency being a function of these two parameters. This key observation is practically useful for the identification of critical maximum response.     

A new algorithm of mass flow rate determination in gas production and transportation systems via pressure measurement

The current algorithm for calculating mass flow rate in gas production and transportation systems from outlet pressure measurements is generalized to the case where the inner cross section of the pipe changes with time and is also to be determined in the course of solving the general problem. The generalized algorithm is recommended for identification of gas hydrate formation in the above-mentioned systems. The identification of hydrates in a main gas pipeline in permafrost is considered as an example.     

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.     

Numerical simulation of multiphase cavitating flows around an underwater projectile

The present simulation investigates the multiphase cavitating flow around an underwater projectile. Based on the Homogeneous Equilibrium Flow assumption, a mixture model is applied to simulate the multiphase cavitating flow including ventilated cavitation caused by air injection as well as natural cavitation that forms in a region where the pressure of liquid falls below its vapor pressure. The transport equation cavitating model is applied. The calculations are executed based on a suite of CFD code. The hydrodynamics characteristics of flow field under the interaction of natural cavitation and ventilated cavitation is analyzed. The results indicate that the ventilated cavitation number is under a combined effect of the natural cavitation number and gas flow rate in the multiphase cavitating flows.     

纯水合物力学性质研究进展

纯水合物力学性质是含水合物沉积物力学性质研究的基础, 其与水合物开采、海底地质灾害防治、CO₂埋藏、气体储运等诸多方面都密切相关. 然而受水合物形成条件和样品本身影响, 目前对纯水合物力学性质研究还存在很多争议和不足, 其中最主要的问题就是难于获取高纯度的水合物实验样品. 据此本文从实验和理论计算两个方面对当前纯水合物力学性质的研究进展进行了总结和分析, 提出可从宏观实验技术改进和微观分子动力学模拟两方面结合来尽可能消除水合物样品本身的影响, 揭示纯水合物力学性质与冰异同的内在原因, 掌握水合物样品残余水气和微孔隙对其力学性质的影响机理, 从而实现水合物微观力学本质与宏观力学特性间的衔接, 为今后含水合物沉积物力学性质及水合物力学性质相关领域研究奠定坚实的理论基础.     

含水合物沉积物的弹塑性本构模型

土的密度对其力学特性具有明显影响.水合物以一种固相赋存于沉积物的孔隙中,使得水合物的含量和其赋存形式都会影响含水合物沉积物(GHBS)的密度,因此在研究和描述含水合物沉积物的力学性质时应考虑水合物含量和赋存形式对其密度的影响.本文基于黏土和砂土统一的本构模型(CSUH模型),首先建立水合物体积分数与压硬性参量的关系式来反映水合物对沉积物压缩规律的影响.其次,为了合理考虑水合物含量和赋存形式对沉积物密度的影响,建立了可以描述有效初始孔隙的计算式,并将其引入到状态参量中来描述水合物对沉积物剪胀性和峰值强度的影响.最后,结合CSUH模型中水滴形屈服面,建立了一个含水合物沉积物的弹塑性本构模型.通过与室内试验结果比较,验证了该模型不仅能够合理地描述不同赋存形式、不同水合物含量下含水合物沉积物的应力应变关系,而且在描述具有相同赋存形式含水合物沉积物的力学特性时,不同的水合物含量只需采用一组参数.      

Stochastic Simulations of NAPL Mass Transport in Variably Saturated Heterogeneous Porous Media

A multiphase flow and transport numerical model is developed to study the effects of porous media heterogeneities on residual NAPL mass partitioning and transport of dissolved and/or volatilized NAPL mass in variably saturated media. The results indicate the significance of porous media heterogeneity in influencing the mass transfer processes and NAPL transport in the subsurface. Among the parameters investigated in this study, the heterogeneity of the permeability field has the most significant influence on the NAPL mass partitioning and transport. In general, the heterogeneity of the porous media properties enhances the NAPL mass plume spreading in both the water phase and the gas phase while the influence on the water phase is much more significant. Overall, the porous media property heterogeneities tend to increase the accumulation of NAPL mass in the water phase. The nonequilibrium mass transfer processes result in the expected trend of decreasing the NAPL mass dissipation rate and causing long-term groundwater contamination.     

Two-phase two-component interface drag coefficients in separated phase flows

This work examines the behavior of the interface friction factor or drag coefficient as a means for extending the modeling of separated two-phase flows through the separate consideration of each phase. The model development of this work builds primarily upon the work of Carofano & McManus (1969), Wallis (1970) and Smith (1968). A one-dimensional flow model was developed for the case of vertical upward annular fiow of an air-water mixture with droplet entrainment. The model was developed for the investigation of accelerating flows in a nozzle but is utilized in this study for the investigation of momentum transport occurring in non-accelerating flows. This study presents experimental data showing the behaviour of the flow pressure drop occurring at various flow qualities and gas velocities. Also presented are empirical results for values of the air-water interface drag coefficient as a function of flow quality and gas core Reynolds number. The drag coefficient variation is compared to a previous correlation developed by Wallis 1969).     

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.      

An improved SPH model for multiphase flows with large density ratios

This paper presents a new smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) model for simulating multiphase fluid flows with large density ratios. The new SPH model consists of an improved discretization scheme, an enhanced multiphase interface treatment algorithm, and a coupled dynamic boundary treatment technique. The presented SPH discretization scheme is developed from Taylor series analysis with kernel normalization and kernel gradient correction and is then used to discretize the Navier‐Stokes equation to obtain improved SPH equations of motion for multiphase fluid flows. The multiphase interface treatment algorithm involves treating neighboring particles from different phases as virtual particles with specially updated density to maintain pressure consistency and a repulsive interface force between neighboring interface particles into the pressure gradient to keep sharp interface. The coupled dynamic boundary treatment technique includes a soft repulsive force between approaching fluid and solid particles while the information of virtual particles are approximated using the improved SPH discretization scheme. The presented SPH model is applied to 3 typical multiphase flow problems including dam breaking, Rayleigh‐Taylor instability, and air bubble rising in water. It is demonstrated that inherent multiphase flow physics can be well captured while the dynamic evolution of the complex multiphase interfaces is sharp with consistent pressure across the interfaces.     

Two-phase flow distributors for fuel cell flow channels

All existing proton exchange membrane （PEM） fuel cell gas flow fields have been designed on the basis of single-phase gas flow distribution. The presence of liquid water in the flow causes non-uniform gas distribution, leading to poor cell performance. This paper demonstrates that a gas flow restrictor/distributor, as is commonly used in two-phase flow to stabilize multiphase transport lines and multiphase reactors, can improve the gas flow distribution by significantly reducing gas real-distribution caused by either non-uniform water formation in parallel flow channels or flow instability associated with negative-slope pressure drop characteristic of two-phase horizontal flow systems.     

Diffuse interface model for high speed cavitating underwater systems

High speed underwater systems involve many modelling and simulation difficulties related to shocks, expansion waves and evaporation fronts. Modern propulsion systems like underwater missiles also involve extra difficulties related to non-condensable high speed gas flows. Such flows involve many continuous and discontinuous waves or fronts and the difficulty is to model and compute correctly jump conditions across them, particularly in unsteady regime and in multi-dimensions. To this end a new theory has been built that considers the various transformation fronts as ‘diffuse interfaces’. Inside these diffuse interfaces relaxation effects are solved in order to reproduce the correct jump conditions. For example, an interface separating a compressible non-condensable gas and compressible water is solved as a multiphase mixture where stiff mechanical relaxation effects are solved in order to match the jump conditions of equal pressure and equal normal velocities. When an interface separates a metastable liquid and its vapor, the situation becomes more complex as jump conditions involve pressure, velocity, temperature and entropy jumps. However, the same type of multiphase mixture can be considered in the diffuse interface and stiff velocity, pressure, temperature and Gibbs free energy relaxation are used to reproduce the dynamics of such fronts and corresponding jump conditions. A general model, based on multiphase flow theory is thus built. It involves mixture energy and mixture momentum equations together with mass and volume fraction equations for each phase or constituent. For example, in high velocity flows around underwater missiles, three phases (or constituents) have to be considered: liquid, vapor and propulsion gas products. It results in a flow model with 8 partial differential equations. The model is strictly hyperbolic and involves waves speeds that vary under the degree of metastability. When none of the phase is metastable, the non-monotonic sound speed is recovered. When phase transition occurs, the sound speed decreases and phase transition fronts become expansion waves of the equilibrium system. The model is built on the basis of asymptotic analysis of a hyperbolic total non-equilibrium multiphase flow model, in the limit of stiff mechanical relaxation. Closure relations regarding heat and mass transfer are built under the examination of entropy production. The mixture equation of state (EOS) is based on energy conservation and mechanical equilibrium of the mixture. Pure phases EOS are used in the mixture EOS instead of cubic one in order to prevent loss of hyperbolicity in the spinodal zone of the phase diagram. The corresponding model is able to deal with metastable states without using Van der Waals representation.     

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.     

Separated two-phase flow in a nozzle

This work was performed to extend and further test the method of handling separated two-phase flow by studying each phase separately and, particularly, by placing emphasis on the study of the gas phase with interface transport expressions showing the influence of the liquid phase on it. A one-dimensional flow model for accelerating flows was used in conjunction with experimental data to obtain the pressure distribution and velocity distribution in a converging nozzle for several values of flow quality and nozzle inlet stagnation pressure. The results tend to support the use of the model (which includes the assumption that the gas is in critical flow when the two-phase mixture is in critical flow) and give some insight regarding the nature of the liquid distribution near the nozzle throat.     

Simulating gas–liquid multiphase flow using meshless Lagrangian method

A multiphase flow model has been established based on a moving particle semi‐implicit method. A surface tension model is introduced to the particle method to improve the numerical accuracy and stability. Several computational techniques are employed to simplify the numerical procedure and further improve the accuracy. A particle fraction multiphase flow model is developed and verified by a two‐phase Poiseuille flow. The multiphase surface tension model is discussed in detail, and an ethanol drop case is introduced to verify the surface tension model. A simple dam break is simulated to demonstrate the improvements with various modifications in particle method along with a new boundary condition. Finally, we simulate several bubble rising cases to show the capacity of this new model in simulating gas–liquid multiphase flow with large density ratio difference between phases. The comparisons among numerical results of mesh‐based model, experimental data, and the present model, indicate that the new multiphase particle method is acceptable in gas–liquid multiphase fluids simulation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.