TY - JOUR
T1 - Testing a thermo-chemo-hydro-geomechanical model for gas hydrate-bearing sediments using triaxial compression laboratory experiments
AU - Gupta, S.
AU - Deusner, C.
AU - Haeckel, M.
AU - Helmig, R.
AU - Wohlmuth, B.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2017/9
Y1 - 2017/9
N2 - Natural gas hydrates are considered a potential resource for gas production on industrial scales. Gas hydrates contribute to the strength and stiffness of the hydrate-bearing sediments. During gas production, the geomechanical stability of the sediment is compromised. Due to the potential geotechnical risks and process management issues, the mechanical behavior of the gas hydrate-bearing sediments needs to be carefully considered. In this study, we describe a coupling concept that simplifies the mathematical description of the complex interactions occurring during gas production by isolating the effects of sediment deformation and hydrate phase changes. Central to this coupling concept is the assumption that the soil grains form the load-bearing solid skeleton, while the gas hydrate enhances the mechanical properties of this skeleton. We focus on testing this coupling concept in capturing the overall impact of geomechanics on gas production behavior though numerical simulation of a high-pressure isotropic compression experiment combined with methane hydrate formation and dissociation. We consider a linear-elastic stress-strain relationship because it is uniquely defined and easy to calibrate. Since, in reality, the geomechanical response of the hydrate-bearing sediment is typically inelastic and is characterized by a significant shear-volumetric coupling, we control the experiment very carefully in order to keep the sample deformations small and well within the assumptions of poroelasticity. The closely coordinated experimental and numerical procedures enable us to validate the proposed simplified geomechanics-to-flow coupling, and set an important precursor toward enhancing our coupled hydro-geomechanical hydrate reservoir simulator with more suitable elastoplastic constitutive models.
AB - Natural gas hydrates are considered a potential resource for gas production on industrial scales. Gas hydrates contribute to the strength and stiffness of the hydrate-bearing sediments. During gas production, the geomechanical stability of the sediment is compromised. Due to the potential geotechnical risks and process management issues, the mechanical behavior of the gas hydrate-bearing sediments needs to be carefully considered. In this study, we describe a coupling concept that simplifies the mathematical description of the complex interactions occurring during gas production by isolating the effects of sediment deformation and hydrate phase changes. Central to this coupling concept is the assumption that the soil grains form the load-bearing solid skeleton, while the gas hydrate enhances the mechanical properties of this skeleton. We focus on testing this coupling concept in capturing the overall impact of geomechanics on gas production behavior though numerical simulation of a high-pressure isotropic compression experiment combined with methane hydrate formation and dissociation. We consider a linear-elastic stress-strain relationship because it is uniquely defined and easy to calibrate. Since, in reality, the geomechanical response of the hydrate-bearing sediment is typically inelastic and is characterized by a significant shear-volumetric coupling, we control the experiment very carefully in order to keep the sample deformations small and well within the assumptions of poroelasticity. The closely coordinated experimental and numerical procedures enable us to validate the proposed simplified geomechanics-to-flow coupling, and set an important precursor toward enhancing our coupled hydro-geomechanical hydrate reservoir simulator with more suitable elastoplastic constitutive models.
KW - gas hydrates
KW - hydro-geomechanical reservoir model
KW - model validation
KW - numerical methods
KW - triaxial testing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031494213&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/2017GC006901
DO - 10.1002/2017GC006901
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85031494213
SN - 1525-2027
VL - 18
SP - 3419
EP - 3437
JO - Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
JF - Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
IS - 9
ER -