Characterization and capillary pressure curve estimation of clayey-silt sediment in gas hydrate reservoirs of the South China Sea

Yuxuan Xia, Sai Xu, Cheng Lu, Pål Østebø Andersen, Jianchao Cai

Abstract view|97|times       PDF download|53|times

Abstract


The capillary pressure curve is a crucial basis for studying the pore structure and multiphase flow characteristics in oil and gas reservoirs. Due to the loose and unconsolidated nature of the clayey-silt sediment of natural gas hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea, conventional methods such as mercury intrusion and centrifugation struggle to obtain capillary pressure curves for these sediments. In this study, X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, and water-gas contact angle measurements are utilized to characterize the mineral composition, pore structure, pore size distribution, and wettability of the clayey-silt sediment. Subsequently, the filter paper method from soil mechanics is employed to determine the capillary pressure curve for the clayey-silt samples. The results indicate that the capillary pressure curve obtained through the filter paper method exhibits a saturation range of 18.39%-80.31% and a capillary pressure range of 19.04 to 46,481.42 kPa. It exhibits a distinct two-stage characteristic, where capillary pressure changes rapidly with water saturation below 61.05% and slowly above 61.05%. The pore radius calculated from the capillary pressure curve ranges from 2.41 nm to 5.91 μm. This alignment with the pore ranges obtains from nitrogen adsorption and Scanning Electron Microscopy confirms the accuracy of the obtained capillary pressure curve. Furthermore, in comparison with a literature capillary pressure curve obtained through centrifugation, the paper filtration method covers a broader range, providing better representation of capillary pressure in the multiscale pores of clayey-silt samples.

Document Type: Original article

Cited as: Xia, Y., Xu, S., Lu, C., Andersen, P. Ø., Cai, J. Characterization and capillary pressure curve estimation of clayey-silt sediment in gas hydrate reservoirs of the South China Sea. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2023, 10(3): 200-207. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2023.12.06


Keywords


Natural gas hydrate, clayey-silt sediment, capillary pressure curve, pore structure, wettability

Full Text:

PDF

References


Barrett, E. P., Joyner, L. G., Halenda, P. P. The determination of pore volume and area distributions in porous substances. I. Computations from nitrogen isotherms. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1951, 73(1): 373-380.

Bian, H., Xia, Y., Lu, C., et al. Pore structure fractal characterization and permeability simulation of natural gas hydrate reservoir based on CT images. Geofluids, 2020, 2020: 6934691.

Bilgili, L. A systematic review on the acceptance of alternative marine fuels. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2023, 182: 113367.

Boswell, R., Collett, T. S., Frye, M., et al. Subsurface gas hydrates in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2012, 34(1): 4-30.

Brunauer, S., Emmett, P. H., Teller, E. Adsorption of gases in multimolecular layers. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1938, 60(2): 309-319.

Busch, A., Amann-Hildenbrand, A. Predicting capillarity of mudrocks. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2013, 45: 208-223.

Cai, J., Xia, Y., Lu, C., et al. Creeping microstructure and fractal permeability model of natural gas hydrate reservoir. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2020, 115: 104282.

Chandler, R. J. Gutierrez, C. I. The filter-paper method of suction measurement. Géotechnique, 1986, 36(2): 265-268.

Chen, X., Lu, H., Gu, L., et al. Preliminary evaluation of the economic potential of the technologies for gas hydrate exploitation. Energy, 2022, 243: 123007.

Chibura, P. E., Zhang, W., Luo, A., et al. A review on gas hydrate production feasibility for permafrost and marine hydrates. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 2022, 100: 104441.

Chong, Z., Yang, S., Babu, P., et al. Review of natural gas hydrates as an energy resource: Prospects and challenges. Applied Energy, 2016, 162: 1633-1652.

Clennell, M. B., Hovland, M., Booth, J. S., et al. Formation of natural gas hydrates in marine sediments: 1. Conceptual model of gas hydrate growth conditioned by host sediment properties. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 1999, 104(B10): 22985-23003.

Collett, T. S., Boswell, R., Waite, W. F., et al. India national gas hydrate program expedition 02 summary of scientific results: Gas hydrate systems along the eastern continental margin of India. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2019, 108: 39-142.

Collett, T. S., Lee, M. W., Zyrianova, M. V., et al. Gulf of Mexico gas hydrate joint industry project Leg II loggingwhile- drilling data acquisition and analysis. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2012, 34(1): 41-61.

Fakher, S., Elgahawy, Y., Abdelaal, H. A comprehensive review on gas hydrate reservoirs: Formation and dissociation thermodynamics and rock and fluid properties. Paper IPTC 19373 Presented at the International Petroleum Technology Conference, Beijing, China, 26-28 March, 2019.

Feng, C., Janssen, H. Hygric properties of porous building materials (IV): Semi-permeable membrane and psychrometer methods for measuring moisture storage curves. Building and Environment, 2019, 152: 39-49.

Gajanan, K., Ranjith, P. G., Yang, S. Q., et al. Advances in research and developments on natural gas hydrate extraction with gas exchange. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2024, 190: 114045.

Ito, T., Komatsu, Y., Fujii, T., et al. Lithological features of hydrate-bearing sediments and their relationship with gas hydrate saturation in the eastern Nankai Trough, Japan. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2015, 66: 368-378.

Jiao, L., Andersen, P. Ø., Zhou, J., et al. Applications of mercury intrusion capillary pressure for pore structures: A review. Capillarity, 2020, 3(4): 62-74.

Lei, X., Yao, Y., Qin, X., et al. Pore structure changes induced by hydrate dissociation: An example of the unconsolidated clayey-silty hydrate bearing sediment reservoir in the South China Sea. Marine Geology, 2022, 443: 106689.

Li, J., Ye, J., Qin, X., et al. The first offshore natural gas hydrate production test in South China Sea. China Geology, 2018, 1(1): 5-16.

Liu, X., Flemings, P. B. Capillary effects on hydrate stability in marine sediments. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2011, 116(B7): B07102.

Lu, C., Qin, X., Sun, J., et al. Research progress and scientific challenges in the depressurization exploitation mechanism of clayey-silt natural gas hydrates in the northern South China Sea. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2023, 10(1): 14-20.

Lu, C., Xia, Y., Sun, X., et al. Permeability evolution at various pressure gradients in natural gas hydrate reservoir at the Shenhu Area in the South China Sea. Energies, 2019, 12(19): 3688.

Mahabadi, N., Dai, S., Seol, Y., et al. The water retention curve and relative permeability for gas production from hydrate-bearing sediments: Pore-network model simulation. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 2016, 17(8): 3099-3110.

Makogon, Y. F., Holditch, S. A., Makogon, T. Y. Natural gashydrates-A potential energy source for the 21st Century. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 2007, 56(1): 14-31.

Power, K. C., Vanapalli, S. K., Garga, V. K. A revised contact filter paper method. Geotechnical Testing Journal, 2008, 31(6): 461-469.

Qi, R., Qin, X., Lu, C., et al. Experimental study on the isothermal adsorption of methane gas in natural gas hydrate argillaceous silt reservoir. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2022, 6(2): 143-156.

Rajesh, S., Khan, V. Characterization of water sorption and retention behavior of partially saturated GCLs using vapor equilibrium and filter paper methods. Applied Clay Science, 2018, 157: 177-188.

Ruth, D., Wong, S. Centrifuge capillary pressure curves. Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, 1990, 29(3): 67-72.

Sing, K. S. W. Reporting physisorption data for gas/solid systems with special reference to the determination of surface area and porosity (Recommendations 1984). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 1985, 57(4): 603-619.

Singh, R. P., Lall, D., Vishal, V. Prospects and challenges in unlocking natural-gas-hydrate energy in India: Recent advancements. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 2022, 135: 105397.

Smith, D. H., Wilder, J. W., Seshadri, K. Methane hydrate equilibria in silica gels with broad pore-size distributions. AIChE Journal, 2002, 48(2): 393-400.

Uchida, T., Takeya, S., Chuvilin, E. M., et al. Decomposition of methane hydrates in sand, sandstone, clays, and glass beads. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2004, 109(B5): B05206.

Vedachalam, N., Srinivasalu, S., Rajendran, G., et al. Review of unconventional hydrocarbon resources in major energy consuming countries and efforts in realizing natural gas hydrates as a future source of energy. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 2015, 26: 163-175.

Wang, Z., Yang, J., Kuang, J., et al. Application of filter paper method in field measurement of matric suction. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 2003, 25(4): 405-408.

Yamamoto, K., Terao, Y., Fujii, T., et al. Operational overview of the first offshore production test of methane hydrates in the Eastern Nankai Trough. Paper OTC 25243 Presented at the Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, 5-8 May, 2014.

Ye, J., Qin, X., Xie, W., et al. The second natural gas hydrate production test in the South China Sea. China Geology, 2020, 3(2): 197-209.

Zhang, X., Mavroulidou, M., Gunn, M. J. A study of the water retention curve of lime-treated London Clay. Acta Geotechnica, 2017, 12(1): 23-45.

Zhao, J., Song, Y., Lim, X., et al. Opportunities and challenges of gas hydrate policies with consideration of environmental impacts. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017, 70: 875-885.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2023.12.06

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2023 The Author(s)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright ©2018. All Rights Reserved