About This Item

Share This Item

The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

AAPG Bulletin

Abstract

AAPG Bulletin, V. 106, No. 5 (May 2022), P. 1143-1177.

Copyright ©2022. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1306/04272120204

Comprehensive pressure core analysis for hydrate-bearing sediments from Gulf of Mexico Green Canyon Block 955, including assessments of geomechanical viscous behavior and nuclear magnetic resonance permeability

Jun Yoneda,1 Yusuke Jin,2 Michihiro Muraoka,3 Motoi Oshima,4 Kiyofumi Suzuki,5 William F. Waite,6 and Peter B. Flemings7

1Department of Energy and Environment, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, Japan; [email protected]
2Department of Energy and Environment, AIST, Sapporo, Japan; [email protected]
3Department of Energy and Environment, AIST, Tsukuba, Japan; [email protected]
4Department of Energy and Environment, AIST, Sapporo, Japan; [email protected]
5Department of Energy and Environment, AIST, Tsukuba, Japan; [email protected]
6US Geological Survey (USGS), Woods Hole, Massachusetts; [email protected]
7Institute for Geophysics and Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Quantifying the petrophysical and geomechanical properties of gas hydrate reservoirs is essential for understanding the natural hydrate system and predicting gas production behavior for future resource development. Pressure-core analysis tools were used to characterize methane hydrate–bearing sediments recovered from the Gulf of Mexico Green Canyon Block 955, under an international collaboration with The University of Texas and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. Pressure-core samples were successfully transferred from Austin, Texas to Sapporo, Japan. Index property measurements (grain size, grain density, hydration number, gas composition, thermal conductivity), along with triaxial compression, consolidation, and permeability tests with a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyzer were conducted. Compression tests at different strain rates confirmed a strain rate dependence for hydrate-bearing sediment, and an equation for predicting strength as a function of hydrate saturation and strain rate is proposed. Compression and swelling indices were obtained from high-effective stress consolidation tests. Furthermore, secondary compression coefficients for hydrate-bearing sediments were obtained, suggesting that hydrate exhibits creeping behavior on timescales of minutes to hours. A relatively high initial permeability of a few millidarcys was confirmed. In addition, the first NMR signal measurement was performed on a hydrate-bearing pressure core to acquire the NMR transverse or spin-spin (T2) distribution. Results confirm that the Schlumberger Doll Research model and Timur-Coates model predictions underestimate permeability measured directly via fluid flow. Permeability estimated using specific surface values derived from NMR T2 distributions is in good agreement with flow test results. Finally, an extended Timur-Coates model was proposed and predicts intrinsic permeability with high accuracy.

Pay-Per-View Purchase Options

The article is available through a document delivery service. Explain these Purchase Options.

Watermarked PDF Document: $14
Open PDF Document: $24

AAPG Member?

Please login with your Member username and password.

Members of AAPG receive access to the full AAPG Bulletin Archives as part of their membership. For more information, contact the AAPG Membership Department at [email protected].