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The objective of this project is to gain insight into the relative permeability behavior and depressurization response of coarse‐grained methane hydrate deposits subjected to perturbation through observation of behaviors at the macro (core) scale and examination of the underlying processes controlling the behaviors at the micro (pore) scale. At the macro scale (working first with .1 to 1m sand pack cores and moving to field cores collected from a Gulf of Mexico Hydrate reservoir), researchers will determine relative permeability and perform production tests (pressure dissipation). Simultaneously, they will perform micro‐CT and micro‐Raman analysis to understand the habit and phase distribution at the micro scale and will examine the evolution of these properties during dissipation. The project will develop constitutive relationships to describe these processes and inform reservoir simulation efforts.
Laboratory studies to determine the effect of solid phases (hydrate) on relative permeability are of the highest importance because this behavior has a large impact on gas recovery in hydrate-bearing systems. Current modeling approaches are limited to relying on theoretical extensions of conventional multi‐phase flow models. It is vital now to go beyond these limitations and pursue an experimental program that will illuminate, at the core and pore scales, the effect of methane hydrate on gas flow behavior and the process of hydrate dissociation due to perturbation. A successful testing program leading to analysis of intact cores (as is planned under this project) provides a pathway to this understanding. The learnings that result will provide a significant step forward in our ability to simulate hydrate production and make realistic estimates of the ability of the methane hydrate resource to be a viable energy source.
