Develop understanding of the mechanical characteristics of hydrate-containing sediments.

US Army Corp of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) – project management and research products

Location

Huntington, WV 25701

The ACE CRREL has a unique group of experienced personnel that have studied the mechanical characteristics of ice and permafrost that can be applied to the study and characterization of the mechanical properties of gas hydrates. The effort aims to quantify the mechanical characteristics of methane hydrate and hydrate cemented sediments for use in models of the dynamic behavior of sediments related to drilling and seafloor installations in the Gulf of Mexico.

The results from the experimental testing will provide input to reservoir, seafloor stability and drilling design models related to the onshore permafrost and offshore subseafloor occurrences of gas hydrates. It will provide the industry data on the characteristics of hydrate at temperature and pressures related to the known natural occurrences that will be required to optimize the development of the resource.

Results

• Developed experimental apparatus for preparing hydrate and hydrate/sediment samples of appropriate size/shape for testing,
• Created sediment and gas hydrate samples, and
• Employed a cyclic loading technique that gives very good values of the modulus and internal friction, and information on the accumulation of anelastic and viscous strain, as a function of frequency and amplitude.

Work on this project has been completed.

$110,000

$50,000

NETL – Thomas Mroz (TMROZ@netl.doe.gov or 304-285-4071)
Dept. of Army – David M. Cole (David.M.Cole@erdc.usace.army.mil or 603-646-4217)