Using a Reactive Transport Simulator to Simulate CH4 Production from Bear Island Basin in the Barents Sea Utilizing the Depressurization Method†

Khadijeh Qorbani, Bjørn Kvamme and Tatiana Kuznetsova
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Khadijeh Qorbani: Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Bjørn Kvamme: Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway
Tatiana Kuznetsova: Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: The enormous amount of methane stored in natural gas hydrates (NGHs)worldwide offers a signi?cant potential source of energy. NGHs will be generally unable to reach thermodynamic equilibrium at their in situ reservoir conditions due to the number of active phases involved. Lack of reliable ?eld data makes it dif?cult to predict the production potential and safety of CH4 production from NGHs. While the computer simulations will never be able to replace ?eld data, one can apply state-of-the-artmodellingtechniquestoevaluateseveralpossiblelong-termscenarios. Realistic kinetic models for hydrate dissociation and reformation will be required, as well as analysis of all phase transition routes. This work utilizes our in-house extension of RetrasoCodeBright (RCB), a reactive transport simulator, to perform a gas hydrate production case study of the Bjørnøya (Bear Island) basin, a promising ?eld with very limited geological data reported by available ?eld studies. The use of a reactive transport simulator allowed us to implement non-equilibrium thermodynamics for analysisofCH4 production from the gas hydrates by treating each phase transition involving hydrates as a pseudo reaction. Our results showed a rapid propagation of the pressure drop through the reservoir following the imposition of pressure drawdown at the well. Consequently, gas hydrate dissociation and CH4 production began in the early stages of the ?ve-year simulation period.

Keywords: methane hydrate; mixed hydrate; gas hydrate production; CO2 hydrate; CO2 storage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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