Non-Embedded Ultrasonic Detection for Pressure Cores of Natural Methane Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

Xingbo Li, Yu Liu, Hanquan Zhang, Bo Xiao, Xin Lv, Haiyuan Yao, Weixin Pang, Qingping Li, Lei Yang, Yongchen Song and Jiafei Zhao
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Xingbo Li: Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Yu Liu: Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Hanquan Zhang: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, China
Bo Xiao: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, China
Xin Lv: Research Institute of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Beijing 100027, China
Haiyuan Yao: Research Institute of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Beijing 100027, China
Weixin Pang: Research Institute of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Beijing 100027, China
Qingping Li: Research Institute of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Beijing 100027, China
Lei Yang: Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Yongchen Song: Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Jiafei Zhao: Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-14

Abstract: An apparatus for the analysis of pressure cores containing gas hydrates at in situ pressures was designed, and a series of experiments to determine the compressional wave response of hydrate-bearing sands were performed systematically in the laboratory. Considering the difficulties encountered in performing valid laboratory tests and in recovering intact hydrate bearing sediment samples, the laboratory approach enabled closer study than the marine environment due to sample recovery problems. The apparatus was designed to achieve in situ hydrate formation in bearing sediments and synchronous ultrasonic detection. The P-wave velocity measurements enabled quick and successive ultrasonic analysis of pressure cores. The factors influencing P-wave velocity (V p ), including hydrate saturation and formation methodology, were investigated. By controlling the initial water saturation and gas pressure, we conducted separate experiments for different hydrate saturation values ranging from 2% to 60%. The measured P-wave velocity varied from less than 1700 m/s to more than 3100 m/s in this saturation range. The hydrate saturation can be successfully predicted by a linear fitting of the attenuation ( Q −1 ) to the hydrate saturation. This approach provided a new method for acoustic measurement of the hydrate saturation when the arrival time of the first wave cannot be directly distinguished. Our results demonstrated that the specially designed non-embedded ultrasonic detection apparatus could determine the hydrate saturation and occurrence patterns in pressure cores, which could assist further hydrate resource exploration and detailed core analyses.

Keywords: non-embedded; pressure core; P-wave detection; hydrate saturation (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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