Evolution of Hydrate Dissociation by Warm Brine Stimulation Combined Depressurization in the South China Sea

Jing-Chun Feng, Gang Li, Xiao-Sen Li, Bo Li and Zhao-Yang Chen
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Jing-Chun Feng: Guangzhou Center for Gas Hydrate Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Gang Li: Guangzhou Center for Gas Hydrate Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Xiao-Sen Li: Guangzhou Center for Gas Hydrate Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Bo Li: Guangzhou Center for Gas Hydrate Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
Zhao-Yang Chen: Guangzhou Center for Gas Hydrate Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China

Energies, 2013, vol. 6, issue 10, 1-24

Abstract: To evaluate the gas production performance of the hydrate accumulations in the South China Sea, a numerical simulation with warm brine stimulation combined depressurization has been conducted. A dual horizontal well system is considered as the well configuration in this work. In order to reduce energy input and improve energy utilization, warm brine (<30 °C) instead of hot brine (>50 °C) is injected into the reservoir for hydrate dissociation. The effect of the intrinsic permeability of the hydrate reservoir, the salinity and the temperature of the injected brine to gas hydrate exploitation have been investigated. The numerical simulation results indicate that the average gas production rate Q avg is about 1.23 ´ 10 5 ST m 3 /day for the entire hydrate deposit, which has the same order of magnitude compared with the commercially viable production rate. The injected brine can be pumped out from the upper production well directly after the hydrate between the two wells is dissociated completely. Thus, the effective region of heat and inhibitor stimulation is limited. The sensitivity analyses indicate that the dissociation rate of hydrate can be enhanced by increasing the temperature of the injected brine and raising the salinity of the injected brine. The parametric study of permeability shows that the hydrate of the reservoir with the larger permeability has a higher dissociation rate.

Keywords: numerical simulation; marine hydrate; warm brine stimulation; dual horizontal wells; South China Sea gas; production (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: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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