A Finite Element Computational Method for Gas Hydrate. Part I: Theory

A finite element scheme is presented to model the dissociation of gas hydrates in porous media by hot water injection. We show a complete derivation of the finite element formulation, including the associated mass and energy conservation equations capable of performing transient analysis of both conductive and convective heat transfer for gas and liquid flow in porous media. The scheme also includes the latent heat effect to accommodate the change of phase due to melting of hydrate. In the companion paper, Part II, this method is successfully applied to hydrate reservoirs.     

A Finite Element Computational Method for Gas Hydrate. Part II: Application

Abstract

A finite element model has been applied to the dissociation of gas hydrates in porous media by hot water injection. In the first step, it was applied to calculate the temperature and saturation profiles for a two-phase convective heat transfer case. The second step involved hydrate thawing calculations with release of water and gas. Realistic results were obtained in predicting the temperature, pressure, and water saturation profiles in the hydrate medium with respect to time, when subjected to hot water injection at high pressure in a wellbore. Furthermore, the thaw front progression calculated by this scheme exhibits stable and satisfactory behavior with respect to time.     

A Finite Element Computational Method for Gas Hydrate. Part II: Application

A finite element model has been applied to the dissociation of gas hydrates in porous media by hot water injection. In the first step, it was applied to calculate the temperature and saturation profiles for a two-phase convective heat transfer case. The second step involved hydrate thawing calculations with release of water and gas. Realistic results were obtained in predicting the temperature, pressure, and water saturation profiles in the hydrate medium with respect to time, when subjected to hot water injection at high pressure in a wellbore. Furthermore, the thaw front progression calculated by this scheme exhibits stable and satisfactory behavior with respect to time.     

Experimental determination of permeability in the presence of hydrates and its effect on the dissociation characteristics of gas hydrates in porous media

Although there are many uncertainties in hydrate dissociation process in porous media, numerical simulation gives useful information in evaluating economically feasible gas recovery processes from gas hydrate reservoirs. Furthermore, there are several unknown parameters involved in the numerical model and determination of accurate values of these parameters is essential for reliable production forecasts. One of these parameters is the variation of permeability of the porous media in the presence of hydrates. In this study the permeability to gas was experimentally determined at varying hydrate saturations in a porous medium made of packed glass beads.By comparing the experimentally determined permeability with those calculated using the empirical permeability correlations it was found that for initial water saturations less than 35%, hydrate tends to form on the grain surfaces. However, for initial water saturations greater than 35%, the experimental results indicate a pore filling tendency of hydrate formation. The experimental permeability values were also correlated with the Masuda et al.'s (1997) permeability model and a value of 3.0 was obtained for the permeability reduction exponent. To evaluate the impact of permeability reduction exponent on the dissociation process, a one-dimensional numerical model was developed for dissociation of gas hydrates in porous media by depressurization. The numerical model includes the three mechanisms i.e. kinetics of hydrate decomposition, heat transfer and fluid flow; that might be associated with the dissociation of hydrates in porous medium. The effect of permeability reduction exponent on the dissociation characteristics of hydrate was analyzed using this simulator.     

Comparative Study of Different Techniques for Numerical Reservoir Simulation

Abstract

Many physical processes such as multiphase flow in heterogeneous porous media are described by partial differential algebraic equations (PDAEs) as a set of partial differential, ordinary differential and algebraic equations. However, due to lack of exact analytical solution for most PDAEs, numerical methods should be used to approximate their solution. The main contribution of this article is a comparison among the features of such numerical methods for oil and gas reservoir simulation. Different gridding techniques have been included in this comparison to find the most suitable numerical scheme to simulate multiphase flow in heterogeneous porous media.     

饱和孔隙流体作用下甲烷水合物降压分解机制及实验研究

水合物地层中常含有饱和的孔隙流体,饱和孔隙流体的存在改变了水合物藏的传热及传质特性。通过实验模拟了饱和孔隙流体下多孔介质尺寸、分解温度、压降和注入流体类型对水合物的降压分解过程中产气速率的影响。结果表明：饱和孔隙流体下,产气速率受多孔介质尺寸、压降和注入流体类型影响较大,而受分解温度影响较小。实验范围内,水合物在大压降和小尺寸介质中分解更快速。水合物分解初始阶段,分解速率随着流体盐度的增加而增大;在中后阶段,分解速率随流体盐度的增加而降低。气体扩散阻力因盐溶液水化离子氛存在而增加并进一步阻碍水合物的分解。实际水合物藏开采过程中可通过增大压降和降低溶液盐度来解决该问题。     

The Simulation of Gas Production from Hydrates by Depressurization at a Constant Pressure

Abstract

A general-purpose simulator for gas production from hydrates is developed, which considers kinetics of dissociation, heat, and multiphase fluid flow. Production behavior of the Class I hydrate reservoir by depressurization technique is studied. The results suggest gas production rate at the well is higher than gas release rate in the reservoir and most water released is left in pores. With continuous dissociation of hydrate, average hydrate saturation, reservoir temperature, and pressure decrease continuously. In addition, the closer to gas layer, the faster the hydrate dissociation. Results of gas production simulations can provide theoretical basis for the development of hydrates in the future.     

多孔介质中CO2水合物饱和度与阻抗关系模拟实验研究

确定沉积物中天然气水合物饱和度是评估水合物资源、开发利用天然气水合物工作中的一项基础而关键的工作。利用青岛海洋地质研究所自主设计、研制的天然气水合物阻抗监测模拟实验装置,研究了CO ₂气体与去离子水在多孔介质中天然气水合物的生成与分解过程。指出：天然气水合物生成过程会使多孔介质阻抗增大;天然气水合物分解过程导致多孔介质阻抗减小。并且多孔介质的阻抗变化与反应体系的温度压力变化相互对应,能够体现天然气水合物生成与分解各阶段的特点。此外,还利用Archie公式,使用天然气水合物的阻抗值计算多孔介质中水合物的饱和度,得到了多孔介质中天然气水合物饱和度随反应时间的增长曲线。     

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在自然界中，蕴藏着丰富的天然气水合物，水合物的结构有I、Ⅱ和H型。开发的方法有：热力分解法、减压法和注入化学剂等等。多孔介质中水合物的形成条件和管道、井筒中水合物的形成条件有较大的区别，在多孔介质中必须考虑毛细管力的作用，水合物的分解条件主要取决于多孔介质中岩石和流体的特性如润湿角和孔隙尺寸等。文章所推导出在多孔介质中考虑毛细管力的影响后，天然气水合物形成压力和温度与实验数据吻合较好，而没有考虑毛细管力的影响计算出的天然气水合物在给定温度下所得到的水合物的形成压力偏低。     

人造海水中不同的多孔介质内甲烷水合物生成特性研究

结合海底水合物沉积成藏特征,发现水合物易在海底沉积物中生成,且还有类似表面活性剂的催化酶存在。结合以上因素,实验将人造海水和十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)溶液进行混合,研究了碳酸钙和二氧化硅作为多孔介质时甲烷水合物的生成情况。研究表明:(1)多孔介质体系较无多孔介质体系实验剩余压力更低,水合物的储气密度和储气速率更大,其中1 mm碳酸钙的促进效果最优;(2)多孔介质表面特性和粒径变化均会改变水合物的储气效果,同种粒径下,碳酸钙促进效果优于二氧化硅;(3)人造海水中的低浓度盐类通过离子交换和破坏SDS胶束团的作用,对水合物储气效果的促进优于纯SDS溶液;(4)三者的协同体系可以有效地缩短水合物的诱导期,为探究海底水合物成因和水合物快速生成技术的应用提供了参考。     

The Effects of Asphaltene Deposition on Unconsolidated Porous Media Properties during Miscible Natural Gas Flooding

Abstract

The deposition of asphaltenes in porous media is a complex phenomenon, which needs to be investigated under dynamic flowing conditions. Here, the likelihood of asphaltene deposition problems during dynamic displacement of dead oil by natural gas in unconsolidated porous media is experimentally inspected. Dynamic experiments showed a considerable increase in asphaltene deposition in the unconsolidated matrix during natural gas injection. The results show that increase in asphaltene deposition leads to pore plugging, porosity, and absolute permeability reduction of the porous media. Irreducible water measurements show that natural gas-induced asphaltenes change the sandstone wettability to oil-wet.     

多孔介质中气体水合物分解方法及模型研究进展

为了开发利用天然气水合物资源,需要深入了解多孔介质中天然气水合物的分解规律。对国内外近几年有关多孔介质中气体水合物的分解方法如热激法、降压法、注化学剂法、二氧化碳置换法等进行了综述,指出了各种方法的优缺点,并总结了水合物分解模型的研究进展,同时提出了关于多孔介质中水合物分解研究方向的建议。      

A Computational Scheme for Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Analysis in Porous Media for Recovery of Oil and Gas

A finite-element scheme has been formulated, which is capable of solving transient analysis of both conductive and convective heat transfers due to fluid flow in porous media. The model also includes the latent heat effect to consider the phase change aspect of a frozen medium. To test the validity of the model, it was applied to six cases for which analytical solutions are available. The test cases cover (i) single-phase fluid flow through porous media, (ii) radial conduction with and without phase change, (iii) conductive and convective heat transfer in an aquifer, and (iv) two-phase immiscible flow in porous media. In all these cases, good agreement with analytical solutions are observed validating the computational scheme. This computational scheme should be useful in solving frozen ground problems, thermal stimulation technique for natural gas recovery from hydrates, and single-phase and two-phase convective heat transfer problems in enhanced oil recovery scheme in petroleum engineering.     

冰点以下多孔介质中CO2水合物生成特性的实验研究

多孔介质对CO2水合物的生成过程具有明显的影响。为了研究冰点以下多孔介质中CO2水合物的生成特性,利用1.8L的高压水合反应釜研究了粒径分别为380 μm、500 μm和700 μm的多孔介质中CO2水合物的生成过程。结果表明：多孔介质对冰点以下CO2水合物的生成过程产生重要的影响。与粒径分别为500 μm和700 μm的多孔介质体系相比,粒径为380 μm的多孔介质中CO2水合物的平均生成速率和储气量分别达到了0.01614 mol/h和65.094 L/L。研究结果还表明,当多孔介质粒径在380 μm到700 μm之间时,多孔介质粒径越小,多孔介质中水合物生成过程的平均生成速率和储气量就越大。     

天然气水合物藏开采物性变化的流固耦合研究

将水合物分解效应融合到渗流场与岩土变形场的耦合作用中,建立了天然气水合物藏气、水两相非等温流固耦合数学模型,并开发了有限元程序。对墨西哥湾某水合物藏进行了实例研究,分析了储层应力状态、物性参数分布及动态变化规律。结果表明,水合物分解效应、流固耦合作用以及井眼效应是影响储层应力状态和物性参数的3个主要因素,其作用机理不同,影响程度和范围各异。其中,水合物分解效应是主要控制因素,会导致分解区储层有效孔隙度和渗透率显著升高,弹性模量和内聚力等力学性能大幅度降低;流固耦合作用对分解效应引起的物性及力学参数的变化趋势具有明显的抑制作用,同样不可忽视。     

天然气水合物藏降压开采近井储层稳定性数值模拟

天然气水合物藏降压开采是一个含相态变化的非等温物理化学流固耦合渗流过程。目前有关天然气水合物藏开采的研究集中于产能模拟,且没有考虑流固耦合作用影响,有关水合物分解形成的弱胶结、低强度、高孔高渗近井储层的稳定性研究尚未开展。为此,将水合物分解效应融合到渗流场与岩土变形场的耦合作用中,建立了天然气水合物藏气、水两相非等温流固耦合数学模型,引入出砂判别准则,开发了天然气水合物藏降压开采流固耦合储层稳定性分析软件,利用该软件对天然气水合物藏降压开采近井储层稳定性的一般规律进行了分析,并建立了井壁不出砂的临界生产压差分析方法。研究表明:水合物分解效应是影响水合物分解区储层稳定性的主要因素,流固耦合作用的影响较小;近井水合物分解区储层稳定性较差,其中井壁最小水平地应力方向储层稳定性最差,是出砂的优先位置;过渡区储层稳定性介于水合物分解区与原状储层之间。      

Interfacial Mass Equations for In Situ Combustion

Abstract

The multiphase flow of oil, water, and gas through porous media is presented when the in situ combustion technique is applied in oil reservoirs. This technique implies phenomena such as phase change, chemical reactions, and heat transfer among the phases, at their interfaces and common lines. The mathematical modeling of such a technique requires the deduction of mass, momentum, and energy equations taking into account the phenomena mentioned. In this work, the interfacial mass transport equations averaged in volume for gas (g), oil (o), and water (w) flowing simultaneously through a homogeneous, isotropic, rigid, and nonpermeable porous media (s) were obtained. The averaged interfacial mass transport equation for the deposited coke (c) on the porous media, was also obtained. To obtain the averaged equations, the local interfacial mass equations as well as their corresponding jump conditions, were used as starting point. For the interfacial region the following were taken into account: (1) the gas compressibility, (2) the mass generation of coke due to the chemical reaction of oil, (3) the mass generation of gas due to the combustion reaction between coke and oxygen, and (4) the mass transfer due to the phase change of oil and water. The closure and constitutive equations for oil and water phase change on the interfaces and common lines and an interfacial mass generation term for the deposition of coke were proposed.     

Numerical solution for natural gas production from methane hydrate dissociation

This paper describes a one-dimensional model for natural gas production from the dissociation of methane hydrate in a confined reservoir by a depressurizing well. The approach accounts for the heat released by hydrate dissociation and convection–conduction heat transfer in the gas and hydrate zone. The system of governing equations is solved using a finite-difference scheme. For different well pressures and reservoir temperatures, the gas flow, the pressure and temperatures conditions in the reservoir are simulated. Distributions of temperature and pressure in the hydrate and gas regions and time evolutions of natural gas output also are evaluated. It is shown that the gas production rate is a sensitive function of well pressure. In addition, both heat conduction and convection in the hydrate zone is important. The simulation results are compared with the linearization approach and the shortcomings of the earlier approach are discussed.     

甲烷水合物在煤层中存在的可能性

已有实验证明：在一定的温度下，只要压力合适，有甲烷气源和水，就能合成甲烷水合物，而且多孔介质的存在将有助于水合物的形成。煤是一种多孔介质，在其形成过程中生成了大量的甲烷，并含有大量的水份。受构造应力和地应力的影响，煤层中存在着褶皱、断层等，结构复杂，因而在煤层中存在高应力区，而这种高应力区为甲烷水合物的存在创造了条件，同时，在一些煤与瓦斯突出中，吨煤瓦斯突出量高出吨煤瓦斯含量很多，以致无法解释，更为煤层中的局部地点存在甲烷水合物提供了佐证。因此，推断煤层中可能存在零散分布的甲烷水合物。     

A control volume based finite element method for simulating incompressible two-phase flow in heterogeneous porous media and its application to reservoir engineering

Applying the standard Galerkin finite element method for solving flow problems in porous media encounters some difficulties such as numerical oscillation at the shock front and discontinuity of the velocity field on element faces.Discontinuity of velocity field leads this method not to conserve mass locally.Moreover,the accuracy and stability of a solution is highly affected by a non-conservative method.In this paper,a three dimensional control volume finite element method is developed for twophase fluid flow simulation which overcomes the deficiency of the standard finite element method,and attains high-orders of accuracy at a reasonable computational cost.Moreover,this method is capable of handling heterogeneity in a very rational way.A fully implicit scheme is applied to temporal discretization of the governing equations to achieve an unconditionally stable solution.The accuracy and efficiency of the method are verified by simulating some waterflooding experiments.Some representative examples are presented to illustrate the capability of the method to simulate two-phase fluid flow in heterogeneous porous media.