SPE Journal
Volume 16, Number 1, March 2011, pp. 78-94

SPE-139525-PA

Permeability of Laboratory-Formed Methane-Hydrate-Bearing Sand: Measurements and Observations Using X-Ray Computed Tomography

View full textPDF ( 2,016 KB )

DOI  More information 10.2118/139525-PA http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/139525-PA

Citation

  • Kneafsey, T.J., Seol, Y., Gupta, A., and Tomutsa, L. 2011. Permeability of Laboratory-Formed Methane-Hydrate-Bearing Sand: Measurements and Observations Using X-Ray Computed Tomography. SPE J.  16 (1): 78-94. SPE-139525-PA. doi: 10.2118/139525-PA.

Discipline Categories

  • 6.3.1 Flow in Porous Media
  • 6.3.2 Multi-phase Flow
  • 6.2.1 Phase Behavior and PVT Measurements
  • 6.2.2 Fluid Modeling, Equations of State

Keywords

  • Fluid Dynamics, Permeability, Relative Permeability, Methane Hydrate, x-ray computed tomography

Summary

Methane hydrate was formed in two moist sands and a sand/silt mixture under a confining stress in an X-ray-transparent pressure vessel. Three initial water saturations were used to form three different methane-hydrate saturations in each medium. X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to observe location-specific density changes caused by hydrate formation and flowing water. Gas-permeability measurements in each test for the dry, moist, frozen, and hydrate-bearing states are presented. As expected, the effective permeabilities (intrinsic permeability of the medium multiplied by the relative permeability) of the moist sands decreased with increasing moisture content. In a series of tests on a single sample, the effective permeability typically decreased as the pore space became more filled, in the order of dry, moist, frozen, and hydrate-bearing. In each test, water was flowed through the hydrate-bearing medium and we observed the location-specific changes in water saturation using CT scanning. We compared our data to a number of models, and our relative permeability data compare most favorably with models in which hydrate occupies the pore bodies rather than the pore throats. Inverse modeling (using the data collected from the tests) will be performed to extend the relative permeability measurements.

© 2010. Society of Petroleum Engineers

View full textPDF ( 2,016 KB )

History

  • Original manuscript received: 15 February 2008
  • Meeting paper published: 6 May 2008
  • Revised manuscript received: 6 April 2010
  • Manuscript approved: 16 April 2010
  • Published online: 7 October 2010
  • Version of record: 15 March 2011