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GAS HYDRATE GEOHAZARDS IN SHALLOW SEDIMENTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE DESIGN OF SUBSEA SYSTEMSHadley, Chris

University of British Columbia. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; International Conference on Gas Hydrates (6th : 2008 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Gas hydrates in near-mudline subsea sediments present significant challenges in the production of underlying hydrocarbons, impacting wellbore integrity and placement of subsea equipment. As the fluids of an underlying reservoir flow to the mudline, heat carried by the fluids warms nearwell sediments and dissociates hydrates, which releases gas that can displace and fracture near well soil. This gas release may be calculated with numerical simulations that model heat and mass transfer in hydrate-bearing sediments. The nature and distribution of hydrates within the sediments, the melting behavior of the hydrates, the thermal and mechanical properties of these shallow sediments, and the amount of hydrates contained in the sediments are required for the model simulations. Such information can be costly to acquire and characterize with certainty for an offshore development. In this information environment, it is critical to understand what information, processes, and calculations are required in order to ensure safe, robust systems, that are not overly conservative, to produce the hydrocarbon reservoirs far below the hydrates.

Gas hydrates; Geohazard; Wellbore; Subsea system

Text

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0041102

Non UBC

Unreviewed

DSpace