Analysis of heat transfer effects on gas production from methane hydrate by thermal stimulation

Natural gas hydrate dissociation requires the continuous absorption of heat energy from the periphery, which influences both the gas generation rate and cumulative gas production. To predict the potential impact of heat transfer on the hydrate dissociation process, we previously developed and verified a two-dimensional axisymmetric model. In this study, we build on our previous work to investigate the influence of heat transfer on methane gas production by thermal stimulation. The results show that during hydrate decomposition, increasing the specific heat capacity of porous media containing hydrate inhibits the gas generation rate. However, the effects of the initial water content on the gas generation rate and cumulative gas production are weak. The influence of water and methane convection heat on hydrate dissociation is also weak. Increasing thermal conductivity can initially negatively influence hydrate dissociation, but later promote the process. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.