An experimental study on the productivity of dissociated gas from gas hydrate by depressurization scheme

Extensive deposits of naturally occurring gas hydrates have been found in many regions of the world. Because it contains a large amount of methane, hydrates have been considered as a future energy resource. Although natural gas hydrates are known to occur in numerous marine and permafrost regions, a little is known about the technology required to produce gas from hydrate reservoirs. This work discusses the recovery of gas from hydrate reservoirs through laboratory measurement. In this study, an experimental apparatus has been designed and set up to analyze the dissociating phenomena of hydrate in porous rock. Depressurization experiments have been carried out to investigate the dissociation characteristics and the productivity of dissociated gas. The results of the experiment present the comparison of gas productivities and propagations of dissociation front in relation to time as hydrate is depressurized in different conditions. The flow behavior of dissociated gas in porous rock and the efficiency of production have also been investigated. The results of this study can be useful for the gas recovery from hydrate reservoirs. Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.