2D micromodel studies of pore-throat clogging by pure fine-grained sediments and natural sediments from NGHP-02, offshore India

Fine-grained sediments, or “fines,” are nearly ubiquitous in natural sediments, even in the predominantly coarse-grained sediments that host gas hydrates. Fines within these sandy sediments can be mobilized and subsequently clog flow pathways while methane is being extracted from gas hydrate as an energy resource. Using two-dimensional (2D) micromodels to test the conditions in which clogging occurs provides insights for choosing production operation parameters that optimize methane recovery in the field. During methane extraction, several processes can alter the mobility and clogging potential of fines: (1) fluid flow as the formation is depressurized to release methane from gas hydrate, (2) shifting pore-fluid chemistry as pore-fluid [...]