Molecular Structures and Similarities to Ice 97

compressional velocity of methane hydrate varied from about 3.76 to about 4 km/s,
starting at pressures of 0.020.6 GPa. The compressional velocity of ice varied
from about 3.9 to 4.0 as the pressure was increased from 0.02 to 0.3 GPa. Similar
compressional (3.65 km/s) and shear (1.89 km/s) velocities of methane hydrate
were measured by Waite et al. (2000).
Pandit and King (1982) also presented values for the bulk modulus, the shear
modulus, and the ratio of compressional to shear velocity, with comparisons to
ice values as given in Table 2.8. Shimizu et al. (2002) used Brillion spectroscopy
to determine the elastic anisotropy, bulk modulus, and elastic modulus, based
on velocity measurements for methane hydrate at high pressures (0.020.6 GPa).
Methane hydrate was found to exhibit almost isotropic elasticity. This is in contrast
to cubic crystals (e.g., pressure-induced solid CO2 , CH4 , ice VII), which, although
they are optically isotropic, generally show substantial anisotropy. The isotropic
elasticity of methane hydrate was attributed to its void-rich network of cavities
and larger deviations from an ideal tetrahedral geometry. The adiabatic elastic
moduli and bulk modulus values for methane hydrate were found to increase almost
linearly with pressure. Shimizu (2002) indicated, based on the evaluation of the
compressional components of elastic moduli, that methane hydrate is significantly
more compressible than ice.
Lee and Collett (2001) measured the compressional (P-wave) and shear
(S-wave) velocities of natural hydrates in sediments (33% average total porosity)
at the Mallik 2L-38 well. The P-wave velocity of nongas-hydrate-bearing sediment
with 33% porosity was found to be about 2.2 km/s. The compressional velocity of
gas-hydrate-bearing sediments with 30% gas hydrate concentration (water-filled
porosity of 23%) was found to be about 2.7 km/s, and 3.3 km/s at 60% concen-
tration (water-filled porosity of 13%), that is, about a 20% or 50% increase to
nongas-hydrate-bearing sediment. The shear velocity was found to increase from
0.81 to 1.23 km/s.

2.2.3 Thermal Properties

2.2.3.1 Thermal conductivity of hydrates
Stoll and Bryan (1979) first measured the thermal conductivity of propane hydrates
(0.393 Wm1 K1 at T = 215.15 K) to be a factor of 5 less than that of
ice (2.23 Wm1 K1 ). The low thermal conductivity of hydrates, as well as
similarities of the values for each structure (shown in Table 2.8) have been
confirmed from numerous studies (Cook and Leaist, 1983 [0.45 Wm1 K1 for
methane hydrate at 216.2 K]; Cook and Laubitz, 1981; Ross et al., 1981; Ross and
Andersson, 1982; Asher et al., 1986; Huang and Fan, 2004; Waite et al., 2005). The
thermal conductivity of the solid hydrate (0.500.58 W m1 K1 ) more closely
resembles that of liquid water (0.605 W m1 K1 ).
A pictorial summary of the relative thermal conductivities of water structures
(water, ice, and hydrate), including those in sediment is presented in Figure 2.17
(Gupta, 2007). The large variation in composite thermal conductivity for water

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