Reservoir-Simulation Model of
Production From Gas-Hydrate
Accumulations
Analytical models are not adequate
for modeling production from natur-
al gas-hydrate accumulations. A con-
ventional 3D thermal reservoir simu-
lator was used to model production
from hydrate-capped gas reservoirs
and natural gas hydrates. The model
included hydrate phase behavior,
heat flow, and reservoir compaction.
Use of a reservoir simulator allows
experimental data matching, well-
productivity calculation, and produc-
tion-option evaluation. Scenarios for
production from the solid hydrate
layer also were examined.
Introduction
Interest in natural gas hydrates is
increasing because of the need for large
volumes of natural gas, a clean hydro-
G a s Te c h n o l o g y
carbon fuel. While progress has been
made in identifying and drilling natural
gas hydrates, production concepts for
the potentially large deposits of natural
gas hydrates and hydrate-capped gas
reservoirs must be developed. Most
attempts to model hydrate-capped
reservoirs and natural gas hydrates pre-
sent numerical solutions to analytical
models. Modeling reservoir behavior of
hydrate-capped gas reservoirs with a
3D thermal hydrocarbon-reservoir sim-
ulator allows reservoir characteristics to
be included that are disregarded by
most analytical models. These charac-
teristics include inflow pressure drop,
heat transfer between reservoir fluids
and the formation, geothermal gradi-
ent, reservoir-fluid phase behavior,
pressure/volume/temperature proper-
ties as a function of pressure decline,
and reservoir geometry and com-
paction effects.
This study was undertaken to show
the feasibility of modeling a hydrate-
This article is a synopsis of paper SPE
56550, “Thermal-Reservoir-Simulation
Model of Production From Naturally
Occurring Gas-Hydrate Accumula-
tions,” by Wim J.A.M. Swinkels, SPE,
and Rik J.J. Drenth, SPE, Shell Intl.
E&P B.V., originally presented at the
1999 SPE Annual Technical Conference
and Exhibition, Houston, 3–6 October.
76
capped gas reservoir with a conven-
tional 3D thermal-reservoir-simula-
tion model. In this study, reservoir flu-
ids were represented by a gaseous, a
hydrate, and an aqueous phase.
Energy in this system was internally
represented by an extra enthalpy com-
ponent that occurs in each of the three
phases. This allowed heat required for
phase transitions to be accounted for
properly. This method also allows cal-
culation of the Joule-Thomson cooling
effect that plays an important role in
production of hydrate-associated gas.
Heat flow in the formation was mod-
eled by assigning thermal conductivity
and heat capacity to gridblocks.
Simulation Model
Geology and Geometry. To model
production from a hydrate-capped gas
accumulation, a 15×15×10-grid-
block domed geometry with a
1000×500-m area was used. The
model contained a top layer of
hydrates. The 100-m-thick reservoir
was assumed to be homogeneous,
with a 20% porosity. Horizontal and
vertical permeability were set to
200 md for the base case. Additional
nonreservoir layers were included in
the model to study heat-capacity
effects of the surrounding formation.
The model did not include an aquifer.
Phase Behavior. The simulation
model used three material compo-
nents—methane, heavier gas, and
water—plus enthalpy, which is also
modeled as a component. Three phas-
es—gas, hydrate, and water—were
modeled. Fig. 1 shows the relationship
between the four components and
three phases. A solid phase for water
was not included because the model
objective was hydrates below the sea
bottom, not arctic environments. An
ice phase would be required to model
hydrate conditions in and under per-
mafrost. Fluid composition as a func-
tion of pressure and temperature was
entered into the simulator by specify-
ing equilibrium ratios, or K-values.
Enthalpies of the components in their
various phases were specified. These
were used to determine specific heat
and vaporization heat. Density and
viscosity were varied as a function of
temperature. Thermodynamic proper-
ties of the mixture were calculated by
use of a standard in-house phase-equi-
librium package.
Initialization. The model was initial-
ized with a 0.03-K/m geothermal-tem-
perature gradient by use of a tempera-
ture-vs.-depth table. Pressure gradi-
ents were taken from phase densities
at reservoir-pressure and -temperature
conditions, with an 80-bar initial pres-
sure. Hydrate/gas contact was at
1050 m. Gas initially in place was
0.93×109 m3, of which 0.44×109 m3
was contained in the hydrate cap.
Subsurface hydrate volume was
2.96×106 m3; and free-water volume,
primarily connate water, was
1.48×106 m3. After initialization, the
model simulated a 1-year period with-
out production to equalize pressures.
Formation compaction was included
in the reservoir simulator as pore-vol-
ume compressibility.
Well Model. The horizontal section of
the well at 1080 m was 500 m long,
400 m of which was perforated.
Maximum flow rate allowed was
0.5×106 m3/d, which required only a
several-bar drawdown at initial reser-
voir conditions. Neglecting turbulent
pressure drop in the horizontal well leg
made well productivity a nearly linear
function of horizontal-section length.
During hydrate dissociation, large
water volumes will become mobile.
Fig. 1—Relationship between phases
and components.
APRIL 2000

Gas Rate
BHP
FBHT
Water Rate
Water Rate FBHT BHP
6.0E+05
Gas Rate
(m3/d) K Bar (m3/d)
4.0E+05
2.0E+05
0.0E+00
Fig. 2—Behavior of producer in hydrate layer below steam injector.
Because vertical permeability proba-
bly will be relatively large in these
accumulations, gas/water gravity seg-
regation may occur and only a minor
fraction of the mobile water is expect-
ed to be produced directly into the
producing wells.
Modeling Options. The primary pur-
pose of the reservoir-simulation
model is modeling and screening pro-
duction options. Spatial configuration
and well completion in a hydrate or
hydrate-capped gas reservoir play
important roles in determining the
success or failure of the recovery
process. It is important to design
injection and production wells so that
reservoir energy is conserved and
drainage is maximized.
Hydrate-Capped-Reservoir
Depletion
A constant 5×109 m3/d gas-produc-
tion rate was maintained for approxi-
mately 3 years. During this period,
reservoir pressure (BHP) declined lin-
early from 80 to 50 bar, indicating no
pressure support from dissociating
hydrates. Flowing bottomhole tem-
perature (FBHT) dropped approxi-
mately 1 K because of Joule-Thomson
cooling by the expanding gas. When
well production declines, smaller vol-
umes of gas expand and FBHT stops
declining. The cooling effect is benefi-
cial because the cooler gas stream
helps to maintain the hydrate-seal
integrity where it is penetrated by
the wellbore.
The pressure drop around the pro-
ducing wells does not extend into the
hydrate layer because the model
assumes the hydrate layer to be fully
sealing and unable to transmit pres-
sure changes. Pressure distribution in
APRIL 2000
Horizontal Production Well
Time, days
the reservoir is determined by the per-
meability pattern.
The simulation shows that dissocia-
tion of the hydrate cap above a pro-
ducing hydrate-capped gas reservoir
will slow down because of cooling at
the gas/hydrate boundary even if large
amounts of heat stored in layers below
the reservoir are included in the
model. Simulation runs with this
model show that heat conduction in
the formation is too slow to dissociate
the hydrate cap during the producing
life of the reservoir.
Hydrate-Layer Production
To model production from the solid
hydrates, the pore system was filled
with hydrates. A horizontal producer
ran across the length of the block and
a horizontal injector was run 10 m
below the producer. Block size around
the producer was adjusted to improve
pressure and temperature resolution.
As hydrates dissociate, large volumes
of water will be generated and move
through the reservoir. If additional
water is injected in the form of steam
or hot water, downhole gas/water sep-
aration will be required for produc-
tion from the solid hydrate layer.
Phase Distribution. Because the
model focus is on suboceanic hydrate
occurrences, cases containing ice were
not considered. The case with all
phases present seemed the most illus-
trative, and a model was constructed
containing hydrates, gas, and liquids
in the pore system. The same set of
phases and components as in the gas-
depletion case was used.
Injection Case. In this case, a system
composed of a horizontal producer
and parallel steam injector was exam-
ined. Fig. 2 shows behavior of a hori-
zontal production well located below a
steam injection well. Simulator results
shown in Fig. 2 include the following.
1. Production began to decline after
approximately 450 days. Expansion
cooling around the wellbore ended,
and FBHT stabilized.
2. Injection began and production
decline was halted.
3. Water rate in the producing well
increased to 300 m3/d, which tem-
porarily was greater than the injection
rate because the water front, including
water from the dissociated hydrates,
reached the producer.
4. Bottomhole pressure was a close
reflection of overall reservoir pressure
of the model.
5. Pressure stabilizes at the mini-
mum flowing bottomhole pressure.
6 Bottomhole temperature in the
producing well first dropped because
of expansion cooling, then stabilized
at low production rates, and increased
when the hot injection fluid broke
through at the producer.
7. After water and heat break-
G a s Te c h n o l o g y
through at the producer, gas- and
water-production rates stabilized.
Conclusions
1. Thermal-simulation tools in stan-
dard use in the oil and gas industry pro-
vide functionality required to model
hydrate- and hydrate-capped-reservoir
pressure and temperature behavior.
2. Modeling hydrate-capped-reser-
voir depletion through a horizontal
well shows the importance of Joule-
Thomson cooling around the wellbore.
3. Hydrate-cap dissociation caused
by pressure depletion in a hydrate-
capped gas reservoir will be slowed
considerably by cooling at the
gas/hydrate interface.
4. Gas production from solid
hydrates requires a large number of
producing wells, facilities for large
water volumes, and large energy input.
5. Basic data measurements that
accurately describe distribution of
natural gas hydrates in the pore sys-
tem and gas and water flow in the
presence of natural gas hydrates are
required for reliable hydrate-associat-
ed reservoir modeling. JPT
Please read the full-length paper for
additional detail, illustrations, and ref-
erences. The paper from which the
synopsis has been taken has not been
peer reviewed.
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