Introduction to gas hydrates

Jarle Husebø, UNC NVC FVC

Classification: Internal 2012-08-23
Overview
• Gas hydrates (what, why and where)
• Gas hydrates as a future resource
• Production technology
• Gas hydrate production history
• Major players
• Statoil’s research strategy

2 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Gas Hydrates: What?

Natural gas hydrate is a

clathrate, an inclusion
compound, where gas
molecules are suspended
within a crystalline
structure of water
molecules. Natural gas
hydrates are stable under
high pressure and low
temperatures .

3 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Hydrate structures
Structure I
51262
Methane, ethane,
Carbon
Dioxide…

512
Structure II
Propane,
iso-butane…
51264

Structure H
Methane + neohexane,
Methane +
435663
51268 cycloheptane

4 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Hydrate stability window

Base Permafrost

Depth
Depth

GHSZ
GHOZ
GHSZ

BGHZ BGHZ

Temperatur Temperatur
e e
GHSZ: Gas Hydrate Stability Zone
GHOZ: Gas Hydrate Occurrence Zone
BGHZ: Base Gas Hydrate Zone

5 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Gas Hydrates: Why?
10000
Est. CH4 in hydrate (1015 Sm3)

1000
Most confident estimate

100

10
USA energy consumption over
1000 years at current rate
1

Conventional gas reserve

0,1
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Yea Sloan and Koh (2008)
r
6 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23
Reservoir quality 1 Hydrate in sands
• Gas hydrate resources housed in sand
reservoirs
• Shallow “conventional” reservoirs
Gas-hydrate-bearing sands Canada Japan ◄◄ Coarse-grained continental sand
seem the most feasible ◄

initial targets for energy Pore-filling marine turbidite sand

recovery
85-10,000 tcf gas Arctic sands
(≤ 2.8·105 GSm3)
Marine sands
(≤ 1.7·1012 boe) 1
2 Solid hydrate
Fractured muds • Vein-filling, nodules and massive seafloor
2 mounds
Mounds • Low resource density/environmentally
sensitive
~100,000 tcf gas
(~2,8·106 GSm3) Korea India
(~1,7·1013 boe) Undeformed muds
GoM

3 Modified from Johnson (2011)

China
3 The
Vein-filling in clay“Background”
Nodules in clay Massive sea
• Disseminated
floor mounds gas hydrate in fine-grained
marine sediments
Modified from Boswell 2009 • Large volumes
• Very low (1-3 %) resource density
Disseminated in mud

7 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Gas Hydrates: Where?

Modified from Hester and Brewer (2009)

8 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23 Classificati

on:
Hydrates in the industry today
• Flow assurance

9 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Production strategies for gas hydrates

• Pressure depletion
• Heating
• Direct exchange with more stable hydrate former (e.g. CO2)

(Fire in the ice, May 2011, DOE)

10 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Pressure depletion
Temperature
• Advantage
− No need to add energy
− Pressure support from hydrate

Depth/Pressure
dissociation
seafloor
• Disadvantage
− Dissociation is endothermic and will
cool down the system
− Vast amounts of water produced
with
the gas
− Removing hydrate from consolidated
sediments may compromise structural
integrity

11 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Heating
Temperature
• Advantage
− Heating will counteract the cooling
during dissociation

Depth/Pressure
• Disadvantage
seafloor
− Need to add large amounts of energy
to the system
− Vast amounts of water produced with
the gas
− Removing hydrate from consolidated
sediments may compromise structural
integrity

12 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Direct exchange with more stable hydrate
former (e.g. CO2)

Temperature
• Advantage
− No dissociation of hydrate. Keeping
structural integrity

Depth/Pressure
− Carbon neutral production process
seafloor
− Long term storage of CO2
• Disadvantage
− Needs permeability/connectivity to
access the entire reservoir with CO2-
injection
− The exchange process is based on
liquid-solid diffusion and is inherently
slow (there are ways to speed this up)

13 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

 Hydrate timeline 1999 2002

Mallik: Three
2004

Japan: MH21
research wells phase 1. 32
1969 2001 drilled. 470 Sm3 2003 wells drilled
of gas produced offshore to map
Messoyakha Japan: MH21 by Alaska: the Nankai
1971 1998 Japan: Drilled
starts was created. depressurization Dedicated Trough
first offshore
production Imperial oil First hydrate Ultimate goal to hydrate
hydrate
discovers research research well make offshore research Korea: BSR
hydrates in well at Mallik production from well drilled indicating
Northern site Korea: KIGAM hydrates viable hydrate in the
Canada. initiate by 2018 Ulleung
Mallik site hydrate basin
program
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

2007 2014 -
Alaska: BP 2014
drills hydrate Korea:
2006 research well 2008 2010 2012 Offshore
production test
India: NGHP China: First Mallik: Second Korea: Drilled Alaska:
expedition. hydrate production 10 sites. 10 ConocoPhillips
2015
Four separate expedition. test finished 2009 LWD and 2 CO2 injection 2013 Japan: Long
legs of Three sites (initiated in wireline logging test (Ignik
Japan: MH21 term offshore
drilling. One show hydrates 2006). 13 000 and vertical Sikumi). Japan:
starts Phase 2 production test
site showed Sm3 of gas was seismic Offshore flow
128m hydrate Korea: First produced over with goal of two profiling. Japan: Drilled test
offshore Alaska: BP
hydrate a six day period first offshore
production planning for
expedition. production well
tests production test
Three sites (date uncertain)
show hydrates

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

14 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Hydrate players and activity

15 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Statoil’s research strategy

• Increase research activity

on hydrate as a resource
using our extensive
knowledge of hydrate as a
production problem
• Evaluate possible long-
term production test

16 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23

Introduction to gas hydrates

Jarle Husebø
Senior Researcher Reservoir Technology
jahuse@statoil.com
Tel: +47 900 19 805

www.statoil.com

17 Classification: Internal 2012-08-23