MATHEMATICAL SIMULATION FOR SUBMARINE GAS HYDRATE FORMATION: UPON THE ASSUMPTION OF UPWARD ADVECTION OF METHANE-BEARING POREWATER

ZHANG Hui; YANG Rui; KUANG Zenggui; HUANG Li; YAN Pin

doi:10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2017.01.013

2017 Vol. 37, No. 1

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Article navigation > Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology > 2017 > 37(1): 107-116

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ZHANG Hui, YANG Rui, KUANG Zenggui, HUANG Li, YAN Pin. MATHEMATICAL SIMULATION FOR SUBMARINE GAS HYDRATE FORMATION: UPON THE ASSUMPTION OF UPWARD ADVECTION OF METHANE-BEARING POREWATER[J]. Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology, 2017, 37(1): 107-116. doi: 10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2017.01.013

Citation:

ZHANG Hui, YANG Rui, KUANG Zenggui, HUANG Li, YAN Pin. MATHEMATICAL SIMULATION FOR SUBMARINE GAS HYDRATE FORMATION: UPON THE ASSUMPTION OF UPWARD ADVECTION OF METHANE-BEARING POREWATER[J]. Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology, 2017, 37(1): 107-116. doi: 10.16562/j.cnki.0256-1492.2017.01.013

MATHEMATICAL SIMULATION FOR SUBMARINE GAS HYDRATE FORMATION: UPON THE ASSUMPTION OF UPWARD ADVECTION OF METHANE-BEARING POREWATER

1.
Key Laboratory of Marine Mineral Resources, Ministry of Land and Resources, Guangzhou 510075
2.
CAS Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640
3.
Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075
4.
Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Qingdao 266071
5.
CAS Key Laboratory of Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301

More Information

Corresponding author: YANG Rui, yangrui@ms.giec.ac.cn

Received Date: 20 October 2016

Revised Date: 30 November 2016

Publish Date: 28 February 2017

Abstract

Abstract

Sea bottom gas hydrate (GH) may be formed by porewater advecting upward from deep. In order to understand this process, we developed a non-dimensional mathematical model, combining together the sedimentary process, methane transporting by convection and diffusion of fluid upward, and methane solubility, for study of GH formation and accumulation in a temporal and spatial framework. The model describes the process of GH formation and accumulation with 3 dimensionless parameters, Pe₁, Pe₂, $\widetilde C_{m, ext}^{_{_{\rm{l}}}}$, which represents respectively the sedimentary process, porewater advection upward from deep and methane content in the fluid. GH emerges in the upper gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) first, then grows downward within the continuous sedimentary deposits, and extends eventually to the base of GHSZ. There is a negative correlation between GH evolution time and the three parameters of Pe₁, Pe₂, $\widetilde C_{m, ext}^{_{_{\rm{l}}}}$, and between GH concentration and Pe₁, $\widetilde C_{m, ext}^{_{_{\rm{l}}}}$, but a positive correlation between GH concentration, evolution time and upward methane flux (Pe₂ and $\widetilde C_{m, ext}^{_{_{\rm{l}}}}$). The methane solubility influences greatly on the GH formation and distribution. But the simulation results suggest that both the methane concentration of fluid flow from deep and its flux control the methane inputs and outputs of the hydrate system. They are not included in the solubility-curve. So we propose the methane concentration of porewater upward and its flux as controlling factors.
- gas hydrate /
- submarine porewater advection upward /
- mathematical simulation

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