Citation: | Jin-fa Li, Jian-liang Ye, Xu-wen Qin, Hai-jun Qiu, Neng-you Wu, Hai-long Lu, Wen-wei Xie, Jing-an Lu, Fei Peng, Zhen-qiang Xu, Cheng Lu, Zeng-gui Kuang, Jian-gong Wei, Qian-yong Liang, Hong-feng Lu, Bei-bei Kou, 2018. The first offshore natural gas hydrate production test in South China Sea, China Geology, 1, 5-16. doi: 10.31035/cg2018003 |
Natural gas hydrates (NGH) is one of key future clean energy resources. Its industrialized development will help remit the huge demand of global natural gas, relieve the increasing pressure of the environment, and play a vital role in the green sustainable growth of human societies. Based on nearly two decades’ studying on the reservoir characteristics in the South China Sea (SCS) and the knowledge of reservoir system, the China Geological Survey (CGS) conducted the first production test on an optimal target selected in Shenhu area SCS in 2017. Guided by the "three-phase control"exploitation theory which focused on formation stabilization, technologies such as formation fluid extraction, well drilling and completing, reservoir stimulating, sand controlling, environmental monitoring, monitoring and preventing of secondary formation of hydrates were applied. The test lasted for 60 days from May 10th when starting to pump, drop pressure and ignite to well killing on July 9th, with gas production of 3.09×105 m3 in total, which is a world record with the longest continuous duration of gas production and maximal gas yield. This successful test brings a significant breakthrough on safety control of NGH production.
[1] | Anderson B, Boswell R, Collett TS, Farrell H, Ohtsuki S, White M, Zyrianova M. 2014. Reviw of the findings of the Ignik Sikumi CO2-CH4 gas hydrate exchange field trial. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH8-2014), Beijing, China. |
[2] | Charlou JL, Donval JP, Fouquet Y, Ondreas H, Knoery J, Cochonat P, Levache D, Poirier Y, Jean-Baptiste P, Fourre E, Chazallon B. 2004. Physical and chemical characterization of gas hydrates and associated methane plumes in the Congo-Angola Basin. Chemical Geology, 205(3), 405-425. |
[3] | Collett TS, Johnson AH, Knapp CC, Boswell R. 2009. Natural gas hydrates-Energy resource potential and associated geologic hazard. AAPG Memoir 89, 29(2), 858-869. |
[4] | Cui SS, He JX, Chen SH, Zou HP, Cui J. 2009. Development Characteristics of Pearl River Mouth Basin and Its Geological Conditions for Oil and Gas Accumulation. Natural Gas Geoscience, 20(3), 384-391. |
[5] | Dallimore SR, Collett TS. 2005. Scientific Results from the Mallik. 2005. Scientific Results from the Mallik 2002 Gas Hydrate Production Research Well Program, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada. Bulletin of the Geological Survey of Canada, 585(CD-ROM), 957. |
[6] | Faure K, Greinert J, Deimling JV, McGinnis DF, Kipfer R, Linke P. 2010. Methane seepage along the Hikurangi Margin of New Zealand: Geochemical and physical data from the water column, sea surface and atmosphere. Marine Geology, 272(1), 170-188. |
[7] | Fu SY, Lu JA. 2010. The Characteristics and Origin of Gas Hydrate in Shenhu Area, South China Sea. Marine Geology Letters, 26(9), 6-10. |
[8] | Fuh SC, Chern CC, Liang SC, Yang YL, Wu SH, Chang TY, Lin JY. 2009. The biogenic gas potential of the submarine canyon systems of Plio-Peistocene Foreland Basin, southwestern Taiwan. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 26(7), 1087-1099. |
[9] | Fujii T, Suzuki K, Takayama T, Tamaki M, Komatsu Y, Konno Y, Yoneda J, Yamamoto K, Nagao J. 2015. Geological setting and characterization of a methane hydrate reservoir distributed at the first offshore production test site on the Daini-Atsumi Knoll in the eastern Nankai Trough, Japan. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 66(2), 310-322. |
[10] | He JX, Chen SH, Liu SL, Liu HL. 2008. Potential petroleum resources and favorable prospecting directions in Zhujiangkou Basin in northern margin of the South China Sea. Xinjiang Petroleum Geology, 29(4), 457-461. |
[11] | Jang H, Wang H, Xiao J, Lin ZL, Lü XJ, Cai J. 2008. Tectonic inversion and its relationship with hydrocarbon accumulation in Zhu-3 Depression of Pearl River Mouth Basin. Acta Petrolei Sinica, 29(3), 372-377. |
[12] | Jin YK, Kim YG, Baranov B, Shoji H, Obzhirov A. 2011. Distribution and expression of gas seeps in a gas hydrate province of the northeastern Sakhalin continental slope, Sea of Okhotsk. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 28(10), 1844-1855. |
[13] | Johnson H. 2011. Global resource potential of gas hydrate-A new calculation. Fire in the Ice, Methane Hydrate Newsletter, 11(2), 1-4. |
[14] | Krabbenhoeft A, Netzeband GL, Bialas J, Papenberg C. 2010. Episodic methane concentrations at seep sites on the upper slope Opouawe Bank, southern Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand. Marine Geology, 272(1), 71-78. |
[15] | Kvenvolden KA. 1999. Potential effects of gas hydrate on human welfare. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 96(7), 3420-3426. |
[16] | Law CS, Nodder SD, Mountjoy JJ, Marriner A, Orpin A, Pilditch CA, Franz P, Thompson K. 2010. Geological, hydrodynamic and biogeochemical variability of a New Zealand deep-water methane cold seep during an integrated three-year time-series study. Marine Geology, 272(1), 189-208. |
[17] | Li W, Yu XH, Zeng XM, Wang JZ, Shan X. 2013. Study of neogene sesimic and sedimentary facies in the hydrate survey area of Shenhu region on the north margin of South China Sea. Marine Geology Frontiers, 29(1), 17-26. |
[18] | Li XS, Xu CG, Zhang Y, Ruan XK, Li G, Wang Y. 2016. Investigation into gas production from natural gas hydrate: A review. Applied Energy, 172, 286-322. |
[19] | Liang J, Wang MJ, Lu JA, Liang JQ, Wang HB, Kuang ZG. 2013. Characteristics of sonic and seismic velocities of gas hydrate bearing sediments in the Shenhu area, northern South China Sea. Natural Gas Industry, 33(7), 29-35. |
[20] | Liu CS, Schnurle P, Wang YS, Chung SH, Chen SC, Hsiuan TH. 2006. Distribution and characters of gas hydrate offshore of southwestern Taiwan. Terrestrial Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, 17(4), 615-644. |
[21] | Makogon YF, Holditch SA, Makogon TY. 2007. Natural gas hydrates-A potential energy source for the 21st Century. Journal of Petroleum Science & Engineering, 56(1-3), 14-31. |
[22] | Moridis GJ, Kowalsky MB, Pruess K. 2007. Depressurization-Induced Gas Production From Class 1 Hydrate Deposits. SPE Journal of Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, 10(5), 458-481. |
[23] | Sauter EJ, Muyakshin SI, Charlou JL, Schlüter M, Boetius A, Jerosch K, Damm E, Foucher JP, Klages M. 2006. Methane discharge from a deep-sea submarine mud volcano into the upper water column by gas hydrate-coated methane bubbles. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 243(3-4), 354-365. |
[24] | Schoderbek D, Boswell R. 2011. IġnIk Sikumi #1, Gas Hydrate test Well, Successfully Installed on the Alaska North slope. Fire in the Ice, Methane Hydrate Newsletter, 11(1), 1-5. |
[25] | Shi HS, He M, Zhang LL, Yu QH, Pang X, Zhong ZH, Liu LH. 2014. Hydrocarbon geology, accumulation pattern and the next exploration strategy in the eastern Pearl River Mouth basin. China Offshore Oil and Gas, 26(3), 11-22. |
[26] | Sloan ED. 1990. Clathrate Hydrates of Natural Gases. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. |
[27] | Sloan ED, Koh CA. 2008. Clathrate Hydrates of Natural Gases, Third Edition. New York: CRC Press. |
[28] | Su PB, Liang JQ, Sha ZB, Fu SY. 2014. Gas Sources Condition of Gas Hydrate Formation in Shenhu Deep Water Sea Zone. Journal of Southwest Petroleum University: Scicence & Technology Edition, 36(2), 1-8. |
[29] | Wang JL, Liang JQ, Zong X, Gong YH, Wan TH. 2015. Differentiated distribution of methane hydrate in the Shenhu Area of the northern South China Sea and controlling factors. Marine Geology Frontiers, 31(1), 24-30. |
[30] | Yang SX, Liang JQ, Lu JA, Qu CW, Liu B. 2017. New understandings on the characteristics and controlling factors of gas hydrate reservoirs in the Shenhu area on the northern slope of the South China Sea. Earth Science Frontiers, 24(4), 1-14. |
[31] | Zhang XH, Lu XB, Liu LL. 2014. Advances in natural gas hydrate recovery methods. Progress in Geophysics (in Chinese), 29(2), 858-869. |
[32] | Zhang W, Bai FL, Shao MJ, Tian QN. 2017. Progress of offshore natural gas hydrate production tests in Japan and implications. Marine Geology & Quaternary Geology, 37(5), 27-33. |
[33] | Zhu WQ, Liang JS, Guo G, Ding L, Hao JR, Yu KP. 2014. Main control factors and models of hydrocarbon migration-accumulation in Xijiang major sag, Pearl River Mouth basin. China Offshore Oil and Gas, 26(6), 14-20. |
[34] | Zhu YH. 2017. Land field gas hydrate resources exploration and trial production obtains a series of achievements. News Letters of China Geological Survey, 3(19), 1-5. |
Structural units in the northern SCS and the location of NGH production test area (modified from Yang SX et al., 2017).
Thicknesses of NGH of W11-17 deposit in Shenhu area.
Characteristics of seismic sections crossing the production test well SHSC-4 (a, b and c are described in details in section 2.3).
Logging curves of the production test well SHSC-4.
Mineralogy (a) and lithology (b) of the reservoir sediments.
The cartoon of reservoir from global production test deposits.
Grain size features of one sample from produced water.
Diagram showing the process of inhibition of the secondary formation of hydrate with ethylene glycol.
"Four-in-one" environmental monitoring system employed during the production test.
Picture of first NGH production test in the SCS. The production test platform 'BLUEWHALE #1' (a) and the flame from the venting gas (b).