In-situ thermal stimulation of gas hydrates

Crânganu, Constantin

doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2008.12.028

Cited by 115 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…An alternative method to thermal stimulation via hot fluid circulation may be in situ combustion of CH 4 in a counter-current heat-exchange reactor. The principle of in situ combustion as a method for thermal stimulation of hydrate bearing sediments has been introduced and discussed earlier [1,2]. The striking advantage of using thermal stimulation via in situ combustion for the gas production from natural gas hydrates is the position of the heat source: the reactor is located within the hydrate-bearing sediments, thus the heat is generated where it is needed without any losses of energy during transportation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study focusses on the thermal stimulation using a counter-current heat-exchange reactor for the in situ combustion of CH 4 . The principle of in situ combustion as a method for thermal stimulation of hydrate bearing sediments has been introduced and discussed earlier [1,2]. In this study we present the first results of several tests performed in a pilot plant scale using a counter-current heat-exchange reactor.…”

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confidence: 99%

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A Counter-Current Heat-Exchange Reactor for the Thermal Stimulation of Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

et al. 2013

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Since huge amounts of CH 4 are bound in natural gas hydrates occurring at active and passive continental margins and in permafrost regions, the production of natural gas from hydrate-bearing sediments has become of more and more interest. Three different methods to destabilize hydrates and release the CH 4 gas are discussed in principle: thermal stimulation, depressurization and chemical stimulation. This study focusses on the thermal stimulation using a counter-current heat-exchange reactor for the in situ combustion of CH 4 . The principle of in situ combustion as a method for thermal stimulation of hydrate bearing sediments has been introduced and discussed earlier [1,2]. In this study we present the first results of several tests performed in a pilot plant scale using a counter-current heat-exchange reactor. The heat of the flameless, catalytic oxidation of CH 4 was used for the decomposition of hydrates in sand within a LArge Reservoir Simulator (LARS). Different catalysts were tested, varying from diverse elements of the platinum group to a universal metal catalyst. The results show differences regarding the conversion rate of CH 4 to CO 2 . The promising results of the latest reactor test, for which LARS was filled with sand and ca. 80% of the pore space was saturated with CH 4 hydrate, are also presented in this study. The data analysis showed that about 15% of the CH 4 gas released from hydrates would have to be used for the successful dissociation of all hydrates in the sediment using thermal stimulation via in situ combustion. OPEN ACCESSEnergies 2013, 6 3003

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

A Counter-Current Heat-Exchange Reactor for the Thermal Stimulation of Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

et al. 2013

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“…Furthermore, other effects such as decreases in temperature as a result of the endothermal dissociation of hydrates affect the production rate on a long-term time scale. Cranganu, for example, calculated that a temperature drop of 33 K would be able to move the remaining hydrate into a stable state where dissociation would no longer be possible by use of pressure reduction unless heat were added [11]. In these cases a combination of depressurization techniques with the thermal stimulation may be more successful.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using ISC, the required heat is produced directly within the oil reservoir by combustion of some percentage of the oil. Recently, the use of ISC was also suggested for the stimulation of hydrate bearing sediments [11,13]. For the SAGD process, water steam is generated on the platform by oil combustion and the hot steam is injected directly into the oil reservoir to deliver the desired heat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Approaches for the Production of Hydrocarbons from Hydrate Bearing Sediments

et al. 2011

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Abstract:The presence of natural gas hydrates at all active and passive continental margins has been proven. Their global occurrence as well as the fact that huge amounts of methane and other lighter hydrocarbons are stored in natural gas hydrates has led to the idea of using hydrate bearing sediments as an energy resource. However, natural gas hydrates remain stable as long as they are in mechanical, thermal and chemical equilibrium with their environment. Thus, for the production of gas from hydrate bearing sediments, at least one of these equilibrium states must be disturbed by depressurization, heating or addition of chemicals such as CO 2 . Depressurization, thermal or chemical stimulation may be used alone or in combination, but the idea of producing hydrocarbons from hydrate bearing sediments by CO 2 injection suggests the potential of an almost emission free use of this unconventional natural gas resource. However, up to now there are still open questions regarding all three production principles. Within the framework of the German national research project SUGAR the thermal stimulation method by use of in situ combustion was developed and tested on a pilot plant scale and the CH 4 -CO 2 swapping process in gas hydrates studied on a molecular level. Microscopy, confocal Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used for in situ investigations of the CO 2 -hydrocarbon exchange process in gas hydrates and its driving forces. For the thermal stimulation a heat exchange reactor was designed and tested for the exothermal catalytic oxidation of methane. OPEN ACCESSEnergies 2011, 4 152 Furthermore, a large scale reservoir simulator was realized to synthesize hydrates in sediments under conditions similar to nature and to test the efficiency of the reactor. Thermocouples placed in the reservoir simulator with a total volume of 425 L collect data regarding the propagation of the heat front. In addition, CH 4 sensors are placed in the water saturated sediment to detect the distribution of CH 4 in the sample. These data are used for numerical simulations for up-scaling from laboratory to field conditions. This study presents the experimental set up of the large scale reservoir simulator and the reactor design. Preliminary results indicate that the catalytic oxidation of CH 4 operated as a temperature controlled, autothermal reaction in a countercurrent heat exchange reactor is a safe and promising tool for the thermal stimulation of hydrates. In addition, preliminary results from the laboratory studies on the CO 2 -hydrocarbon swapping process in simple and mixed gas hydrates are presented.

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“…Thermal stimulation techniques other than the hot-water or steam injection ones have been proposed in the literature; they are, for example, in-situ natural-gas combustion in a horizontal borehole drilled within hydrate-bearing sand [16], microwave heating [17][18][19][20] and chemical laser heating [21]. These alternative thermal-stimulation techniques are advantageous as compared to the hot-water or steam injection technique since they can generate thermal energy at the location of hydrate dissociation without suffering from the problem of heat loss from the long energy transmission line that extends from the sea surface to the seabed.…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Submarine Heat Pumps for Efficient Gas Production from Seabed Hydrate Reservoirs

2012

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This article reports our novel idea about the thermal stimulation of seabed hydrate reservoirs for the purpose of natural gas production. Our idea is to use submarine heat pumps, which are to be placed near the hydrate reservoir and work to recover thermal energy from the surrounding seawater and supply it into the reservoir. Although the heat pumps need an electricity supply from the sea surface level, they can provide thermal energy which is several times that of the consumed electricity in quantity. As a consequence, the use of submarine heat pumps has a distinct thermodynamic advantage over other thermal stimulation techniques already proposed in the literature.

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In-situ thermal stimulation of gas hydrates

Cited by 115 publications

References 16 publications

A Counter-Current Heat-Exchange Reactor for the Thermal Stimulation of Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

A Counter-Current Heat-Exchange Reactor for the Thermal Stimulation of Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

New Approaches for the Production of Hydrocarbons from Hydrate Bearing Sediments

Using Submarine Heat Pumps for Efficient Gas Production from Seabed Hydrate Reservoirs

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