1. Thermal performance of natural gas hydrate wellbore with different insulation materials
- Author
-
Ning Wang, Hui Wang, Chunxin Ma, Binhui Zheng, Taohong Xu, Tao Liu, and Yihui Yuan
- Subjects
Materials science ,Polymers and Plastics ,Computer simulation ,Petroleum engineering ,business.industry ,Materials Science (miscellaneous) ,Clathrate hydrate ,Finite difference method ,Natural gas ,Thermal ,Materials Chemistry ,Ceramics and Composites ,Transient (oscillation) ,business ,Hydrate ,Seabed - Abstract
Huge amounts of gas hydrate exist in offshore deepwater reservoirs, whose exploration and productions depend on the development of cost-effective transport solutions. The control of temperature field in the near wellbore region is critical for preventing the regeneration of hydrate during transportation of the produced fluid. To simulate the transient process, this study develops a 2D heat transfer model for the wellbore area based on the finite difference method. The model is validated with the steady-state temperature profile and the results of numerical simulation. Four different insulation materials are employed in the simulation, and their corresponding thermal performances are evaluated and compared. It is shown that the soil on the seabed can give a certain insulation to the produced fluid in the wellbore and enhanced insulation can be obtained by adding an insulation layer. Furthermore, the model clearly illustrates that, using the micro phase change materials (MPCM) as the insulation layer, which has high energy storage potentials, the wellbore can significantly extend the fluid holding time during the shut-in process. Temperature field of the gas hydrate wellbore with different insulation materials is analyzed by established mathematical heat transfer model.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF