A Finite Element Computational Method for Gas Hydrate. Part II: Application

A finite element model has been applied to the dissociation of gas hydrates in porous media by hot water injection. In the first step, it was applied to calculate the temperature and saturation profiles for a two-phase convective heat transfer case. The second step involved hydrate thawing calculations with release of water and gas. Realistic results were obtained in predicting the temperature, pressure, and water saturation profiles in the hydrate medium with respect to time, when subjected to hot water injection at high pressure in a wellbore. Furthermore, the thaw front progression calculated by this scheme exhibits stable and satisfactory behavior with respect to time.