Fluid flow behavior and deformation characteristics of methane hydrate-bearing sediments

Accuracy of production estimates and the risk of geological hazards are two main concerns that currently impede the development of gas hydrate reservoirs. The understanding of fluid flow in hydrate-bearing sediments is crucial to the accurate estimation of production and is critically influenced by lithology and hydrate saturation. The thesis covers these factors by studying the production behavior of different classes of reservoirs and different permeability-reduction models. The stress-strain constitutive equation of hydrate-bearing sediments plays a vital role in risk assessment. Therefore, a constitutive model was developed from first principles which was successful in capturing the characteristic strain-softening behavior.