Geology topics

T. Collett

Publications and source records attributed to T. Collett.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2009

Occurrence of gas hydrate in Oligocene Frio sand: Alaminos Canyon Block 818: Northern Gulf of Mexico

A unique set of high-quality downhole shallow subsurface well log data combined with industry standard 3D seismic data from the Alaminos Canyon area has enabled the first detailed description of a concentrated gas hydrate accumulation within sand in the Gulf of Mexico. The gas hydrate occurs within very fine grained, immature volcaniclastic sands of the Oligocene Frio sand. Analysis of well data acquired from the Alaminos Canyon Block 818 #1 ("Tigershark") well shows a total gas hydrate occurrence 13??m thick, with inferred gas hydrate saturation as high as 80% of sediment pore space. Average porosity in the reservoir is estimated from log data at approximately 42%. Permeability in the absence of gas hydrates, as revealed from the analysis of core samples retrieved from the well, ranges from 600 to 1500 millidarcies. The 3-D seismic data reveals a strong reflector consistent with significant increase in acoustic velocities that correlates with the top of the gas-hydrate-bearing sand. This reflector extends across an area of approximately 0.8??km 2 and delineates the minimal probable extent of the gas hydrate accumulation. The base of the inferred gas-hydrate zone also correlates well with a very strong seismic reflector that indicates transition into units of significantly reduced acoustic velocity. Seismic inversion analyses indicate uniformly high gas-hydrate saturations throughout the region where the Frio sand exists within the gas hydrate stability zone. Numerical modeling of the potential production of natural gas from the interpreted accumulation indicates serious challenges for depressurization-based production in settings with strong potential pressure support from extensive underlying aquifers.

Marine and Petroleum Geology↗

USGS2009

Geomechanical response of permafrost-associated hydrate deposits to depressurization-induced gas production

In this simulation study, we analyzed the geomechanical response during depressurization production from two known hydrate-bearing permafrost deposits: the Mallik (Northwest Territories, Canada) deposit and Mount Elbert (Alaska, USA) deposit. Gas was produced from these deposits at constant pressure using horizontal wells placed at the top of a hydrate layer (HL), located at a depth of about 900??m at the Mallik site and 600??m at the Mount Elbert site. The simulation results show that general thermodynamic and geomechanical responses are similar for the two sites, but with substantially higher production and more intensive geomechanical responses at the deeper Mallik deposit. The depressurization-induced dissociation begins at the well bore and then spreads laterally, mainly along the top of the HL. The depressurization results in an increased shear stress within the body of the receding hydrate and causes a vertical compaction of the reservoir. However, its effects are partially mitigated by the relatively stiff permafrost overburden, and compaction of the HL is limited to less than 0.4%. The increased shear stress may lead to shear failure in the hydrate-free zone bounded by the HL overburden and the downward-receding upper dissociation interface. This zone undergoes complete hydrate dissociation, and the cohesive strength of the sediment is low. We determined that the likelihood of shear failure depends on the initial stress state as well as on the geomechanical properties of the reservoir. The Poisson's ratio of the hydrate-bearing formation is a particularly important parameter that determines whether the evolution of the reservoir stresses will increase or decrease the likelihood of shear failure.

Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering↗

USGS2008

Methane hydrate formation in turbidite sediments of northern Cascadia, IODP Expedition 311

Expedition 311 of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) to northern Cascadia recovered gas-hydrate bearing sediments along a SW-NE transect from the first ridge of the accretionary margin to the eastward limit of gas-hydrate stability. In this study we contrast the gas gas-hydrate distribution from two sites drilled ~ 8??km apart in different tectonic settings. At Site U1325, drilled on a depositional basin with nearly horizontal sedimentary sequences, the gas-hydrate distribution shows a trend of increasing saturation toward the base of gas-hydrate stability, consistent with several model simulations in the literature. Site U1326 was drilled on an uplifted ridge characterized by faulting, which has likely experienced some mass wasting events. Here the gas hydrate does not show a clear depth-distribution trend, the highest gas-hydrate saturation occurs well within the gas-hydrate stability zone at the shallow depth of ~ 49??mbsf. Sediments at both sites are characterized by abundant coarse-grained (sand) layers up to 23??cm in thickness, and are interspaced within fine-grained (clay and silty clay) detrital sediments. The gas-hydrate distribution is punctuated by localized depth intervals of high gas-hydrate saturation, which preferentially occur in the coarse-grained horizons and occupy up to 60% of the pore space at Site U1325 and > 80% at Site U1326. Detailed analyses of contiguous samples of different lithologies show that when enough methane is present, about 90% of the variance in gas-hydrate saturation can be explained by the sand (> 63????m) content of the sediments. The variability in gas-hydrate occupancy of sandy horizons at Site U1326 reflects an insufficient methane supply to the sediment section between 190 and 245??mbsf. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗