Dissociation of gas hydrates coexisting with gas in natural reservoirs (Q809837)

We propose to examine the problem of the dissociation of gas hydrates coexisting with gas, but without making the assumption that the temperature is constant. As a result of this generalization the mathematical model investigated acquires new properties. It is shown that for sufficiently high permeabilities \((k\geq 10^{-16}m^ 2)\), and it is precisely this permeability range that is of practical interest, the front solution proposed by \textit{N. N. Verigin}, \textit{I. L. Khabibullin} and \textit{G. A. Khalikov} [ibid. 1980, No.1, 174-177 (1980)] does not exist. The nonexistence of the front solution follows from the fact that the corresponding distributions of the mixture temperature and phase transition temperature indicate ``superheating'' of the hydrate. In other words, the local temperature of the hydrate in the zone ahead of the dissociation front is higher than the local phase transition temperature calculated from the pressure distribution. In order to eliminate the contradiction we will use a dissociation model that takes into account dissociation of the hydrate in an extended zone. In fact, it differs from the model [(*) \textit{E. A. Bondarev} and the authors, Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 308, 575 ff. (1989)] in having three zones: a gas and water zone; a gas, hydrate, and water zone; and, moreover, a gas and hydrate zone, whereas in (*) the latter zone is missing. In the case of low permeabilities \((k<10^{-16}m^ 2)\) the front solution is noncontradictory.