Spatial evolution of CO2 storage in depleted natural gas hydrate reservoirs and its synergistic efficiency analysis

Carbon neutrality is now a common strategic target worldwide, with geological storage seen as the mainstream scheme to address CO2 emissions and the greenhouse effect. Depleted natural gas hydrate reservoirs (DNHR), with their high-pressure, low-temperature environment, could capture CO2 in the form of hydrates, being an innovative way for carbon storage. A lab-scale reactor was used in this work to simulate CO2 injection into the reservoir after gas hydrate exploitation. As expected, it was found that the low-temperature environment of the depleted reservoir at the end of gas production provided a high driving force and accelerated the rate of CO2 hydrate formation. Consequently, the maximum gas storage capacity was increased by 66% by optimizing the injection timing and reducing the gas injection flow rate to enable enough hydrate formation. Besides, the formation of CO2 hydrate in the DNHR could also help stabilize the reservoir to achieve a more efficient CH4 production and CO2 storage. This study provides a novel strategy for gas hydrate exploitation as well as subsequent geological storage of CO2 in depleted natural gas hydrate reservoirs by making full use of their favorable conditions.