Laboratory-Scale Natural Gas Hydrate Extraction Numerical Simulation Under Phase Transition Effect

Phase transition in gas hydrate reservoirs has a significant effect on the fluid flow dynamic when performing test production, which should be carefully studied. This study systematically investigates the phase transition characteristics of natural gas hydrates during the depressurization extraction process through laboratory-scale numerical simulations. First, a laboratory-scale numerical simulation model is established with dimensions of 1 m × 1 m × 1 m. In the simulation, the nanoscale and microscale effect on phase transition is considered. Then, the analysis of how different sediment types and their properties affecting gas production dynamics is presented. The results show that hydrate dissociation and formation are significantly influenced by factors such as the pore scale, salinity, and water content. In particular, montmorillonite had the most significant effect, leading to a 525.25% increase in gas production, while the impact of silty soil was relatively smaller. The increase in salinity inhibited hydrate formation but promoted dissociation, resulting in a significant increase in gas production, especially when the salinity reached to 3.5%, where gas production increased by 590.21%. An increase in water content led to a significant decrease in production. Through monitoring temperature and pressure changes during the extraction process, the different physical fields are analyzed, providing important theoretical support and practical guidance for the efficient extraction of natural gas hydrates.