(324c) Simulation of Hydrate Dissociation in Porous Media in Cylindrical Coordinate

This paper describes an axisymmetric model for hydrate dissociation in porous media by depressurization method. A production well of radius of 0.1m is assumed to exist and the gas pressure at the production well is constant during the simulation. A moving dissociation front which separates the total simulation zone into two zones is used. The location of the dissociation moving front expands forward with time. The convective-conductive heat transfer and mass transfer in the gas and hydrate zone together with the energy balance at the moving front are analyzed. The system of governing equations is transformed into new coordinate using a coordinate transformation method. Then the numerical method of lines is used to discretize the governing equations after coordinate transformation. Distributions of temperature and pressure for different well pressure and reservoir temperature are presented. It is shown that the speed of the moving front and the gas production rate are sensitive function of the well pressure and the reservoir temperature.