Poroelastic wave propagation modelling of gas hydrate-bearing sediment based on tomographic microstructure data

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Michael Kersten; Professor Dr. Werner F. Kuhs
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: from 2011 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 191555393

• Final Report Year: 2016

Final Report Abstract

Durch die fruchtbare Zusammenführung der Gashydrat-Expertise der Göttinger Gruppe um Prof. Kuhs, der Tomographie-Expertise der Mainzer Gruppe um Prof. Kersten sowie der gesteinsphysikalischen Expertise der Bochumer Gruppe um Prof. Saenger ist es gelungen, langjährig offene Fragen des poroelastischen Verhaltens von Gashydraten in einer sedimentären Matrix erfolgreich anzugehen. So konnte erstmals ein „Squirt-flow“-Verhalten als Ursache der elastischen Dämpfung seismischer Wellen durch den Nachweis dünner Wasserfilme zwischen Gashydrat und Quarzkörnern experimentell begründet werden. Unsere mikro-tomographischen Ergebnisse bilden mittlerweile die Grundlage weitergehender Untersuchungen des poroelastischen Verhaltens, die weltweit unternommen werden, um den Gashydratgehalt von Sedimenten am Meeresboden mittels seismischer Untersuchungen zu quantifizieren. Das entwickelte CSD-Bestimmungs-Verfahren stellt eine nahezu unerlässliche Brücke zwischen den Laboruntersuchungen an GH/Sediment-Verbünden und der Realität am Meeresboden dar, erlaubt es doch die quantitative Beschreibung von Reifungsvorgängen der Gashydrat-Kristallite – langfristig möglicherweise sogar die Bestimmung des Bildungsalters von natürlichen Gashydraten aus dem Reifungsgrad polykristalliner natürlicher GH-Aggregate.

Publications

• (2013): Microtomographic Quantification of Hydraulic Clay Mineral Displacement Effects During a CO2 Sequestration Experiment with Saline Aquifer Sandstone. Environ. Sci. Technol., 2013, 47(1), 198-204
  Sell K., Enzmann F., Kersten M. & Spangenberg E.
  
• 2013: Direct Observation of gas hydrate formation in a sedimentary matrix on the microscale. Mineralogical Magazine, 77(5) 217. Goldschmidt Conference, August 25 2013, Florence, Italy
  Sell K., Chaouachi M., Enzmann F., Kuhs W.F., Kersten M., Pinzer B. & Saenger E.H.
  
• Analysis of 2D diffraction data for the determination of crystallite size distributions. 21st Annual Conference of the German Crystallographic Society, March 2013, Freiberg
  Neher S., Chaouachi, M., Klein, H. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• Carbon Dioxide Injection to a Saline Aquifer Sandstone: Clay Mineral Mobilization and Permeability Change. London2013 – EAGE Extended Abstracts. 75th EAGE Conference & Exhibition June 10 2013, London, UK
  Sell K., Enzmann F. Spangenberg E. and Kersten M.
  
• Direct observation of gas-hydrate formation in natural porous media on the micro-scale. AGU2013 - AGU Fall Meeting, December 9, 2013, San Francisco, CA, USA (ausgezeichnet mit einem “Outstanding Student Paper Award”)
  Chaouachi M., Sell K., Falenty A., Enzmann F., Kersten M., Pinzer B., Saenger E.H. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• Fast quantitative determination of crystallite size distributions from 2D diffraction data. 21st Annual Conference of the German Crystallographic Society, March 2013, Freiberg
  Chaouachi M., Neher, S., Stracke, S. Falenty A., Klein, H. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• On the effect of image enhancement techniques on digital rock physics results. London2013 – EAGE Extended Abstracts. 75th EAGE Conference & Exhibition June 10 2013, London, UK
  Sell K., Saenger E.H., Enzmann F. and Kersten M.
  
• Synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic images and segmentation techniques to account for effects of grain contacts and micro-cracks on rock properties. Rio2013 – SBGf Extended Abstracts. SBGf International Congress, August 27 2013, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  Sell K., Madonna, Quintal B., Frehner M., Tisato N., and Saenger E.H.
  
• Synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic images: Raw data, segmentation techniques, and their influence on estimated rock properties SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 2013, 2691-2695. SEG Annual Meeting, September 24 2013, Houston TX, USA
  Madonna C., Frehner, M., Tisato, N., Saenger, E., Sell, K., Kersten, M., and Quintal, B.
  
• Digital rock physics on synchrotron-based 3D data of hydrate-bearing sediments in natural porous media. ICGH-8-2014 ICGH 8, July 28, 2014, Beijing, China
  Sell K., Saenger E.H., Chaouachi M., Enzmann F., Pinzer B., Kuhs W.F. & Kersten M.
  
• In- Situ micro-structural studies of gas hydrate formation in sedimentary matrices. ICGH-8- 2014 ICGH 8, July 28, 2014, Beijing, China
  Chaouachi M., Sell K., Falenty A., Enzmann F., Kersten M., Haberthür D. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• In-Situ microstructural studies of gas hydrate formation in sedimentary matrices. Fiery Ice – 9th International Workshop on Methane Hydrates R&D, Hyderabad, India. 2014
  Chaouachi M., Falenty A., Sell K., Schwarz J.-O., Wolf M., Enzmann F., Kersten M., Haberthür D. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• (2015): Microstructural evolution of gas hydrates in sedimentary matrices observed with synchrotron X-ray computed tomographic microscopy. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 16, 1711-1722
  Chaouachi M., Falenty A., Sell K., Enzmann F., Kersten M., Haberthür D. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• (2015): Microstructure of hydrate-bearing sediments and determination of P-wave velocities based on high resolution synchrotron tomographic data. SEG Technical Program Expanded Abstracts 2015, pp. 3134-3139. SEG Annual Meeting, October 18 2015, New Orleans LA, USA
  Sell K., Chaouachi M., Saenger E.H., Falenty A., Enzmann F., Khan F., Schwarz J.-O., Kersten M., Kuhs W.F.
  
• Fast quantitative determination of crystallite size distributions from 2D X-ray diffraction data. ECM 2015 European Crystallographic Meeting 23rd-28th August 2015, Rovinj Croatia
  Neher S.H., Chaouachi M., Falenty, A., Klein, H. &, Kuhs W.F.
  
• In-situ determination of the evolution of the crystallite size distributions of GH-bearing sediments using twodimensional X-ray diffraction. ECM 2015 European Crystallographic Meeting 23rd-28th August 2015, Rovinj Croatia
  Chaouachi M., Neher S.H., Falenty, A. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• “Stop-and-go” in-situ tomography of dynamic processes – gas hydrate formation in sedimentary matrices. ECM 2015 European Crystallographic Meeting 23rd-28th August 2015, Rovinj Croatia
  Falenty A., Chaouachi M., Neher S.H., Sell K., Schwarz J.-O., Wolf M., Enzmann F., Kersten M., Haberthür D., Kuhs W.F.
  
• (2016): On the path to the digital rock physics of gas hydrate-bearing sediments – processing of in situ synchrotron-tomography data. Solid Earth, 7, 1243- 1258
  Sell K., Saenger E. H., Falenty A., Chaouachi M., Haberthür D., Enzmann F., Kuhs W.F. & Kersten M.
  
• (2016): Synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography study on gas hydrate decomposition in a sedimentary matrix. Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 1525-2027
  Yang L., Falenty A., Chaouachi M., Haberthür D. & Kuhs W.F.
  
• Interfacial water films observed in gas hydrate-bearing porous matrices. Interpore – First German National Chapter, 4th – 6th December 2016, Leipzig, Germany
  Sell K., Saenger E. H., Quintal B., Enzmann F. & Kersten M.