We modeled and studied the permeability of methane hydrate bearing formations as a function of methane hydrate concentration by artificially varying the T2 distribution as well as using a tube-sphere model.We varied the proportion of irreducible and movable water as well as the total porosity associated with the T2 distribution and found the normalized permeability as a function of methane hydrate concentration is dependent of these variations.Using a tube-sphere model,we increased the methane hydrate concentration by randomly placing methane hydrate crystals in the pore spaces and computed the permeability using either the Schlumberger T2 relaxation time formula or a direct calculation based on Darcy＇s law assuming Poiseuille flow.Earlier experimental measurements reported in the literature show there is a methane hydrate concentration range where the permeability remains relatively constant.We found that when the Schlumberger T2 relaxation time formula is used the simulation results show a curve of normalized permeability versus methane hydrate concentration quite close to that predicted by the Masuda model with N = 15.When the permeability was directly calculated based on Darcy＇s law,the simulation results show a much higher normalized permeability and only show a trend consistent with the experimental results,i.e.,with a permeability plateau,when the methane hydrate crystals are preferentially placed in the tubes,and the higher the preferential probability,the larger the range where the permeability has a plateau.
