The changes in the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments(GHBS) induced by gas hydrate(GH) dissociation are essential to the evaluation of GH exploration and stratum instabilities. Previous studies present substantial mechanical data and constitutive models for GHBS at a given GH saturation under the non-dissociated condition. In this paper, GHBS was formed by the gas saturated method, GH was dissociated by depressurization until the GH saturation reached different dissociation degrees. The stress–strain curves were measured using triaxial tests at a same pore gas pressure and different confining pressures. The results show that the shear strength decreases progressively by 30%–90% of the initial value with GH dissociation, and the modulus decreases by 50% –75%. Simplified relationships for the modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle with GH dissociated saturation were presented.
Gas hydrate（GH） dissociates owing to thermal injection or pressure reduction from the well in gas/oil or GH exploitation. GH dissociation leads to, for example, decreases in soil strength, engineering failures such as wellbore instabilities, and marine landslides. The FLAC3 D software was used to analyze the deformation of the soil stratum and vertical wells with GH dissociation. The effects of Young＇s modulus, internal friction angle, cohesion of the GH layer after dissociation, and the thickness of the GH layer on the deformation of soils were studied. It is shown that the maximum displacement in the whole soil stratum occurs at the interface between the GH layer and the overlayer. The deformation of the soil stratum and wells increases with decreases in the modulus, internal friction angle, and cohesion after GH dissociation. The increase in thickness of the GH layer enlarges the deformation of the soil stratum and wells with GH dissociation. The hydrostatic pressure increases the settlement of the soil stratum, while constraining horizontal displacement. The interaction between two wells becomes significant when the affected zone around each well exceeds half the length of the GH dissociation zone.
Xudong ChenXuhui ZhangXiaobing LuWei WeiYaohong Shi
