Permeability and Compressibility of “Seal” Sediment Overlying the B1 Sand Gas Hydrate Reservoir: Hydrate 02 Geo Data Well, Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope
- 1U.S. Geological Survey , , ,
- 2National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) , ,
Abstract
An important element in evaluating the viability of extracting methane from a gas hydrate-bearing reservoir is establishing the effectiveness of the overlying bounding sediment as a seal to prevent gas loss, to enable effective depressurization, and to prevent fluid from entering the reservoir during production. This laboratory study presents results for index properties (e.g., grain density, grain size, and liquid limit), compressibility and swelling indices, and permeability measurements on sediment overlying the gas hydrate-bearing reservoir that was the target of the recent JOGMEC-DOE-USGS collaborative gas hydrate production testing project on the Alaska North Slope (ANS). Sediment analyzed in this study was collected during pressure coring operations in the HYDRATE 02 Geo Data Well (GDW). The ∼6.1 m sediment interval recovered in Cores 13P and 14P (878.74–884.88 m measured depth, MD) exhibited heterogeneous sedimentologic characteristics at the centimeter scale, with sediments ranging from clay to thin silty-sand lithologies. Permeability measurements and index-property correlations indicate the interval’s overall in situ vertical permeability ranges from 0.2 to 3.6 microdarcy (μD). Results for compressibility (CC = 0.255 ± 0.02) and swelling index (CS = 0.04 ± 0.01) are consistent with estimates based on mineralogy and liquid limit correlations. Based on the measured compressibility, the ∼3 MPa increase in effective stress during the stable phase of depressurization-induced production is anticipated to have imposed 2.43 cm of compaction per meter in the reservoir overburden, reducing permeability by ∼36%. The overburden sediment’s low in situ permeability (3 to 4 orders of magnitude below permeabilities measured in the gas hydrate-bearing part of the B1 sand (unit B)) suggests the B1 sand′s overburden provides an effective seal. Such a seal promotes efficient production by limiting fluid flow into the reservoir during depressurization-induced gas hydrate dissociation.
Related
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- Alaska North Slope HYDRATE 02 Geo Data Well Multicomponent Inversion and NMR Log and Core Analysis of the B1 Sand Gas Hydrate Reservoir
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- Multiphysical Responses of a Gas Hydrate Reservoir to Extended-Duration Gas Production on the Alaska North Slope
- Framework-Templated Single Clathrate Hydrate Cages in Metal–Organic Frameworks
BibTeX
@article{garcia2026permeability,
title = {{Permeability and Compressibility of “Seal” Sediment Overlying the B1 Sand Gas Hydrate Reservoir: Hydrate 02 Geo Data Well, Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope}},
author = {Adrian Garcia and William F. Waite and Stephen C. Phillips and Jun Yoneda and Akihiro Hiruta and Timothy S. Collett},
journal = {Energy \& Fuels},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c04831},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c04831},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Permeability and Compressibility of “Seal” Sediment Overlying the B1 Sand Gas Hydrate Reservoir: Hydrate 02 Geo Data Well, Prudhoe Bay Unit, Alaska North Slope
AU - Adrian Garcia
AU - William F. Waite
AU - Stephen C. Phillips
AU - Jun Yoneda
AU - Akihiro Hiruta
AU - Timothy S. Collett
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/10
JO - Energy & Fuels
DO - 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c04831
UR - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.5c04831
AB - An important element in evaluating the viability of extracting methane from a gas hydrate-bearing reservoir is establishing the effectiveness of the overlying bounding sediment as a seal to prevent gas loss, to enable effective depressurization, and to prevent fluid from entering the reservoir during production. This laboratory study presents results for index properties (e.g., grain density, grain size, and liquid limit), compressibility and swelling indices, and permeability measurements on sediment overlying the gas hydrate-bearing reservoir that was the target of the recent JOGMEC-DOE-USGS collaborative gas hydrate production testing project on the Alaska North Slope (ANS). Sediment analyzed in this study was collected during pressure coring operations in the HYDRATE 02 Geo Data Well (GDW). The ∼6.1 m sediment interval recovered in Cores 13P and 14P (878.74–884.88 m measured depth, MD) exhibited heterogeneous sedimentologic characteristics at the centimeter scale, with sediments ranging from clay to thin silty-sand lithologies. Permeability measurements and index-property correlations indicate the interval’s overall in situ vertical permeability ranges from 0.2 to 3.6 microdarcy (μD). Results for compressibility (CC = 0.255 ± 0.02) and swelling index (CS = 0.04 ± 0.01) are consistent with estimates based on mineralogy and liquid limit correlations. Based on the measured compressibility, the ∼3 MPa increase in effective stress during the stable phase of depressurization-induced production is anticipated to have imposed 2.43 cm of compaction per meter in the reservoir overburden, reducing permeability by ∼36%. The overburden sediment’s low in situ permeability (3 to 4 orders of magnitude below permeabilities measured in the gas hydrate-bearing part of the B1 sand (unit B)) suggests the B1 sand′s overburden provides an effective seal. Such a seal promotes efficient production by limiting fluid flow into the reservoir during depressurization-induced gas hydrate dissociation.
SN - 0887-0624
SN - 1520-5029
ER -