Migration characteristics and geohazards risk analysis of swelling clay in clayey silt hydrate sediments

The safe and long-term hydrate production in loose clayey silt sediments with high clay content is one of the research priorities, in which the fines migration is one of the key factors. The characteristics of montmorillonite swelling and dispersion make its migration behavior more challenging, which causes the evolution of reservoir seepage properties and potential geohazards risk cannot be predict. The migration behavior of montmorillonite induced by pore water was investigated, and discusses its potential impact on the geomechanical properties of the reservoir. The results show that the combined effects of montmorillonite swelling, which creates favorable conditions for blockage, and migration, which exacerbates permeability decline, make montmorillonite have a much greater effect on seepage characteristics in clayey silt sediments than illite. Higher montmorillonite content and low salinity increase the particle concentration in the pore water, which creates a source of particles for blockage. The low reynolds number indicates that the particles mainly detach from the pore wall with rolling in laminar flow and the lifting force can be neglected. As a result of this combined effect, the montmorillonite is more likely to readsorb and block the pore throat with bridging. This work will help to understand the migration behavior of montmorillonite in clayey silt formations with low permeability, which needs to be paid attention to when formulating gas production schemes and safety control strategies.