Assessing the Impact of Shallow Gas Hydrate Dissociation on Structural Integrity in Deepwater Wells

Abstract Shallow gas hydrate zones are present in some deepwater fields. During production, the shallow hydrates may dissociate due to heat-up of the near wellbore formation, which can extend radially to several meters from the wellbore. This can compromise structural integrity of the well (particularly structural strings), cause subsidence, and impact subsea equipment installations. This problem is well known, and has been addressed in the literature. An enthalpy-based transient thermal simulation is required to determine the dissociation front. Further, post-dissociation formation mechanics and well integrity assessment are complex, requiring numerical approaches such as Finite Element Analyses. In this paper, we present an approach that allows a preliminary assessment of the severity of the impact of dissociation on well integrity, so that a more complex assessment may be undertaken only for severe situations. The main objectives of the preliminary assessment are: to model hydrate dissociation front and the radial extent of dissociation as a function of depth; evaluate response of formation to this dissociation; analyze mechanical response of the well to the modified mechanical properties within dissociated zone; and confirm well integrity. The paper describes the approach, and introduces two thermal metrics to assess the likely severity of the integrity impact of hydrate dissociation. Using these metrics, the need for a more detailed analysis can be determined. Further, load analysis and integrity checks of the structural strings and the wellhead that can be performed as part of the preliminary assessment are discussed. An illustrative example is used to demonstrate the approach.