Geomechanical issues in the exploitation of natural gas hydrate

As a clean fossil fuel with great reserves, natural gas hydrate (NGH) is widely regarded as an important future alternative energy source. NGH is widely distributed in onshore tundra and shallow sedimentary layers in the deep sea. These sedimentary layers typically exit shallow burial depth, poor diagenesis and low strength characteristics; moreover, the decomposition of NGH can also greatly reduce reservoir strength. Therefore, NGH development can easily causes many geomechanical problems, including reservoir instability, sand production and seabed landslides, etc., which may further trigger a series of environmental disasters such as tsunamis, natural gas leakage and the acceleration of global warming. This study mainly reviews the research progress regarding geomechanical issues in NGH development, including mechanical properties of NGH-bearing sediments, borehole stability, hydraulic fracturing, sand production, reservoir settlement and seabed landslides. In addition to previous research achievements regarding geomechanical problems in NGH exploitation, the limitations and challenges are also discussed, and several questions and insightful suggestions are put forward for future research from our point of view.