Deformation characteristics of grain-displacing GH-bearing sediments

Gas hydrates are widespread, occurring in both permafrost sediments and deep marine sediments on the world's continental margins where the pressure and temperature conditions are within the gas hydrate equilibrium conditions. The large amounts of gas hydrate reserves suggest the potential of gas hydrates as an energy resource if economically viable production methods were developed. The proper characterization of the physical property and the behavior of gas hydrate-bearing sediments during gas production from gas hydrate deposits are crucial for the efficient and safe gas production from gas hydrate deposits. Pore-filling hydrate-bearing sands are of particular interest as energy resources, so the deformation characteristics of pore-filling hydrate-bearing sediments have extensively studied. However, the deformation characteristics in grain-displacing hydrate-bearing sediments have not been thoroughly explored so far. The deformation characteristics in grain-displacing hydrate-bearing sediments are explored in this study using the properties of natural gas hydrate-bearing sediments from the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Korea. The one-dimensional consolidation tests on these sediments were performed and the soil index properties were measured after the tests. The parametric study on the behavior revealed that the magnitude of deformation during consolidation is mostly governed by the compression index of sediments, gas hydrate saturation, and morphology of hydrates.