Methane hydrate formation in Ulleung basin under conditions of variable salinity: reduced model and experiments

Abstract

In this paper, we present a reduced model of methane hydrate formation in variable salinity conditions, with details on the equilibrium phase behavior adapted to a case study from Ulleung Basin. The model simplifies the comprehensive model considered by Liu and Flemings using common assumptions on hydrostatic pressure, geothermal gradient, and phase incompressibility, as well as a simplified phase equilibria model. The two-phase threecomponent model is very robust and efficient as well as amenable to various numerical analyses, yet is capable of simulating realistic cases. We compare various thermodynamic models for equilibria as well as attempt a quantitative explanation for anomalous spikes of salinity observed in Ulleung Basin.