By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Dec. 6 -- The US Department of Energy awarded a gas hydrates research contract to exploration and production laboratory Westport Technology Center International, said Westport owner Halliburton Co.
Westport will characterize gas hydrate reservoirs and develop simulators for methane gas production from Gulf of Mexico hydrates.
The $820,000 contract will help expand knowledge of gas hydrates through laboratory experiments and computer modeling, said Halliburton.
Westport will also coordinate this knowledge into focused laboratory services and software tools for operators to use in prospect evaluation, well planning, and life-of field management processes.
"Naturally occurring hydrates may be a detriment to the development of conventional hydrocarbon resources; however, methane production from these now troublesome zones may become a new and important hydrocarbon resource for the future," said Jody Powers, president, Halliburton Energy Services.
Westport will:
-- Identify and measure petrophysical properties needed to characterize methane production from a hydrate reservoir typical of the Gulf of Mexico.
-- Quantify the effect of sediments on these petrophysical properties.
-- Develop a model to integrate lab petrophysical data to estimate reservoir and well productivity.
-- Develop a hydrate reservoir simulator by integrating the reservoir simulation and acoustic velocity models developed in this project with its in-house gas hydrate control model for deepwater drilling operations.