Experimental study on mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments using kaolin clay
Abstract
A triaxial system is designed with a temperature range from ‑20 °C to 25 °C and a pressure range from 0 MPa to 30 MPa in order to improve the understanding of the mechanical properties of gas hydrate-bearing sediments. The mechanical properties of synthetic gas hydrate-bearing sediments (gas hydrate-kaolin clay mixture) were measured by using current experimental apparatus. The results indicate that: (1) the failure strength of gas hydrate-bearing sediments strongly depends on the temperature. The sediment's strength increases with the decreases of temperature. (2) The maximum deviator stress increases linearly with the confining pressure at a low-pressure stage. However, it fluctuates at a high-pressure stage. (3) Maximum deviator stress increases with increasing strain rate, whereas the strain-stress curve has no tremendous change until the axial strain reaches approximately 0.5%. (4) The internal friction angles of gas hydrate-bearing sediments are not sensitive to kaolin volume ratio. The cohesion shows a high kaolin volume ratio dependency.
- Publication:
-
China Ocean Engineering
- Pub Date:
- March 2011
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s13344-011-0009-6
- Bibcode:
- 2011ChOE...25..113L
- Keywords:
-
- gas hydrate;
- mechanical properties;
- marine sediment;
- triaxial testing;
- safe extraction