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Simulation Analysis of Wellhead Sinking during the Development of Weakly Consolidated Marine Hydrate Deposits with Depressurization Strategy
Research Article  ·  Published: 30 May 2026
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Reservoir Science
Volume 2, Issue 3, 2026: 203-227
Research Article Open Access

Simulation Analysis of Wellhead Sinking during the Development of Weakly Consolidated Marine Hydrate Deposits with Depressurization Strategy

by
Yanli Wang Yanli Wang 1 *
Yuanwei Sun Yuanwei Sun 1 ORCID
1 College of Petroleum Engineering, Shandong Institute of Petroleum and Chemical Technology, Dongying 257061, China
* Corresponding Author: Yanli Wang, [email protected]
Volume 2, Issue 3
Volume 2, Issue 3 2026
Received: 03 January 2026 Accepted: 18 May 2026 Published: 30 May 2026 CrossMark
Download PDF 5.92 MB Cite Metrics
DOI: 10.62762/RS.2026.527395
ARK: ark:/57805/rs.2026.527395

Article Information

Published in Reservoir Science
Volume/Issue Volume 2, Issue 3, 2026
Pages 203-227
Cited by 2 (Crossref) 1 (Scopus)

Abstract

Owing to their high calorific value and sustainable characteristics, natural gas hydrates are expected to serve as a promising alternative energy resource to conventional oil and gas in the near future. Of course, this prospect relies on the premise that hydrates can be developed in a safe and efficient manner. Hydrate-bearing sediments are highly sensitive to temperature and pressure conditions and are therefore particularly vulnerable to disturbances induced by production operation, which may result in challenges such as wellhead instability. In this study, the physical parameters of artificially prepared hydrate-bearing sediments were experimentally characterized to provide a parameter foundation for the subsequent simulation-based analysis of wellhead stability. Then, the stability of the wellhead during depressurization-based hydrate development was explored through numerical simulation. Specifically, not only the evolution and underlying mechanisms of wellhead instability were discussed, but also the factors affecting wellhead stability were evaluated. The investigation has demonstrated that the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments vary not only with hydrate saturation but also exhibit pronounced stress sensitivity. Furthermore, during the long-term development of hydrate-bearing sediments, the progression of wellhead instability can be divided into three stages, each governed by distinct mechanisms, with the first two stages being predominant. Meanwhile, an increase in pressure-drawdown magnitude combined with a reduction in sediment strength can jeopardize the stability of the wellhead by decreasing the bearing capacity. This study offers technical support and theoretical guidance for the safe and efficient development of weakly consolidated hydrate reservoirs in marine environments.

Graphical Abstract

Simulation Analysis of Wellhead Sinking during the Development of Weakly Consolidated Marine Hydrate Deposits with Depressurization Strategy

Keywords

natural gas hydrate marine hydrate deposits wellhead instability depressurization strategy clean energy

Data Availability Statement

Data will be made available on request.

Funding

This work was supported without any funding.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

AI Use Statement

The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable.

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APA Style
Wang, Y., & Sun, Y. (2026). Simulation Analysis of Wellhead Sinking during the Development of Weakly Consolidated Marine Hydrate Deposits with Depressurization Strategy. Reservoir Science, 2(2), 203-227. https://doi.org/10.62762/RS.2026.527395
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TY  - JOUR
AU  - Wang, Yanli
AU  - Sun, Yuanwei
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/30
TI  - Simulation Analysis of Wellhead Sinking during the Development of Weakly Consolidated Marine Hydrate Deposits with Depressurization Strategy
JO  - Reservoir Science
T2  - Reservoir Science
JF  - Reservoir Science
VL  - 2
IS  - 3
SP  - 203
EP  - 227
DO  - 10.62762/RS.2026.527395
UR  - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/RS.2026.527395
KW  - natural gas hydrate
KW  - marine hydrate deposits
KW  - wellhead instability
KW  - depressurization strategy
KW  - clean energy
AB  - Owing to their high calorific value and sustainable characteristics, natural gas hydrates are expected to serve as a promising alternative energy resource to conventional oil and gas in the near future. Of course, this prospect relies on the premise that hydrates can be developed in a safe and efficient manner. Hydrate-bearing sediments are highly sensitive to temperature and pressure conditions and are therefore particularly vulnerable to disturbances induced by production operation, which may result in challenges such as wellhead instability. In this study, the physical parameters of artificially prepared hydrate-bearing sediments were experimentally characterized to provide a parameter foundation for the subsequent simulation-based analysis of wellhead stability. Then, the stability of the wellhead during depressurization-based hydrate development was explored through numerical simulation. Specifically, not only the evolution and underlying mechanisms of wellhead instability were discussed, but also the factors affecting wellhead stability were evaluated. The investigation has demonstrated that the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments vary not only with hydrate saturation but also exhibit pronounced stress sensitivity. Furthermore, during the long-term development of hydrate-bearing sediments, the progression of wellhead instability can be divided into three stages, each governed by distinct mechanisms, with the first two stages being predominant. Meanwhile, an increase in pressure-drawdown magnitude combined with a reduction in sediment strength can jeopardize the stability of the wellhead by decreasing the bearing capacity. This study offers technical support and theoretical guidance for the safe and efficient development of weakly consolidated hydrate reservoirs in marine environments.
SN  - 3070-2356
PB  - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA  - English
ER  -
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@article{Wang2026Simulation,
  author = {Yanli Wang and Yuanwei Sun},
  title = {Simulation Analysis of Wellhead Sinking during the Development of Weakly Consolidated Marine Hydrate Deposits with Depressurization Strategy},
  journal = {Reservoir Science},
  year = {2026},
  volume = {2},
  number = {3},
  pages = {203-227},
  doi = {10.62762/RS.2026.527395},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/RS.2026.527395},
  abstract = {Owing to their high calorific value and sustainable characteristics, natural gas hydrates are expected to serve as a promising alternative energy resource to conventional oil and gas in the near future. Of course, this prospect relies on the premise that hydrates can be developed in a safe and efficient manner. Hydrate-bearing sediments are highly sensitive to temperature and pressure conditions and are therefore particularly vulnerable to disturbances induced by production operation, which may result in challenges such as wellhead instability. In this study, the physical parameters of artificially prepared hydrate-bearing sediments were experimentally characterized to provide a parameter foundation for the subsequent simulation-based analysis of wellhead stability. Then, the stability of the wellhead during depressurization-based hydrate development was explored through numerical simulation. Specifically, not only the evolution and underlying mechanisms of wellhead instability were discussed, but also the factors affecting wellhead stability were evaluated. The investigation has demonstrated that the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments vary not only with hydrate saturation but also exhibit pronounced stress sensitivity. Furthermore, during the long-term development of hydrate-bearing sediments, the progression of wellhead instability can be divided into three stages, each governed by distinct mechanisms, with the first two stages being predominant. Meanwhile, an increase in pressure-drawdown magnitude combined with a reduction in sediment strength can jeopardize the stability of the wellhead by decreasing the bearing capacity. This study offers technical support and theoretical guidance for the safe and efficient development of weakly consolidated hydrate reservoirs in marine environments.},
  keywords = {natural gas hydrate, marine hydrate deposits, wellhead instability, depressurization strategy, clean energy},
  issn = {3070-2356},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}

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CC BY Copyright © 2026 by the Author(s). Published by Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
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