2003/01/01 by W B Durham, W. B. Durham, L A Stern +3
Engineering · Environmental Science · #CO2 Sequestration and Geologic Interactions #Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis #Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
paper · doi:10.1139/p03-042
crossref issued 2003/01/01 · crossref published 2003/01/01 · crossref published-print 2003/01/01 · openalex publication_date 2003/01/01 · crossref created 2003/05/30 · crossref deposited 2025/07/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Compressional creep tests (i.e., constant applied stress) conducted on pure, polycrystalline methane hydrate over the temperature range 260287 K and confining pressures of 50100 MPa show this material to be extraordinarily strong compared to other icy compounds. The contrast with hexagonal water ice, sometimes used as a proxy for gas hydrate properties, is impressive: over the thermal range where both are solid, methane hydrate is as much as 40 times stronger than ice at a given strain rate. The specific mechanical response of naturally occurring methane hydrate in sediments to environmental changes is expected to be dependent on the distribution of the hydrate phase within the formation whether arranged structurally between and (or) cementing sediment grains versus passively in pore space within a sediment framework. If hydrate is in the former mode, the very high strength of methane hydrate implies a significantly greater strain-energy release upon decomposition and subsequent failure of hydrate-cemented formations than previously expected. PACS No.: 62.20Fe