Smith 2005

OTC 17655
The Significance of Gas Hydrate as a Geohazard in Gulf of Mexico Exploration and

Production
M.A. Smith, W. Kou, A. Ahmed, and R. Kuzela, Minerals Management Service
Copyright 2005, Offshore Technology Conference

this province. While SWF sands generally occur at drilling
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2005 Offshore Technology Conference held in depths similar to gas hydrates, any association of these
Houston, TX, U.S.A., 2–5 May 2005.
occurrences remains unproven.
This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC Program Committee following review of
information contained in a proposal submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to Four pairs of 1,000- to 2,000-foot dedicated gas-
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
position of the Offshore Technology Conference, its officers, or members. Papers presented at hydrate wells with additional coring on an active gas-hydrate
OTC are subject to publication review by Sponsor Society Committees of the Offshore
Technology Conference. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this
mound are planned by the Department of Energy Gulf of
paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Offshore Technology Mexico Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project (JIP) at two
Conference is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to a proposal of not
more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The proposal must contain conspicuous locations this spring. Four wells in Keathley Canyon Block
acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write Librarian, OTC, P.O.
Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.
151 will be drilled through gas hydrate above a BSR with a
complete log suite and up to 30 percent core recovery. A
Abstract similar drilling program in Atwater Blocks 13 and 14 will
Although more than 1,000 exploration and development wells provide samples and information on the flanks of an active
have been drilled through the zone of hydrate stability in the seafloor hydrate mound. Results of JIP hydrate drilling and
deepwater Gulf of Mexico, gas hydrate has not been other preliminary studies will yield critical ground truth data
documented as a serious drilling hazard. Acquisition on the distribution and hazard potential of Gulf of Mexico
parameters and survey design of 3D exploration seismic are hydrates.
not optimized for shallow sediments and do not allow accurate
characterization of naturally occurring hydrate. Deep Drilling Experience in Hydrate Areas
stratigraphic test wells drilled through hydrate deposits in To date, drilling through gas hydrates has not been considered
spring 2005 will allow calibration of geophysical data and a high-risk situation. The shallow section in the zone of
provide information of the impact of hydrate drilling and hydrate stability in deep water, however, is drilled riserless as
production on seafloor stability. a large diameter hole with returns deposited on the seafloor.
Fracture gradients in these sediments are low and there is a
Introduction narrow margin between minimum and maximum mud weights
There has been considerable debate in recent years about that can be used. The deepwater conductor hole section is
drilling safety, long-term wellbore integrity, and foundation typically drilled using seawater and gel sweeps until wellbore
stability for subsea facilities during deepwater petroleum instability or shallow water flow is encountered. Weighted
operations in gas-hydrate areas. With more than 1,000 Gulf of waterbase drilling mud is then used to kill any flow or
Mexico exploration and development wells drilled through the overcome hole stability problems. In these wells it is
zone of hydrate stability, however, there are still no impossible to acquire samples of hydrated sediment and only a
documented reports of significant drilling problems associated few Measurement While Drilling log curves (gamma ray,
with gas hydrates. In most of these wells the shallow hydrate- resistivity, and PWD annular pressure) are obtained.
bearing section to at least 2,000 feet below the seafloor is
drilled riserless, and Logging While Drilling curves for the We looked at a dataset of 344 exploration wells
large-diameter shallow hole are the only available drilled since 1995 that were the first well on a deepwater
information. (>1,000 feet) block and also at least one mile from the nearest
offset well. The conductor casing (the first weight-bearing
Geohazard assessment of the entire lease block and casing string) setting depth in 89 percent of these wells was
hazards evaluation of the drillsite and associated anchor and greater than 1,000 feet below seafloor, a typical depth for
chain positions must be completed, reviewed, and approved conductor casing in shelf wells, and in 40 percent was more
before drilling. In a few cases, anomalous amplitudes, seismic than 2,000 feet below seafloor. Moreover, 20- or 22-inch
blanking, shingling, or a bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) conductor with the BOP stack, which can be set with nitrified
indicate hydrated sediment on conventional or high-resolution foam cement, was the first casing string below drive pipe in 76
seismic data, but to date shallow water flow (SWF) is the only percent of the wells. The average depth of conductor casing
deepwater geohazard with an important economic impact in was 1,848 feet below seafloor, which in most areas is near or
2 OTC 17655
below the base of the zone of hydrate stability. The next be used to generate new geomodels and synthetic seismic that
casing, typically 16-inch or smaller surface liner, was set at an will define the optimal seismic acquisition and processing
average depth of 3,462 feet but occurred as deep as 16,000 sequence for gas hydrate delineation. Reprocessed 3D pre-
feet below seafloor in some subsalt wells. stack seismic data can then be used for improved
interpretation and mapping of gas hydrate features and rock
properties in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
2500
At a small, but increasing number of Gulf of Mexico
2000 locations, an apparent bottom-simulating reflector (BSR) may
indicate the base of the hydrate stability zone. A BSR marks
1500 the transition between hydrate-bearing sediment above and
free gas below the interface. Fig. 2 provides an example of an
1000 apparent BSR in southern Green Canyon.
500
WSW ENE
0
WSW ENE
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Fig. 1. Average deepwater conductor setting depth in feet

below seafloor. BSR
The average conductor setting depth increased FAULTS
steadily from 1998 to 2002 and has decreased in the last two
BLANKING FREE GAS
years (Fig. 1). Conductor casing is deeper in greater water
depths with an average depth of 1,381 feet below seafloor in
water depths between 1,000 and 2,000 feet increasing to 2,229
feet below seafloor in water depths greater than 6,000 feet. SALT SALT
Conductor setting depth also increases in deeper wells from an
average of 1,656 below seafloor for wells with a drilling depth
below seafloor of less than 8,000 feet to 2,086 feet for wells
deeper than 16,000 feet below seafloor. Because the shallow,
potentially hydrate-bearing, section is drilled quickly,
Fig. 2. Seismic section with BSR and other gas hydrate
avoiding geohazards that are identified on 3D and high-
indicators (Depth-migrated seismic data courtesy of Unocal).
resolution seismic data such as shallow gas or potential
shallow water flow sands, the distribution and concentration of
Seismic indications of gas hydrate in areas with a BSR
sub-surface gas hydrate is poorly understood.
include:
• Reflector that crosscuts bedding reflections and
Seismic Prediction of Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate
growth faults and is parallel to the seafloor
Our understanding of the habitat of gas hydrate is constrained
by the limitation of 3D exploration seismic for imaging gas • Low-amplitude relections (blanking) above the BSR
hydrate zones. Known seismic characteristics that may and high-amplitude relections below indicating free
indicate the presence of gas hydrate in sediment include: gas, and
• Areas below hydrate with amplitude attenuation or • Reversed polarity of the BSR relative to the seafloor
“wipe out” zones reflection
• Polarity reversals near the water bottom inferface
Gulf of Mexico Gas Hydrate JIP
• Elevated P-wave velocity and variability in amplitude
In 2001, the Department of Energy sponsored a 5-year, $13
reflection characteristics in hydrate-bearing sediment
million Joint Industry Project (JIP) to develop technology and
• Shingling of relectors showing high amplitudes at characterize hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico, understand their
shallow depth, and effect on seafloor stability, and develop safe and efficient
• Seafloor hydrate mounds, mud volcanoes, and gas drilling and coring protocols. The eight member companies
chimneys are ChevronTexaco (operator), ConocoPhillips, Halliburton,
Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals Corporation, Minerals
Gas hydrate affects the elastic properties of sediment, Management Service, Reliance India Ltd, Schlumberger, and
and the combination of rock physics data, such as lithology, Total.
pore fluid, hydrate content, and pressure, with seismic
modeling will allow improvements in seismic gas hydrate Seismic modeling and analysis was done for six
characterization. A rock physics transform between elastic preliminary and detailed interpretation of two final sites was
properties and the concentration of hydrate in pore space can done by Schlumberger WesternGeco. Four pairs of 1,000- to
OTC 17655 3
2,000-foot, 8 ½” diameter holes will be drilled in the two

months before the 2005 OTC using the Uncle John semi-
submersible. The selected locations are near sampled seafloor
hydrate mounds in the vicinity of Atwater Block 14 and
Keathley Canyon Block 151. In the Keathley Canyon wells, a
BSR with typical seismic indicators will be penetrated but free
gas in an updip position will be avoided. Logs from a
standard 6 ¾” LWD assembly (GR/RES/DN/MR) will be used
to pick coring and measurement points in the offset boreholes.
The offset wells will be cored and sampled (up to 30 percent
of the first well and 10 percent of subsequent wells), and
several additional hydrate cores up to 120 feet long will be
acquired from hydrate mounds in the Atwater area (Fig. 3).
Wireline sonic logs will also be run for the offset wells.
#2
#1
Fig. 3. Enhanced seafloor rendering showing the location of

Gas Hydrate JIP wells and seafloor hydrate mounds in the
Atwater area (Courtesy of Fred Snyder, Schlumberger
WesternGeco).
Conclusions
The significance of gas hydrate as a geohazard in the Gulf of
Mexico is difficult to evaluate based on limited drilling data
and seismic indicators that have not been calibrated with
geological samples. The JIP gas hydrate wells at locations
with about 4,200 feet water depths on the flanks of known
hydrate mounds will provide ground truth data to test seismic
models, calibrate geophysical data, and characterize buried gas
hydrates as well as critical new data on the impact of hydrate
drilling and production on seafloor stability.

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OTC 17655

The Significance of Gas Hydrate as a Geohazard in Gulf of Mexico Exploration and

Copyright 2005, Offshore Technology Conference

Fig. 1. Average deepwater conductor setting depth in feet

The average conductor setting depth increased FAULTS

2,000-foot, 8 ½” diameter holes will be drilled in the two

Fig. 3. Enhanced seafloor rendering showing the location of

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