Geological reservoir and resource potential (1013 m3) of gas hydrates in the South China Sea

Abstract

A detailed understanding of the distribution and potential of natural gas hydrate (NGHs) resources is crucial to fostering the industrialization of those resources in the South China Sea, where NGHs are abundant. In this study, this study analyzed the applicability of resource evaluation methods, including the volumetric, genesis, and analogy methods, and estimated NGHs resource potential in the South China Sea by using scientific resource evaluation methods based on the factors controlling the geological accumulation and the reservoir characteristics of NGHs. Furthermore, this study compared the evaluation results of NGHs resource evaluations in representative worldwise sea areas via rational analysis. The results of this study are as follows: (1) The gas hydrate accumulation in the South China Sea is characterized by multiple sources of gas supply, multi-channel migration, and extensive accumulation, which are significantly different from those of oil and gas and other unconventional resources. (2) The evaluation of gas hydrate resources in the South China Sea is a highly targeted, stratified, and multidisciplinary evaluation of geological resources under the framework of a multi-type gas hydrate resource evaluation system and focuses on the comprehensive utilization of multi-source heterogeneous data. (3) Global NGHs resources is nx 10¹⁵ m³, while the NGHs resources in the South China Sea are estimated to be 10¹³ m³, which is comparable to the abundance of typical marine NGHs deposits in other parts of the world. In the South China Sea, the NGHs resources have a broad prospect and provide a substantial resource base for production tests and industrialization of NGHs.