{"title":"Influence of salinity and electrostatic fields on CO2 hydrate formation and the interfacial quasi-liquid layer in clay nanoconfinement: A molecular dynamics study","authors":"Jie Chen, Jia-fang Xu, Zheng-cai Zhang, Ling-feng Kong, Cheng-dong Yuan, Anastasia Ivanova, Abdolreza Farhadian, Ya-hua Wang, Yuan-hang Zhang, Li-yuan Zhang, Gao-wei Hu","doi":"10.31035/cg2025183","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025183","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Marine clay reservoirs are considered ideal substrates for hydrate-based CO<sub>2</sub> capture and storage owing to their large specific surface area, high porosity and favorable adsorption capacity. Understanding the evolution mechanism of quasi-liquid layers (QLLs) and hydrate formation at clay interfaces under nanoconfinement is crucial for evaluating the spatial potential of storage matrices and enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration efficiency. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted at 250 K and 300 bar with a time step of 2 fs to investigate the effects of salinity and electrostatic fields on CO<sub>2</sub> hydrate formation and QLL thickness within montmorillonite (MMT) slit pores. Simulation results indicate that CO<sub>2</sub> hydrate nucleation and growth predominantly occur away from MMT interfaces, with elevated salinity significantly delaying nucleation onset. Dynamic salt exclusion during hydrate formation inhibits interfacial hydrate growth toward clay surfaces. Elevated salinity increases QLL thickness from 1.2 nm to 1.6 nm near isomorphic substitution surfaces and from 1.1 nm to 1.4 nm near non-substituted MMT surfaces. Notably, under seawater salinity conditions, QLL thickening demonstrates dynamic coupling with salt exclusion effects. Electrostatic fields substantially influence nucleation stochasticity and spatial distribution through electric double-layer restructuring and ion migration. QLL thickness near isomorphic substitution surfaces shows limited sensitivity to electrostatic fields, stabilizing at about 1.15 nm. Conversely, QLLs adjacent to non-substituted surfaces exhibit significant field dependence due to surface ion redistribution, with thickness increasing to 1.55 nm at an applied field of 0.3 V/nm before reaching a plateau. These molecular-scale insights into salinity and electrostatic effects on hydrate formation and interfacial QLL evolution provide critical references for optimizing clay-based carbon storage matrices and advancing CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 596-610"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025193
Shu-xia Li, Zhong-xue Song, Yang Guo, Gao-wei Hu, Lu Liu, Hao Sun, Ben-kui Lou, Jun-hao Liu, Zhen-hao Ren
{"title":"Geological structure controls CO2 hydrate sequestration in seafloor sediments: A numerical simulation study of anticline, syncline, and inclined reservoirs","authors":"Shu-xia Li, Zhong-xue Song, Yang Guo, Gao-wei Hu, Lu Liu, Hao Sun, Ben-kui Lou, Jun-hao Liu, Zhen-hao Ren","doi":"10.31035/cg2025193","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025193","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sequestration of CO<sub>2</sub> as hydrates in seafloor sediments is an effective method for reducing CO<sub>2</sub> emissions. However, the efficiency of CO<sub>2</sub> hydrate sequestration can be influenced by the geological structure of seafloor reservoirs. To address this, the authors numerically investigate the effects of four reservoir structures (horizontal, inclined, anticline, and syncline) and dip angle on CO<sub>2</sub> hydrate formation mass and sequestration security. The results show that different geological structures alter the temperature distribution within the reservoir, thereby modifying the stability zone of CO<sub>2</sub> hydrates. At a dip angle of 30°, the hydrate formation mass (<em>F</em><sub>hyd</sub>) in the inclined, anticline, and syncline structures changes by –19.12%, +6.60%, and –7.19%, respectively, relative to the horizontal structure (baseline: 342×10<sup>6</sup> kg). The distance from the top of the CO<sub>2</sub> hydrate cap to the seafloor mudline (<em>D</em><sub>H</sub>), a key security indicator, varies significantly: Compared to 25 m in the horizontal structure, <em>D</em><sub>H</sub> changes by +160%, –20%, and +20% for the inclined, anticline, and syncline structures, respectively. As the dip angle increases, <em>F</em><sub>hyd</sub> in the anticline structure increases while D<sub>H</sub> decreases. In contrast, <em>F</em><sub>hyd</sub> decreases and <em>D</em><sub>H</sub> increases in both the inclined and syncline structures. The temperature variation across structures is a key factor influencing <em>F</em><sub>hyd</sub>, while permeability is a major factor affecting the safety of CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration. Therefore, if <em>F</em><sub>hyd</sub> is the sequestration objective, the anticline structure is the optimal reservoir. If <em>D</em><sub>H</sub> is the objective, the inclined structure is the best reservoir. These findings provide critical insights for site selection in marine CO<sub>2</sub> hydrate sequestration projects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 635-651"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025273
Zhen-wei Guo, Jun Lei, Bo-chen Wang, Yan-yi Wang, Yan-jun Chen, Jian-xin Liu
{"title":"Deep learning framework with hybrid loss function for seismic velocity inversion of natural gas hydrate reservoirs","authors":"Zhen-wei Guo, Jun Lei, Bo-chen Wang, Yan-yi Wang, Yan-jun Chen, Jian-xin Liu","doi":"10.31035/cg2025273","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural gas hydrate (NGH) has attracted increasing attention as a promising unconventional energy resource owing to its high volumetric storage capacity, yet its development is accompanied by significant greenhouse gas risks. Therefore, accurate reservoir characterization is vital for marine resource exploration and sustainable development. Full waveform inversion (FWI) offers high-resolution imaging, yet suffers from heavy computation, sensitivity to initial models and non-uniqueness. Recent deep learning (DL) methods improve efficiency and accuracy, nevertheless, still struggle with clear boundary extraction and multi-level semantic representation. The authors propose a novel deep architecture (SC-UNeXt) designed to learn a mapping from seismic records to velocity models, which integrates a U-Net backbone, ConvNeXt residual blocks, spatial-channel squeeze-and-excitation attention and pixel shuffle up-sampling. Furthermore, a hybrid loss integrating mean squared error, multi-scale structural similarity, and perceptual discrepancy simultaneously optimizes pixel-wise accuracy, structural fidelity, and semantic consistency. Comprehensive tests on both synthetic NGH data and the 3D SEG/EAGE marine overthrust model with NGH demonstrate that SC-UNeXt outperforms FWI and advanced DL methods in boundary delineation, structural preservation, noise robustness, and computational efficiency. These results highlight SC-UNeXt as a reliable tool for high-resolution seismic characterization of NGH reservoirs, thereby supporting sustainable exploration and risk assessment of marine hydrate resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 502-518"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025305
Renat Shakirov, Vladimir Luchin, Evgeniya Petrova, Neng-you Wu, Tian-tian Sun, Yi-zhao Wan
{"title":"Upper boundary variation of the gas hydrate stability zone in the Sea of Okhotsk: Error assessment and climate change scenarios based on 131286 oceanographic stations (1929–2020)","authors":"Renat Shakirov, Vladimir Luchin, Evgeniya Petrova, Neng-you Wu, Tian-tian Sun, Yi-zhao Wan","doi":"10.31035/cg2025305","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gas hydrate (GH) dissociation and its interaction with global warming represent a critical yet poorly constrained climate feedback. This study aims to quantify the instrumental and methodological errors in estimating the upper boundary of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) in the Sea of Okhotsk and to assess how this boundary shifts under various global warming scenarios, thereby evaluating the thermal stability of known GH accumulations in the region. A total of 131286 oceanographic stations (1929–2020) from multiple data centers were compiled and quality-controlled; the upper GHSZ boundary was computed using the Dickens GR and Quinby-Hunt MS phase equilibrium equation for a pure methane–seawater system (100% CH<sub>4</sub>, S = 33.5‰) on a 0.35°×0.55° trapezoidal grid, with comprehensive observational errors quantified as three standard deviations within each grid cell, and five warming scenarios (1°C–5°C) applied to full-depth temperature profiles at 22 representative deep-water nodes. The total observational error in upper GHSZ boundary depth is approximately ±25 m, distributed randomly with no dependence on data density or location; each 1°C of warming causes a downward shift of about 40 m, and the boundary of the zone lacking thermobaric conditions for GH formation extends to a maximum isobath of about 170 m under the most extreme scenario considered. Critically, known GH accumulations in the Sea of Okhotsk are not threatened by thermal dissociation even under a conservative 1°C/100 a warming sustained for 300 years or a rapid 3°C warming over 100 years, consistent with global simulations and regional vessel-based observations. These findings provide essential GHSZ boundary constraints for numerical modeling of hydrate–climate interactions, support quantitative assessment of GH sensitivity to environmental changes, and inform hydrate exploration and methane seep monitoring across marginal seas of the western Pacific.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 445-455"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025142
Jiang Bian, Hu-cheng Bai, Xue-wen Cao, Hong-chao Wang, Bo Yu
{"title":"Impact of environmental variables on hydrate formation kinetics in porous media systems and their contribution to CO2 capture and storage","authors":"Jiang Bian, Hu-cheng Bai, Xue-wen Cao, Hong-chao Wang, Bo Yu","doi":"10.31035/cg2025142","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Global dependence on fossil fuels has led to escalating atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions. The consecutive greenhouse effect poses a serious threat to the human habitat, rendering carbon dioxide abatement a key focus in contemporary research. Hydrate-based CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration offers a promising pathway for carbon capture and storage, though its efficiency is strongly influenced by pressure, salinity, and sediment properties. In this study, the kinetic characteristics and occurrence states of CO<sub>2</sub> hydrates in porous media were systematically investigated under varying pressures (3.0-3.6 MPa), NaCl concentrations (0-3.5%), and sediment types (quartz sand vs kaolinite). Results reveal a non-linear pressure dependence—gas storage capacity increases by 16.3% as pressure rises from 3.0 MPa to 3.3 MPa, but diminishes to 9.4% with further increase to 3.6 MPa. NaCl exhibits dual inhibitory effects: Thermodynamically shifting the phase equilibrium leftward in the <em>P-T</em> domain and kinetically suppressing growth, with 3.5% NaCl systems exhibiting persistently slow hydrate formation. Sediment type also plays a critical role, as kaolinite’s low-permeability clay structure substantially impedes hydrate formation compared to quartz sand while altering hydrate distribution patterns. Understanding the interplay between pressure-driven efficiency gains and inhibitor-mediated stability control across diverse geological environments is essential for optimizing hydrate-based CO<sub>2</sub> storage strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 611-623"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025196
Su Zheng, Yi-fan Wu, Neng-you Wu
{"title":"Dynamic accumulation of gas hydrates in the Shenhu area, northern South China Sea: A two-stage evolution model constrained by temporally varying fluid flow","authors":"Su Zheng, Yi-fan Wu, Neng-you Wu","doi":"10.31035/cg2025196","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gas hydrates occurring within the Pleistocene sediments of the Shenhu area, South China Sea, represent a dynamically evolving accumulation inherited from an “ancient” hydrate system. A hydrate-enriched layer with a maximum saturation of 48% is present near the base of the current gas-hydrate stability zone (GHSZ), above which hydrate saturation rapidly declines to nearly zero. This sharp transition cannot be explained by the previously estimated slow and nearly constant aqueous flow rate for the Pleistocene sediments. Geological evidence indicates that a substantial reduction in fluid flow occurred during the Early Pleistocene. To explore this process, the authors develop a coupled fluid–heat flow numerical model to simulate the dynamic evolution of the Shenhu hydrate system under temporally varying water-flow conditions. The model incorporates both the burial of “ancient” hydrates through sedimentation and the formation of “new” hydrates in younger deposits. Simulations with time-dependent flow rates can successfully reproduce the observed hydrate distribution in the Shenhu area. Under present sedimentation and fluid-flow conditions, the burial and dissociation of “ancient” hydrates beneath the GHSZ greatly outpace the formation of “new” hydrates within it, resulting in a continuous decline in the total hydrate inventory over time. These findings offer new insights into the long-term evolution of natural hydrate systems and have important implications for <em>in-situ</em> hydrate resource assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 456-467"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025061
Jin-xiu Yang, Chen Wang, Ang Li, Yong Zhang, Li Zhao, Kun-yi Liu
{"title":"Gas sources of marine gas hydrate systems and the critical role of fluid migration pathways in gas hydrate formation","authors":"Jin-xiu Yang, Chen Wang, Ang Li, Yong Zhang, Li Zhao, Kun-yi Liu","doi":"10.31035/cg2025061","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gas hydrate systems contain large quantities of methane that may originate from biogenic, thermogenic, or mixed sources. Fluid migration pathways, including gas chimneys, faults, inclined permeable strata and diapirs, are critical for transporting thermogenic gases at depth into gas hydrate systems in shallow subsurface. However, the role of these pathways in hydrate accumulation, particularly in systems dominated by biogenic or mixed gases, remains poorly investigated. This study integrates global case analyses of geochemical indicators of gas origin and geophysical signatures revealing spatial relationships between hydrate systems and migration conduits. Numerical modeling of hydrate accumulation history in the Gulf of Mexico Basin and the Qiongdongnan Basin further has been carried out. Results show that regardless of gas origin, <em>in-situ</em> biogenic gas alone is insufficient to form medium- to high-concentration gas hydrate. Fluid migration pathways are necessary for providing allochthonous gas. Generally, this study provides insights into the formation history of gas hydrate system and indicates that fluid migration pathways play a pivotal role in the formation of favorable gas hydrate systems, irrespective of whether the gas source is biogenic, thermogenic, or mixed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 468-488"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025257
Meng Xu, Ya-chen Xie, Le Zhao, Ling Chen, Chao Yuan, Jia-liang Chen, Cheng-hang Fu, Han Wu, Gui-kang Liu, Ming-zhu Qi, Ming Zhang, He-ping Xie
{"title":"Temperature-driven hydrate dissociation in pressure-preserved coring: A fully coupled modeling study with burst-decay kinetics","authors":"Meng Xu, Ya-chen Xie, Le Zhao, Ling Chen, Chao Yuan, Jia-liang Chen, Cheng-hang Fu, Han Wu, Gui-kang Liu, Ming-zhu Qi, Ming Zhang, He-ping Xie","doi":"10.31035/cg2025257","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural gas hydrate (NGH) extreme thermodynamic sensitivity poses challenges for pressure-preserved coring operations in reservoir evaluation and commercial development. Current preservation strategies employing “pressure-only” approaches fail to address temperature-induced instability, leading to sample degradation and compromised geological characterization. This study investigates temperature-pressure synergistic preservation mechanisms using fully coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) numerical simulation of hydrate cores from the Shenhu area, South China Sea. Numerical modeling incorporating hydrate dissociation kinetics, multiphase fluid dynamics, and heat/mass transfer processes reveals that temperature variations trigger cascading destabilization mechanisms. Results demonstrate that temperature field evolution follows exponential growth patterns, generating steep radial gradients up to 35 K/cm that induce pressure surges from 0.11 MPa to 0.82 MPa, establishing positive feedback loops destabilizing hydrate structures. Hydrate dissociation kinetics conform to Kim-Bishnoi laws, exhibiting “S-shaped decay” patterns with 2 times rate acceleration under elevated temperatures, reducing dissociation completion times from 1200 s to 600 s. The investigation identifies “threshold effects” in relative permeability evolution, where growth exceeding three orders of magnitude occurs when hydrate saturation drops below 0.15–0.2, transforming core hydraulic properties. Multiphase fluid migration transitions from diffusive regimes (0–0.4×10<sup>−3</sup> m/s) to explosive patterns (1×10<sup>−3</sup>–1.25×10<sup>−3</sup> m/s), exhibiting “burst-decay” kinetics that compromise sample integrity through rapid methane release and pore structure reconstruction. The study establishes quantitative criteria for developing temperature-pressure synergistic preservation technologies, with numerical results indicating potential sample quality loss reduction of 60%–80%.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 535-552"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
China GeologyPub Date : 2026-07-01Epub Date: 2026-08-14DOI: 10.31035/cg2025157
Cong Li, Na Wei, Hai-tao Li, Shou-wei Zhou, Lie-hui Zhang, Jin-zhou Zhao, Björn Kvamme, Zhong-xia Wang, Di Nie, Qing He, Jun Wang, Zhi-hao Xia, Yu Qin
{"title":"Multi-gas co-production from deep-water shallow hydrates and underlying free gas: A numerical study of coupled production dynamics and secondary hydrate formation","authors":"Cong Li, Na Wei, Hai-tao Li, Shou-wei Zhou, Lie-hui Zhang, Jin-zhou Zhao, Björn Kvamme, Zhong-xia Wang, Di Nie, Qing He, Jun Wang, Zhi-hao Xia, Yu Qin","doi":"10.31035/cg2025157","DOIUrl":"10.31035/cg2025157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The co-occurrence of marine gas hydrates, shallow gas, and deep oil and gas has been widely recognized, offering favorable conditions for integrated resource development. This study aims to explore the coupled production dynamics of shallow gas hydrates and underlying free gas to support the industrialization of marine natural gas hydrate resources. A productivity prediction model for the combined extraction of hydrate and underlying gas is developed, integrating multi-physics coupling mechanisms. Using logging data from two test wells in the Qiongdongnan Basin, a short-term physical model is constructed to simulate and predict production performance. Results show that: (1) The average wellhead gas production rate increases significantly with a linear relationship to the production pressure differential; (2) pressure propagation differs notably between hydrate and free gas layers, with a distinct low-temperature zone forming near the wellbore in the hydrate-bearing layer; (3) free gas migration results in a high-saturation gas zone near the hydrate-gas interface, and elevated pressure differentials can trigger secondary hydrate formation; and (4) during short-term testing, hydrate decomposition is limited, with most gas production sourced from the underlying gas layer. By adjusting production pressure or controlling wellbore temperature, hydrate decomposition and reformation can be balanced to optimize recovery efficiency. This study highlights a novel multi-gas co-production approach and provides a theoretical basis for sustainable deepwater hydrate development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":45329,"journal":{"name":"China Geology","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 567-583"},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148746678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}