Thermal conductivity of hydrate and effective thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediment

The research on the thermal property of the hydrate has recently made great progress, including the understanding of hydrate thermal conductivity and effective thermal conductivity (ETC) of hydrate-bearing sediment. The thermal conductivity of hydrate is of great significance for the hydrate-related field, such as the natural gas hydrate exploitation and prevention of the hydrate plugging in oil or gas pipelines. In order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the research progress of the hydrate thermal conductivity and the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment, the literature on the studies of the thermal conductivity of hydrate and the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment were summarized and reviewed in this study. Firstly, experimental studies of the reported measured values and the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of hydrate were discussed and reviewed. Secondly, the studies of the experimental measurements of the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment and the effects of temperature, porosity, hydrate saturation, water saturation, thermal conductivity of porous medium, phase change, and other factors on the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment were discussed and reviewed. Thirdly, the research progress of modeling on the ETC of the hydrate-bearing sediment was reviewed. The thermal conductivity determines the heat transfer capacity of the hydrate reservoir and directly affects the hydrate exploitation efficiency. Future efforts need to be devoted to obtain experimental data of the ETC of hydrate reservoirs and establish models to accurately predict the ETC of hydrate-bearing sediment.