Application of ERTto Hydrate Monitoring: TakeIce as Substitute

As a visual testing method on core-scale, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has a promising application in the simulation experiment for gas hydrate accumulation and exploitation. So far, there have been few literatures on natural gas hydrate (NGH) synthesis process using ERT as a tool in this part of the world. Using the NGH ERT test system and taking ice as substitute to observe the process of ice forming and-melting, this paper discussed the application of ERT to gas hydrate visual simulation. The results show that the ERT could efficiently monitor the formation and dissolution of ice within the sediment system as well as the distribution of ice in the pores of sediments. The distribution of the conductivities of the sediment system in the process of ice forming and melting is affected by temperature, pore connectivity and salinity, and desalting has obvious influence on the non-uniform distribution of conductivity. The conclusion of this study is of significance to further application of ERT to NGH test.