Risk Prediction of Gas Hydrate Formation in the Wellbore and Subsea Gathering System of Deep-Water Turbidite Reservoirs: Case Analysis from the South China Sea

The low temperatures in the deepwater area are associated with a high risk of hydrate formation and flowline blockages in the wellbore and pipelines during the long-term development of gas reservoirs. The occurrence of this risk is required to be prevented and controlled to facilitate the safe and efficient development of offshore gas reservoirs. In this study, a numerical model was developed and solved to calculate the temperature and pressure distributions within wellbore and gathering system, and its applicability was evaluated. The comparison with experimental results verifies that the model is appropriate for predicting temperature and pressure distributions in the wellbore and gathering system during gas…