Experimental characterizations and modeling of electrical resistance in hydrate bearing sediments

Electrical resistance is an important method in characterization of oil/gas reservoirs, and can also be applied to gas hydrate bearing formations. Formation of gas hydrate has many significant impacts on subsea sediments. Since electric ions are excluded in hydrate, hydrate formation can change the distribution and mobility of electrolytes in subsea sediments, which will affect the resistance of the sand matrix. In this study, experiments have been conducted to measure resistance in a large sand pack simulating the conditions of hydrate formation in sub sea sediments. The resistance of the sand matrix with various hydrate saturations is measured, and the results are discussed based on the Archie´s formulas for rocks. The effect of gas hydrate is revealed. The data presented in this paper can be used for the characterizations of the porosity and hydrate saturation in hydrate bearing subsea sediments during well logging.