Project “The Integrated Experimental System for Simulation of Three Dimensional Natural Gas Hydrate Exploitation” (CAS Magnitude Science and Technology Apparatus Development Program- YZ20071) passed the acceptance inspection on May 27 in Guangzhou. The inspection was organized by Bureau of Planning and Finance, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Professor Xiaosen Li, who works at Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the responsible person of the project. It was all agreed by the inspection group that the system completely meets or exceeds the requirement of the project acceptance. It was also believed that the achievement has reached the international advanced level with its originality and innovation.

This is the first set of pilot scale experimental system in the world which is developed for the research of three dimensional natural gas hydrate exploitation. The effective volume of the system is 118L, its maximum operating pressure is 25MPa, and it has visualization functional module. With this system, the integrated investigations into the natural gas hydrate can be conducted, such as the formation of the hydrate reservoir, the measurements of the physical properties of the hydratereservoir, the experimental simulations of the hydrate exploitation and the geological stability of the hydrate reservoir. Specifically, it can carry out the measurements of the physical properties of natural gas reservoirs using the acoustics, electrics, mechanics, and geochemistry and geophysics methods, the experimental simulation of the formation process of the hydrate reservoir under different geological structures, and the experimental investigations of the hydrate exploitation under the complicated well conditions using the depressurization, the heat stimulation, the chemical inhibitor stimulation, the carbon dioxide replacement, the combination methods and the novel methods for the hydrate exploitation. Moreover, with the experimental results of this system in conjunction with the similarity theory, the field parameters of the hydrate reservoir in the deep oceans and in the permafrost such as the gas production rates, the hydrate dissociation rates and the energy efficiency can be predicted.

The scale of the system is the largest in the world and it has the advanced testing and controlling means with the multi functions. It not only can be applied for theresearchesin the schematic designs of the exploitation of natural gas hydrate, but also is a shared experimental platform with the modularized design which is suitable for other natural gas hydrate researches.

It is a unique integrated experimental system in China that is specially designed for the simulation of the three dimensional natural gas hydrate exploitation.the successful development of this system is a pioneering achievement in the world, and it indicates that the levels and the achievements of the natural gas hydrate scientific research in China have reached a new phase in the world, which is going to provide an important basis and technology support for the comprehensive utilization of natural gas hydrate resources and the design of the hydrate commercial production platform offshore or onshore. It is of great significance to the hydrate exploitation research in China.