Laboratory visual detection on the hydrate accumulation process provides an effective and low-cost method to uncover hydrate accumulation mechanisms in nature. However, the spatial hydrate distribution and its dynamic evolutionary behaviors are still not fully understood due to the lack of methods and experimental systems. Toward this goal, we built a two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) apparatus capable of measuring spatial and temporal characteristics of hydrate-bearing porous media. Beach sand (0.05–0.85 mm) was used to form artificial methane hydrate-bearing sediment. The experiments were conducted at 1°C under excess water conditions and the ERT data were acquired and analyzed. This study demonstrates the utility of the ERT method for hydrate mapping in laboratory-scale. The results indicate that the average electrical conductivity decreases nonlinearly with the formation of the hydrate. At some special time-intervals, the average conductivity fluctuates within a certain scope. The plane conductivity fields evolve heterogeneously and the local preferential hydrate-forming positions alternate throughout the experimental duration. We speculate that the combination of hydrate formation itself and salt-removal effect plays a dominant role in the spatial and temporal hydrate distribution, as well as geophysical parameters changing behaviors during hydrate accumulation.

Yanlong Li;Nengyou Wu;Changling Liu;Qiang Chen;Fulong Ning;Shuoshi Wang;Gaowei Hu;Deli Gao

Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate of Ministry of Natural Resources,Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology,Qingdao 266237,China;Laboratory for Marine Mineral Resources,Pilot National Laboratory of Marine Science and Technology(Qingdao),Qingdao 266237,China;Faculty of Engineering,China University of Geosciences(Wuhan),Wuhan 430074,China;School of Chemical,Biological&Materials Engineering,University of Oklahoma,Norman,Oklahoma 73019,USA;MOE Key Laboratory of Petroleum Engineering(China University of Petroleum),Beijing 102249,China

海洋学报（英文版）

[1]Yanlong Li;Nengyou Wu;Changling Liu;Qiang Chen;Fulong Ning;Shuoshi Wang;Gaowei Hu;Deli Gao-.Hydrate formation and distribution within unconsolidated sedi-ment: Insights from laboratory electrical resistivity tomography)[J].海洋学报（英文版）,2022(09):127-136

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