• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.33-39
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• 2013

A drilling exploration in deep sea is being processed to develop new energy resource in the world. In 2007, the presence of the gas hydrate had been confirmed during the UBGH1 (Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Expedition 1) in the Ulleung Basin. Geotechnical properties of the deep marine sediment are important factors for assessing the safety of gas production facility and productivity from the hydrate bearing sediment. In this study, comprehensive laboratory tests are conducted to investigate the geotechnical engineering characteristics of the deep marine sediments recovered from the hydrate occurrence regions during the UBGH2 (Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Expedition 2) in the Ulleung Basin, East Sea, Korea. The index properties of the specimens including the specific gravity, atterberg limits, specific surface, and particle size distribution are measured, and these are compared to the results reported by previous studies. A zero-lateral strain cell, which houses bender elements, is used to determine stress-dependant characteristics and shear wave velocities with the vertical effective stresses. Furthermore, the hydraulic conductivity is calculated based on the consolidation test results.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.50-53
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• 2006

Regional geophysical surveys and geological cal studies on natural gas hydrate (NGH) in the East Sea were carried out by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) from 2000 to 2004. 16 piston cores, 2270 L-km of multi-channel reflection seismic (MCRS) data and 730 L-km of 3.5kHz Chirp data obtained from the southwestern part of the deep-water Ulleung Basin were analyzed in this study. In piston cores, cracks generally developed parallel to bedding suggest significant gas content. The core analyses showed high total organic carbon (TOC) content, sedimentation rate and heat flow of sediments. These are in favor of the general ion of substantial biogenic methane, which can form the NGH within the stability zone of the near seafloor sediments in the study area. The cores generally show also high residual hydrocarbon gas concentrations for the formation of natural gas hydrates The geophysical indicators of the presence of gas and/or NGH such as bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs), seismic blank Bones, pockmarks and gas seeping features were well defined on the MCRS and Chirp data.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.638-642
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• 2005

For gas hydrate exploration, long offset multichannel seismic data acquired using by the 4km streamer length in Ulleung basin of the East Sea. The dataset was processed to define the BSRs (Bottom Simulating Reflectors) and to estimate the amount of gas hydrates. Confirmation of the presence of Bottom Simulating reflectors (BSR) and investigation of its physical properties from seismic section are important for gas hydrate detection. Specially, faster interval velocity overlying slower interval velocity indicates the likely presences of gas hydrate above BSR and free gas underneath BSR. In consequence, estimation of correct interval velocities and analysis of their spatial variations are critical processes for gas hydrate detection using seismic reflection data. Using Dix's equation, Root Mean Square (RMS) velocities can be converted into interval velocities. However, it is not a proper way to investigate interval velocities above and below BSR considering the fact that RMS velocities have poor resolution and correctness and the assumption that interval velocities increase along the depth. Therefore, we incorporated Migration Velocity Analysis (MVA) software produced by Landmark CO. to estimate correct interval velocities in detail. MVA is a process to yield velocities of sediments between layers using Common Mid Point (CMP) gathered seismic data. The CMP gathered data for MVA should be produced after basic processing steps to enhance the signal to noise ratio of the first reflections. Prestack depth migrated section is produced using interval velocities and interval velocities are key parameters governing qualities of prestack depth migration section. Correctness of interval velocities can be examined by the presence of Residual Move Out (RMO) on CMP gathered data. If there is no RMO, peaks of primary reflection events are flat in horizontal direction for all offsets of Common Reflection Point (CRP) gathers and it proves that prestack depth migration is done with correct velocity field. Used method in this study, Tomographic inversion needs two initial input data. One is the dataset obtained from the results of preprocessing by removing multiples and noise and stacked partially. The other is the depth domain velocity model build by smoothing and editing the interval velocity converted from RMS velocity. After the three times iteration of tomography inversion, Optimum interval velocity field can be fixed. The conclusion of this study as follow, the final Interval velocity around the BSR decreased to 1400 m/s from 2500 m/s abruptly. BSR is showed about 200m depth under the seabottom

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.139-147
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• 2006

We had conducted a numerical modeling to investigate seismic properties of gas hydrate with field parameters acquired over the East sea in 1998. We used a 2-D staggered grid finite difference method to generate synthetic elastic seismograms for multi-channel seismic survey, OBC (Ocean Bottom Cable) survey and VCS (Vertical Cable Seismic) survey. The results of this study showed that the method using staggered grid yielded stable results and could be used to seismic imaging. We could find out the high amplitude anomaly and the phase reversal phenomenon of reflection wave at interface between the gas hydrate layer and free gas layer such a BSR (Bottom Simulating Reflector) which is the evidence for existence of gas hydrate in seismic reflection data. And we computed the reflection coefficients at the incident angles corresponding to offset distance with the synthetic seismograms. The reflection coefficients acquired from the numerical modeling were nearly consistent with the reflection coefficient computed by Shuey's equation.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.184-190
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• 1999

A study of gas hydrate is a worldwide popular interesting subject as a potential energy source. A seismic survey for gas hydrate have performed over the East sea by the KIGAM since 1997. General indicators of natural submarine gas hydrates in seismic data is commonly inferred from the BSR (Bottom Simulating Reflection) that occurred parallel to the see floor, amplitude decrease at the top of the BSR, amplitude Blanking at the bottom of the BSR, decrease of the interval velocity, and the reflection phase reversal at the BSR. So the seismic data processing for detecting gas hydrates indicators is required the true amplitude recovery processing, a accurate velocity analysis and the AVO (Amplitude Variation with Offset) analysis. In this paper, we had processed the field data to detect the gas hydrate indicators, which had been acquired over the East sea in 1998. Applied processing modules are spherical divergence, band pass filtering, CDP sorting and accurate velocity analysis. The AVO analysis was excluded, since this field data had too short offset to apply the AVO analysis. The accurate velocity analysis was performed by XVA (X-window based Velocity Analysis). This is the method which calculate the velocity spectrum by iterative and interactive. With XVA, we could determine accurate stacking velocity. Geobit 2.9.5 developed by the KIGAM was used for processing data. Processing results say that the BSR occurred parallel to the sea floor were shown at $367\~477m$ depths (two way travel time about 1800 ms) from the sea floor through shot point 1650-1900, the interval velocity decrease around BSR and the reflection phase reversal corresponding to the reflection at the sea floor.

• 한국석유지질학회:학술대회논문집
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• spring
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• pp.56-65
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• 1998

Methane hydrate is ice-like solid compound consisting of mainly methane and water, and is stable under specific low temperature and high pressure conditions (HSZ : methane hydrate stability zone) that occurs in permafrost regions and in the ocean floor sediments. Geophysical survey was implemented in the southern area of the East Sea, and the HSZ of the study area is determined by the temperature, pressure and local heat flow obtained from the survey and well data. In the study area, methane hydrates could exist in the sediments below the water depths of about $300{\cal}m$, and the base of HSZ is about 600m beneath the seafloor. The acoustically blanking zones in the sediment and phenomena of gas seepage were detected from the seismic section. These sediments have the sufficient physical condition for the formation of methane hydrate. The temperature and pressure conditions were experimentally measured for the dissociation of methane and propane hydrates in Pure water. Equilibrium conditions of methane and propane hydrates were obtained in the pressure range up to 19050Kpa and 401.3Kpa. Under same temperature condition, propane hydrate was dissociated at lower pressure than that of methane hydrate.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.618-621
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• 2005

In this study, the phenomena of hydrate formation and inhibition were investigated according to varying the concentrations using methanol and ethylene glycol as chemical additives. The results reveal that the used additives display better inhibition effects compared to pure water by decreasing the formation temperature and the inhibition performance of methanol is superior to that of ethylene glycol. As a conclusion, the plugging phenomena of flowline in natural gas product ion. subsea and frozen field pipelines can be predicted by examining the hydrate formation and inhibition conditions. Specifically, the results of this study can be applied to the selection of the prevention criteria and method of hydrate formation.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.150.1-150.1
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• 2011

Structure-II hydrate has been highlighted due to its higher gas storage capacity and favorable thermodynamic conditions. In this study, we introduce a new structure-II hydrate former, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) and confirm the structural characteristics through High-Resolution Powder Diffraction (HRPD), $^{13}C$ solide-state NMR and Ramanspectroscopy. Here,we also investigated the thermodynamic stability of binary(TBHP+gaseous) clathrate hydrates. The experimental data were generated using an isochoric pressure-search method. The dissociation data for (TBHP +gaseous) clathrate hydrates are compared with the other hydrocarbon hydrate and pure gaseous hydrate.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.477-480
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• 2007

Hydrate phase equilibrium for the binary CO2+water and CH4+water mixtures in silica gel pore of nominal 6, 30, and 100 nm were measured and compared with the cacluated results based on van der Waals and Platteeuw model. At a specific temperature three-phase hydrate-water-vapor (HLV) equilibrium curves for pore hydrates were shifted to the higher-pressure condition depending on pore sizes when compared with those of bulk hydrates. Notably, hydrate phase equilibria for the case of 100 nominal urn pore size were nealy identical with those of bulk hydrates. The activities of water in porous silica gels were modified to account for capillary effect, and the calculation results were generally in good agreement with the experimental data.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.3 no.2 s.10
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• pp.47-52
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• 2007

Hydrate phase equilibrium for the binary $CO_{2}$+water and $CH_{4}$+water mixtures in silica gel pore of nominal 6, 30, and 100 nm were measured and compared with the cacluated results based on van der Waals and Platteeuw model. At a specific temperature three-phase hydrate-water-vapor (HLV) equilibrium curves for pore hydrates were shifted to the higher-pressure condition depending on pore sizes when compared with those of bulk hydrates. Notably, hydrate phase equilibria for the case of 100 nominal nm pore size were nearly identical with those of bulk hydrates. The activities of water in porous silica gels were modified to account for capillary effect, and the calculation results were generally in good agreement with the experimental data.