An apparatus and method may operate to position an electrode assembly within a fluid. The electrode assembly may include an injection electrode and a receiving electrode in spaced relation to one another. The method may include providing a series of excitation signals at a plurality of frequencies to the injection electrode to inject a series of injection signals into the fluid. The method can further include receiving signals in response to the series of injection signals through the receiving electrode. The received signals can be representative of an impedance spectrum including impedance values representative of the fluid. The method can further include generating a phase angle fingerprint based on the impedance spectrum to characterize the fluid according to the phase angle fingerprint. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.

An experimental device of polyphase separation of natural gas hydrate drilling fluid, and method of use thereof, comprising a solid-phase separator, a liquid injection module, a gas injection module and a gas-liquid separator. The solid-phase separator comprises a first filter device and a second filter device, the gas injection module injects gas into the solid-phase separator while the liquid injection module injects liquid into the solid-phase separator, and the gas-liquid separator is communicated with the solid-phase separator through a pressure control valve. In the experimental device and method, the combination of the liquid and the gas injection modules keeps the solid-phase separator in a high-pressure state of the gas-liquid mixture constantly to achieve the polyphase separation of natural gas hydrate drilling fluid under a high pressure, while avoiding the formation of new hydrates during separation; the provision of the dual-filter device in the solid-phase separator aids in preventing equipment blockages.

A process for removing hydrate formations from a flowline includes connecting a manifold to the flowline, passing an inert gas across a pair of inlets of the manifold so as to create a reduced pressure across the pair of inlets that is less than a pressure of a fluid in the flowline, opening a valve between the pair of inlets and the flowline so as to expose the pressurized fluid in the flowline to the reduced pressure across the pair of inlets, disassociating hydrates in the flowline by exposure to the reduced pressure across the pair of inlets, and flowing the fluid and the disassociated hydrates from the flowline into the outlet of the manifold and outwardly of the manifold through at least one of the pair of inlets.

The present invention relates to the field of marine hydrate reserve recovery technology, and discloses a homocentric squares-shaped well structure for marine hydrate reserve recovery utilizing geothermal heat and a method thereof. The present invention employs a homocentric squares-shaped well structure and utilizes heat-carrying fluid to transfer the energy in a geothermal reservoir to a hydrate reservoir to promote dissociation of natural gas hydrates. The homocentric squares-shaped well structure can realize cyclic utilization of the heat-carrying fluid while improving heat conduction efficiency, and has advantages including high recovery rate, low recovery cost, low energy loss, and high heat utilization efficiency, etc.

A deep sea mining method includes providing a deep sea mining system for mining matter from a bottom of a body of water, the mining system including: a slurry line coupled with a pump system to transport the slurry from the bottom of the body of water; and a return line in fluid communication with the slurry line and distinguishable from the slurry riser, for transporting non valuable slurry part to the bottom of the body of water, the return line having a return line outlet proximate the bottom. The deep sea mining method further includes spreading the non valuable slurry part over the bottom of the body of water in a controlled manner.

In producing methane a bottom hole assembly the borehole may enlarge due to shifting sands in an unconsolidated formation as the methane is produced. The enlargement of the borehole can be sensed in real time such as by using a fiber optic cable. In response to such information parts of the bottom hole assembly near the washout can be isolated or the bottom hole assembly in the vicinity of the washout can be fortified with inserts from the surface to minimize damage from erosion caused by higher velocities resulting from borehole washouts.

A system and method for exploiting a marine natural gas hydrate resource including a vertical well, comprising a sleeve configured to penetrate through a marine layer and a hydrate reservoir covering layer, and penetrate downwards into a natural gas hydrate reservoir; a section of the sleeve in the natural gas hydrate reservoir is provided with a perforating channel; a horizontal well, connected to a bottom end of the sleeve; a production string, disposed in the sleeve and extending downwards into the horizontal well, wherein a bottom of the production string is provided with a gas/water collection inlet; a hot water injection pipe, disposed in the production string; and a bottom of the hot water injection pipe is provided with a hot water injection opening; and a gas bladder, disposed in the horizontal well and connected to the hot water injection opening in the hot water injection pipe.

A high-integrity pressure protection system Christmas tree is provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a Christmas tree, a choke coupled to receive fluid from the Christmas tree, and a high-integrity pressure protection system. The high-integrity pressure protection system includes pressure sensors downstream of the choke, valves upstream of the choke, and a logic solver connected to control operation of the valves of the high-integrity pressure protection system that are upstream of the choke. Further, the valves of the high-integrity pressure protection system that are upstream of the choke include at least two valves of the Christmas tree. Additional systems, devices, and methods are also disclosed.

A permeable cement stone fracturing exploitation method for non-conventional oil and gas layer comprising the following processes: transporting and storing a supercritical carbon dioxide to a well site; selecting, transporting, and storing an oil well cement and admixtures to the well site; mixing the oil well cement and the admixtures into a first mixture, forming a cement slurry; pumping the supercritical carbon dioxide and the cement slurry respectively into a high pressure mixer; automatically mixing the supercritical carbon dioxide and the cement slurry into a second mixture by the high pressure mixer; continuously on-line monitoring and temporarily storing the second mixture; and injecting the second mixture into the non-conventional oil and gas layer for fracturing to form a reticulate artificial fracture; the second mixture is automatically heated, pressure reduced, gasified, solidified, carbonic acid dissolved and eroded, leached to form the a permeable cement stone.

A submersible pumping system that is operable under hydrostatic pressure. The system suitably comprises a prime mover submersible within a first fluid; a pump means submersible within the first fluid and sealably coupled to the prime mover; and a fluid source in fluid communication with the prime mover, the fluid source providing a second fluid effective to act on the prime mover to power the pump means; wherein the second fluid is discharged in the first fluid after acting on the prime mover; and wherein the second fluid has a chemical composition substantially similar to the first fluid.