The electrical properties of hydrate reservoirs serve as a fundamental metrics for evaluating both porosity and saturation levels. Given the inherent instability of drilled hydrate core samples under ambient temperature and pressure conditions, coupled with the high cost and logistical constraints of deep-sea drilling operations, laboratory-based simulation experiments on synthetic methane hydrate sediment samples play a pivotal role in unraveling the physical properties of marine natural gas hydrate sediments. This study undertakes a quantitative analysis of the interplay between hydrate saturation and reservoir resistivity through a series of controlled experiments. Specifically, it aims to elucidate the formation and decomposition characteristics of hydrate formations across varying saturation levels under diverse temperature and clay content scenarios, which are applicable to target regions in the Chinese offshore areas.
Natural gas hydrate (or hydrate) is a crystalline clathrate compound akin to ice, formed from water and natural gas under conditions of high pressure and low temperature (Collett and Ladd, 2000; Zhang, 2012; Chen et al., 2013; Chong et al., 2016). Hydrate resources are abundant and widely distributed in deep-sea environments, permafrost regions, and certain inland lakes, often considered as a promising alternative energy source to conventional oil and natural gas in the 21st century (Zhao et al., 2009; Li et al., 2013). Natural gas hydrate exhibit a high energy density, when decomposed under standard conditions, 1 unit volume of natural gas hydrate can release between 164 to 180 cubic meters of methane gas (Bangs et al., 1993; Boswell and Collett, 2011). Owing to the prevalence of methane and other hydrocarbon gas molecules within natural gas hydrate, they are highly flammable when exposed to fire, hence earning the colloquial moniker "flammable ice". Additionally, combustion of natural gas hydrate yields minimal residues or waste. Coupled with their extensive reserves in natural environments, natural gas hydrate is garnering increasing attention as a prospective clean energy source for the future (Chen et al., 2017).