Уear of publication: 2025

Accurate prediction of the elastic properties of hydrate-bearing sediments is crucial for seismic quantification and reservoir characterisation. This study investigates the relationship between static and dynamic elastic moduli in a synthetic three-component medium representing hydrate-bearing rock via finite element modelling. The digital rock model was constructed with a matrix of ordered packed quartz grains, a layer of methane hydrate coating the grains, and water-saturated pore space. A series of numerical experiments was performed where the hydrate saturation was systematically varied. For each configuration, two types of simulations were conducted: first, a static linear-elastic analysis to compute the effective static bulk and shear moduli under prescribed boundary conditions; second, a explicit dynamic wave propagation simulation to directly obtain the compressional (P-) and shear (S-) wave velocities. The results demonstrate that the P-wave velocities calculated from the static moduli using isotropic elastic theory show a remarkably high degree of agreement with the velocities derived from the dynamic wave simulation across the entire range of hydrate saturations. This strong correlation held when compared against available laboratory data. The findings confirm the adequacy of static numerical calculations as an efficient and reliable tool for predicting the dynamic elastic properties and seismic velocities of hydrate-bearing rocks, which can significantly streamline reservoir modelling workflows.