Application of Mud Cooling System for Gas Hydrate Exploration in Permafrost

Abstract

Mud cooling system is mainly designed for exploration of gas hydrate in permafrost. During the process of drilling, borehole enlargement, gas hydrate dissociation and other issues will happen due to the high mud temperature. In this paper, principle of mud cooling system was described, focusing on the application of mud cooling system for gas hydrate exploration in Mohe basin permafrost. The exploration began on Aug.16, and it took two months to finish the whole exploration. In the end, a 500m hole of Ø108mm was drilled. On the basis of the perfect cooling effect of mud cooling system, the gas hydrate exploration in Mohe was carried out smoothly. In addition, the mud cooling system will provide an effective technical support for future large-scale exploitation of gas hydrate.