• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.515-521
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• 2004

The processes of formation and dissociation of gas hydrates were investigated by monitoring pressure and temperature variations in a pressure cell in order to understand the kinetic behavior of gas hydrate and the controlling factors fur the phase transition of gas hydrate below freezing. Gas hydrates were made kom guest gases ($CH_4,\;CO_2$, and their mixed-gas) and fine ice powder. We found that formation and dissociation speeds of gas hydrates were not controlled by temperature and pressure conditions alone. The results of this study suggested that pressure levels at the formation of mixed-gas hydrate determine the transient equilibrium pressure itself.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.397-406
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• 2012

During the 2nd Ulleung Basin Gas Hydrate Drilling Expedition (UBGH2) in 2010, gas-hydrate-bearing sediment cores were recovered at 10 drill sites. Base, on Infrared (IR) thermal image and grain-size analysis of the cores, three distinct types of gas hydrate are classified: Type I (fracture-filling in mud layers), Type II (disseminated in mud layers), and Type III (pore-filling in sand layers). Types I and II gas hydrates occur in mud as discrete veins, nodules or disseminated particles. Type III fills the pore spaces of the sand layers encased in mud layers. In this case, the sand content of hosting sediments shows a general linear relationship with gas hydrate saturation. The degrees of temperature anomalies (${\Delta}T$) from IR images generally increase with gas hydrate saturation regardless of gas hydrate occurrence types. Type I is dominantly found in the sites where seismic profiles delineate chimney structures, whereas Type II where the drill cores are composed almost of mud layers. Type III was mainly recovered from the sites where hemipelagic muds are frequently intercalated with turbidite sand layers. Our results indicate that gas hydrate occurrence is closely related to sedimentological characteristic of gas hydrate-bearing sediments, that is, grain size distribution.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.12a
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• pp.53-62
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• 2007

Preliminary gas hydrate surveys were carried out From 2000 to 2004 in the East Sea. Research results showed the geophysical evidence of gas hydrate existence. In 2005, Gas Hydrate R&D Organization was established and 10 year gas hydrate development program was initiated. In the $1^{st}$ stage of the program from 2005 to 2007, 6,600 L-km 2-D seismic survey was conducted in the $1^{st}$ year 2005, and $400\;km^2$ 3D survey was conducted in the $2^{nd}$ year 2006. Acquired seismic data were processed and seismic section and 3D cube were produced. By geophysical interpretation and velocity analysis, prospective areas were mapped and candidate drilling sites were recommended. For the precise interpretation, velocity was analyzed using AVO method, and BSR signal was analyzed using deconvolution method. For the prospective area, OBS and high-resolution seismic surveys were conducted. This presentation shows the introduction and examples of the research results of the geophysical methods applied for the gas hydrate exploration in the East Sea.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.263-270
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• 2008

The Gas Hydrate Research and Development Organization (KGHDO) of Korea accomplished successfully geophysical logging (LWD: Logging While Drilling, MWD: Measurement While Drilling) for five sites in 2007, in order to investigate the presence of gas hydrate in the Ulleung Basin, the East Sea of Korea. The togging parameters acquired from LWD/MWD dre electrical resistivity, acoustic velocity, neutron density and porosity, and natural gamma. In addition, pressure, temperature, and diameter of borehole were measured. LWD/MWD data showed several evidences indicating the presence of gas hydrate. Based on LWD/MWD data, three coring sites were selected for sampling of gas hydrate. Subsequently, various gas hydrate samples were collected directly from three sites. Therefore. the presence of gas hydrates was verified by coring. LWD/MWD data will be significantly used to estimate the amount of gas hydrate. Also, they will provide important information to elucidate about sedimentologic characteristics of gas-hydrate bearing formation and sedimentary environment of the Ulleung Basin.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.564-568
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• 2007

Gas hydrate has been attractive topic for two dedicates because it may cause the global warming, ocean hazards associated with the instability of marine slope due to the gas hydrate release as well as high potential of future energy resources. The study on gas hydrate in Ulleung basin has been performed since 1999 to explore the potential and distribution of gas hydrate offshore Korea. The numerous multi channel seismic data have been acquired and processed by Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). The results showed clearly the gas hydrate indicators such as pull up structure, bottom simulating reflector (BSR), seismic blanking zone. The prestack depth migration has been considered as fast and accurate technique to image the subsurface. In this paper, we will present both the conventional seismic data processing and apply Kirchhoff prestack depth migration for gas hydrate data set. The results will be applied for core sample collections and for proposal more detail 2D with long offset or 3D seismic exploration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.670-687
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• 2018

This paper reviews the structures, physical and chemical properties, origins and global distribution, amount of energy resources, production technologies, and environmental impacts of gas hydrates to understand the gas hydrates as future energy sources. Hydrate structures should be studied to clarify the fundamentals of natural gas hydrates, hydrate distributions, and amount of energy sources in hydrates. Phase equilibria, dissociation enthalpy, thermal conductivity, specific heat, thermal diffusivity, and fluid permeability of gas hydrate systems are important parameters for the the efficient recovery of natural gas from hydrate reservoirs. Depressurization, thermal stimulation, inhibitor injection, and chemical exchange methods can be considered as future technologies to recover the energy sources from natural gas hydrates, but so far depressurization is the only method to have been applied in test productions of both onshore and offshore hydrates. Finally, we discuss the hypotheses of environmental impacts of gas hydrates and their contribution to global warming due to hydrate dissociation.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.493-496
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• 2007

Korean Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) has studied on gas hydrate in the Ulleung Basin, East sea of Korea since 1997. Most of all, a evidence for existence of gas hydrate, possible new energy resources, in seismic reflection data is bottom simulating reflection (BSR) which parallel to the sea bottom. Here we conducted the conventional data processing for gas hydrate data and Kirchhoff prestack depth migration. Kirchhoff migration is widely used for pre- and post-stack migration might be helpful to better image as well as to get the geological information. The processed stack image by GEOBIT showed some geological structures such as faults and shallow gas hydrate seeping area indicated by strong BSR. The BSR in the stack image showed at TWT 3.07s between shot gather No 3940 to No 4120. The estimated gas seeping area occurred at the shot point No 4187 to No 4203 and it seems to have some minor faults at shot point No 3735, 3791, 3947 and 4120. According to the result of depth migration, the BSR showed as 2.3km below the sea bottom.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.156-168
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• 2013

Drilling expedition #1 in 2007 and drilling expedition #2 in 2010 were performed for gas hydrate resources evaluation and optimal site selection of pilot test in Ulleung basin, East Sea, Korea. This study presents to build the 3D spatial distribution models using the estimated sedimentary facies, porosity, and gas hydrate saturation derived by well logs and core analysis data from UBGH1-4, UBGH1-9, UBGH1-10, UBGH1-14, UBGH2-2-1, UBGH2-2-2, UBGH2-6, UBGH2-9, UBGH2-10 and UBGH2-11. The objective of 3D spatial distribution modeling is to build a geological representation of the gas hydrate-bearing sediment that honors the heterogeneity in 3D grid scale. The facies modeling is populating sedimentary facies into a geological grid using sequential indicator simulation. The porosity and gas hydrate saturation modeling used sequential Gaussian simulation to populate properties stochastically into grid cells.

• The Korean Journal of Petroleum Geology
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• v.10 no.1_2 s.11
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• pp.18-22
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• 2004

To identify and interpret the distribution and the characteristics of the gas hydrate layers in the Ulleung Basin, we have surveyed and gathered the multi-channel seismic data, Chirp sub-bottom profiler, SeaBeam and 12 m piston core samples since 1996. In previous works, high-resolution seismic profiles showed acoustic anomalies such as acoustic void, acoustic turbidity and pock mark which indicate the presence of gas-charged sediments. The patterns of horizontal degassing cracks originated from free methane expansion is the strong indicator of shallow gas-charged sediments in the core samples. The observation of submarine slides and slumps from destabilizing the sediments in the southern part of the Ulleung Basin may also point out that the gas had been released from gas hydrate dissociation during lowstand of sea level. The multi-channel seismic data show BSR, blanking and phase reversal. The gas hydrate layers above which large-scale shallow gases are distributed exist at the depth of about 200 m from the sea-floor with water depth of 2,100 m. From the interpretation of seismic sections in the southern Ulleung Basin, gas hydrate layers occur in the Pleistocene-Holocene sediments. These gas-charged sediments, acoustic anomalies and BSR may be all related to the existence of gas hydrate layers in the study area.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.208-212
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• 2008

Gas hydrate has been paid attention to study for because: 1) it can be considered as a new energy resources; 2) one of reasons causing the instability of sea floor slope and 3) a factor to the climate change. Bottom simulating reflector (BSR) defined as seismic boundary between the gas hydrate and free gas zone has been considered as the most common evidence in the seismic reflection data for the gas hydrate exploration. BSR has several characteristics such as parallel to the sea bottom, high amplitude, reducing interval velocity between above and below BSR and reversing phase to the sea bottom. Moreover, instantaneous attribute properties such as amplitude envelop, instantaneous frequency, phase and first derivative of amplitude of seismic data from the complex analysis could be used to analyze properties of BSR those would be added to the certain properties of BSR in order to effectively find out the existence of BSR of the gas hydrate stability zone. The output of conventional seismic data processing for gas hydrate data set in Ulleung basin in the East sea of Korea will be used for complex analyses to indicate better BSR in the seismic reflection data. This result of this analysis implies that the BSR of the analyzed seismic profile is clearly located at the two ways time (TWT) of around 3.1 seconds.