Stability Characteristics of Horizontal Wells in the Exploitation of Hydrate-Bearing Clayey-Silt Sediments

The mechanical properties of hydrate-bearing strata in clayey-silt sediments are significantly different from those of either conventional reservoirs or hydrate-bearing sandy sediments, which poses great challenges for wellbore stability analyses. The stability characteristics of a deviated borehole during drilling in hydrate-bearing clayey-silt sediments (HBS-CS) remain to be studied. In this paper, an analysis of the wellbore stability characteristics of a deviated borehole using the Mohr–Coulomb (M-C) criterion and Drucker–Prager (D-P) criterion was carried out based on the elastic stress distribution model of the surrounding strata of the wellbore and the triaxial shear tests of the HBS-CS. The results imply that the collapse pressure and safety density window are symmetrically distributed with deviation angle and azimuth. Considering the effect of hydrate decomposition, the collapse pressure gradient could become higher and the instability risks would be amplified. Considering the combined effects of collapse, fracture pressure gradient, and the safety density window, it is suggested that the borehole be arranged along an azimuth of 60–120°, which could greatly reduce the risk in a drilling operation.