Patent ID: 9243451
Filing Date: 2016-01-26
CPC Classification: E21B

Claim Text:
1. A method of drilling into a geological region including a subsurface clathrate reservoir, comprising: drilling a borehole into the geological region including the subsurface clathrate reservoir; dissociating at least a portion of clathrates in a region near the borehole; measuring an amount of gas, fluids, or both generated during the dissociating to provide a measured amount, comparing the measured amount to a baseline, and using the measured amount as an indicator of compaction completion; after the dissociating, compacting material within at least a portion of the region near the borehole in which the clathrates have been dissociated to form a compacted region at least partially surrounding the borehole within the subsurface clathrate reservoir; after the dissociating and compacting, placing a well casing into the borehole within the compacted region; and cementing the well casing into the borehole in the compacted region.