Effect of surface roughness on adsorption and distribution of methane at the water-methane interface

Molecular Insights into Factors Affecting the Generation Behaviors, Dynamic Properties, and Interfacial Structures of Methane Gas Bubbles

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the effects of temperatures, pressures, and methane mole fractions on the generation behaviors, dynamic properties, and interfacial structures of methane gas bubbles. Methane gas bubbling can be promoted by high temperatures and high mole fractions of methane, which come from the generation of larger methane clusters in solution. Bubbles were found to be highly dynamic, with more methane molecules exchanging between bubbles and the surrounding solution at high pressures and in systems with high mole fractions of methane. The interfacial structures between bubbles and the surrounding solution were rough at a molecular level, and the roughness of the outermost methane and water molecules was high at high temperatures, low pressures, and in systems with high methane mole fractions. The dissolution of methane molecules depended on the interactions between the outermost methane and water molecules, which would become stronger with decreasing temperatures, increasing pressures, and decreasing methane mole fractions. The results obtained can help in understanding both the generation behaviors of bubbles when gas hydrates decompose and the re-nucleation behaviors of gas hydrates in the presence of bubbles.

Experimental Investigation of Spontaneous Imbibition of Water into Hydrate Sediments Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Method

Field observations show that less than one percent of dissociation water can be produced during gas hydrate production, resulting from spontaneous water imbibition into matrix pores. What’s more, the hydrate sediments are easily dispersed in water, and it is difficult to carry out spontaneous imbibition experiments. At present, there is little research work on the imbibition capacity of hydrate sediments. In this paper, a new method of water imbibition is proposed for hydrate sediments, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique is used to monitor water migration. The results show that as the imbibition time increases, the water is gradually imbibed into matrix pores. Water imbibition can cause dramatic changes in pore structure, such as microfracture initiation, fracture network generation and skeleton dispersion. When the imbibition time exceeds a critical value, many secondary pores (new large pores and micro-fractures) start to appear. When imbibition time exceeds the dispersion time, fracture networks are generated, eventually leading to dispersion of the sediment skeleton. The imbibition curves of hydrate sediments can be divided into two linear stages, which corresponds, respectively, to water imbibition of primary pores and secondary pores. The imbibition rate of secondary pores is significantly larger than that of primary pores, indicating that the generation of new fractures can greatly accelerate the imbibition rate. Research on the characteristics of water imbibition in hydrate sediments is important for optimizing hydrate production regime and increasing natural gas production.