Methane Hydrate Formation and Dissociation in the Presence of Silica Sand and Bentonite Clay

• Published in: Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Revue d’IFP Energies nouvelles
• Main Authors: Kumar Saw V., Udayabhanu G., Mandal A., Laik S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; French
• Published: EDP Sciences 2015
• Subjects: Chemical technology; TP1-1185; Energy industries. Energy policy. Fuel trade; HD9502-9502.5; Methane hydrate
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.2516/ogst/2013200; https://doaj.org/article/047947fccd044b95a1e9c81becf08516

The formation and dissociation of methane hydrates in a porous media containing silica sand of different sizes and bentonite clay were studied in the presence of synthetic seawater with 3.55 wt% salinity. The phase equilibrium of methane hydrate under different experimental conditions was investigated. The effects of the particle size of silica sand as well as a mixture of bentonite clay and silica sand on methane hydrate formation and its dissociation were studied. The kinetics of hydrate formation was studied under different subcooling conditions to observe its effects on the induction time of hydrate formation. The amount of methane gas encapsulated in hydrate was computed using a real gas equation. The Clausius-Clapeyron equation is used to estimate the enthalpy of hydrate dissociation with measured phase equilibrium data.