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Three-dimensional pore-scale study of methane hydrate dissociation mechanisms based on micro-CT images

Yang, Junyu; Xu, Qianghui; Kou, Xuan; Wang, Geng; Lei, Timan; Wang, Yi; Li, Xiaosen; (2024) Three-dimensional pore-scale study of methane hydrate dissociation mechanisms based on micro-CT images. The Innovation Energy , 1 (1) , Article 100015. 10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2024.100015. Green open access

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Abstract

Methane hydrate is a promising source of alternative energy. An in-depth understanding of the hydrate dissociation mechanism is crucial for the efficient extraction. In the present work, a comprehensive set of pore-scale numerical studies of hydrate dissociation mechanisms is presented. Pore-scale lattice Boltzmann (LB) models are proposed to simulate the multiphysics process during methane hydrate dissociation. The numerical simulations employ the actual hydrate sediment pore structure obtained by the micro-CT imaging. Experimental results of xenon hydrate dissociation are compared with the numerical simulations, indicating that the observed hydrate pore habits evolution is accurately captured by the proposed LB models. Furthermore, simulations of methane hydrate dissociation under different sediment water saturations, fluid flow rates and thermal conditions are conducted. Heat and mass transfer limitations both have significant effects on the methane hydrate dissociation rate. The bubble movement can further influence the dissociation process. Dissociation patterns can be divided into three categories, uniform, non-uniform and wormholing. The fluid flow impacts hydrate dissociation rates differently in three-dimensional real structures compared to two-dimensional idealized ones, influenced by variations in hydrate pore habits and flow properties. Finally, upscaling investigations are conducted to provide the permeability and kinetic models for the representative elementary volume (REV)-scale production forecast. Due to the difference in the hydrate pore habits and dissociation mechanisms, the three-dimensional upscaling results contrast with prior findings from two-dimensional studies. The present work provides a paradigm for pore-scale numerical simulation studies on the hydrate dissociation, which can offer theoretical guidance on efficient hydrate extraction.

Type: Article
Title: Three-dimensional pore-scale study of methane hydrate dissociation mechanisms based on micro-CT images
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2024.100015
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2024.1000...
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10190420
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