Path-dependent morphology of CH<sub>4</sub> hydrates and their dissociation studied with high-pressure microfluidics
Jidong Zhang, Zhenyuan Yin, Saif A. Khan, Shuxia Li, Qingping Li, Xiaohui Liu, Praveen Linga
Abstract
thermal stimulation: (a) single gas bubble growth with an expanding water layer at an initial slow dissociation rate, (b) rapid generation of clusters of gas bubbles at a fast dissociation rate, and (c) gas bubble coalescence with uniform distribution in the pore space. The novel apparatus designed and the image analysis technique developed in this study allow us to directly capture the dynamic evolution of the gas-liquid interface during MH formation and dissociation at the pore-scale. The results provide direct first-hand visual evidence of the growth of MHs in pores and valuable insights into gas-liquid two-phase flow behavior during fluid production from NGHs.