Dynamic phase transition characteristics and representation of natural gas hydrates in micro/nano confinements
Author of the article:FU Qiang1,2, ZHOU Shouwei1,3, LI Zhong1,2, CHEN Mingqiang1,2, WANG Shuoliang4, XU Jianchun5
Author's Workplace:1. State Key Laboratory of Offshore Natural Gas Hydrate, Beijing, 100028, China; 2. CNOOC Research Institute Co. Ltd., Beijing, 100028, China; 3. China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Beijing, 100010, China; 4. College of Energy, China University of Geosciences(Beijing), Beijing, 100083, China; 5. School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum(East China), Qingdao, Shandong, 266580, China
Key Words:Micro/nano pore-throats; Microfluidic experiment; Hydrate phase transition kinetics; Phase equilibrium curve; Representation model
Abstract:
As one of the key regions for natural gas hydrate
exploration and development in marine sediments in China, low permeable hydrate-bearing sediments in the Qiongdongnan area are
classified as clayey-silty
deposits which possess complex geological properties such as weak skeletal
cementation, abundant micro/nano-scale pore
throats, and diverse hydrate occurrence spaces. Therefore, figuring out the
dynamic phase transition characteristics of natural gas hydrates in micro/nano
confined pore throats and developing quantitative representation technologies
are of significance for evaluating hydrate resources and predicting the dynamic
production behavior during development. In this work, multi-scale micro/nano fluidic chips were first designed
and etched with a minimum pore size of 15 nm based on the microscopic pore
structures of hydrate-bearing
sediments in Qiongdongnan area. Afterwards, a novel microfluidics-based method for investigating the dynamic phase
transition of natural gas hydrates in micro/nano confinements from a
microscopic perspective was proposed. The influence of nano-scale pore throats on the dynamic formation,
decomposition, and phase transition of natural gas hydrates was revealed.
Through characterizing the influence of water activity on hydrate phase
transition, a novel representation model for hydrate phase equilibrium
considering the capillary effects, surface adsorption, and the effect of
soluble salts was developed. This work
provides an effective simulation method and theoretical support for the safe
and efficient development of natural gas hydrates in the South China Sea,
serving as an important reference for the determination of subsequent
development strategies.