Exploitation of methane in the hydrate by use of carbon dioxide in the presence of sodium chloride

Abstract

The replacement process of CH4 from CH4 hydrate formed in NaCl solution by using pressurized CO2 was investigated with a self-designed device at temperatures of 271.05, 273.15 and 275.05 K and a constant pressure of 3.30 MPa. The mass fraction of the NaCl solution was either 0.5 wt% or 1.0 wt%. The effects of temperature and concentration of NaCl solution on the replacement process were investigated. Experimental results showed that high temperature was favorable to the replacement reaction but high NaCl concentration had a negative effect on the replacement process. Based on the experimental data, kinetic models of CH4 hydrate decomposition and CO2 hydrate formation in NaCl solution were established. The calculated activation energies suggested that both CH4 hydrate decomposition and CO2 hydrate formation are dominated by diffusion in the hydrate phase. © 2009 China University of Petroleum (Beijing) and Springer Berlin Heidelberg.