Visual experimental study on hydrate occurrence patterns and growth habits in porous media

The distribution and morphology of natural gas hydrates in pores have significant impacts on the macro -scale physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments. This paper investigated hydrate morphology characteristics using a micromodel, and the memory effect was used to accelerate the hydrate formation process. It is found that the initial gas and water saturation play a significant role in hydrate occurrence patterns and growth habits. When water is the initial main continuous phase, the hydrate prefers to grow towards the center of pores during hydrate formation. When gas is the initial main continuous phase, hydrates grow towards the center of pores and along the wall, and the mass transfer happens between the water and gas phases. It can be realized that the hydrate occurrence pattern is determined by the growth habit, which is related to mass transfer. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for future natural gas hydrate development.(c) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the morphology characteristics of natural gas hydrates using a micromodel and reveals the significant role of initial saturation in determining hydrate occurrence patterns and growth habits.