Variations in permeability along with interfacial tension in hydrate-bearing porous media

This study extends our previous studies on the effects of the IFT on the seepage characteristics in hydrate-bearing porous media using pore network model with X-ray computed tomography. The results indicate that the relative permeability to both methane gas and water decreases as IFT increases. And the influence of the IFT on the two-phase relative permeability increases along with the particle size of the porous media. Moreover, the variation in absolute permeability is always positively related to average pore/throat radii in all type of hydrate-bearing porous media. In addition, the capillary pressure decreases along with IFT.