Динамика разложения газовых гидратов в пористой среде с учетом формирования льда

Abstract

Natural gas is one of the main energy carriers, for example, in 2014 it accounted for about 22% of the world’s electricity production. The main component of natural gas is methane (77-99%). The largest reserves of methane are concentrated in gas hydrates; according to different sources, their total volume twice exceeds the magnitude of the traditional recoverable reserves of methane. Thus, given the increasing demand and the largest amount compared with other fossil fuels, methane, extracted from gas hydrates, is the most promising source of energy. And for the effective extraction of methane from gas hydrate deposits, theoretical studies are needed.<br> In this paper we consider the problem of gas hydrate decomposition to gas and ice during the gas extraction from the hydrate-containing deposit initially saturated with methane and its hydrate. To solve this problem, we constructed the mathematical model of non-isothermal filtration of an imperfect gas with account of the formation or decomposition of this gas’ hydrate. On the basis of this model, the numerical study of the influence of gas mass flow rate on the dynamics of decomposition of the hydrate was made. It shows that in the case of negative initial temperatures of the reservoir, the dissociation of the gas hydrate will always occur to gas and ice. In this case, regimes of dissociation of the hydrate with a frontal surface or a volume region of phase transitions are possible. It is established that an increase in the mass flow rate of gas extraction first leads to the decomposition of the hydrate on a frontal surface, and then in a volume zone. A further increase in the gas mass flow rate leads to an increase in the length of the volume zone and an increase in the amount of the hydrate decomposed therein.