Diffusivities in water or aqueous solutions of sodium chloride with dissolved hydrogen and methane by dynamic light scattering

Abstract

Knowledge of diffusion in water or aqueous solutions of sodium chloride with dissolved hydrogen and methane is important for geological hydrogen storage. This study examines the accessibility of diffusivities in the corresponding mixtures through dynamic light scattering at macroscopic thermodynamic equilibrium and provides corresponding data for hydrogen-storage-relevant temperatures T up to 393 K and pressures up to 20 MPa. The thermal and mutual diffusivities are simultaneously accessible in mixtures of water and hydrogen. Moreover, for water with dissolved mixtures of hydrogen and methane, the thermal diffusivity and an apparent diffusivity related to the diffusion of the gas mixture can be accessed. In aqueous solutions of sodium chloride at T > 300 K, a strong molecular association leading to a quasi-static light-scattering pattern in the liquid sample was observed, which hindered the determination of the molecular gas diffusivities. However, the salt diffusion coefficient was accessible for all T values.