Effect of silica sand size and saturation on methane hydrate formation in the presence of SDS

Abstract

Abundant reserves of natural gas hydrates are hosted in the pores of sediment layers, and the hydrate-based technology could be widely used in industry. In this work, the formation kinetics of methane hydrate in a complex system containing silica sand and 300-ppm sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) solution were investigated at 275.15 K and 7 MPa. The hydrate was formed in different-saturated silica sand with particle sizes of 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400 mesh. The results indicated that in both the 50%- and 100%-saturated sand, a larger particle size exhibited a better methane storage capacity. In the complex system, the presence of SDS molecules significantly enhanced the hydrate formation process and weakened the effect of particle size on the hydrate formation rate. The difference in hydrate gas uptake formed in the differently saturated silica sand indicted that with an increase in saturation, the smaller-sized silica sands caused a more marked inhibitory effect. Finally, the different hydrate distributions in the 50%- and 100%-saturated silica sand revealed that a hydrate film formed quickly and preferentially on the surface of the silica sand, which was attributed to the adsorption of the SDS active groups and the presence of the silica sand surface. With the thickening of the hydrate film, the resulting volume expansion and stronger capillary force led to the migration of the liquid phase, which resulted in the hydrate distributions observed in the differently saturated silica sands.