Phase Equilibrium of Methane Hydrate in Sediments: Experimental and Theoretical Characterization

Abstract

A series of phase equilibrium tests were performed to explore the influence of various experimental conditions, including initial water content, dry density, and salt content, on the phase equilibrium behavior of methane hydrate in fine- and coarse-grained sediments. The results indicate that the phase equilibrium condition of pore hydrate is significantly influenced by the adopted experimental conditions and the sediment types. It is shown that in equilibrium, a unique relationship (the soil hydration characteristic curve (SHCC)) exists among the temperature shift, the unhydrated water, and the amount of dissolved salt. Under salt-free conditions, the SHCC is independent of dry density for coarse-grained specimens, whereas it is slightly influenced by the dry density for fine-grained specimens. A recently developed phase equilibrium model of pore hydrate, which can account for osmotic, capillary, and adsorptive effects, is introduced to interpret the experimental results. It is shown that the SHCC of the coarse-grained specimens can be very well described by the model; for fine-grained specimens, however, the effect of salt content on matric suction has to be taken into account in the model prediction.