Probing ethane phase changes in bead pack via high-field NMR spectroscopy

Abstract

Phase equilibria analysis in two-phase systems requires discernment of the individual phases as well as the interfacial region. The phase behavior of fluids in constraint geometries have been studied through several techniques. High-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (HF-NMR) can be used to detect fluid phases, i.e. gas, liquid, or supercritical fluid, in the bulk or under confinement. In solution-state HF-NMR, each phase exhibits a distinct chemical shift that correlates to the phase density. In turn, the emergence of multimodal in NMR spectra reveals the coexistence of multiple phases in fluid systems. Our results for ethane show that HF-NMR can enable tracking phase changes in the bulk, but also in macro-scale (10–100′s μm in pore size) porous systems at various pressure and temperature conditions, even when the system us out of equilibrium. These results creates potential opportunities to investigate phase changes influenced by confinement in porous systems, though additional steps are necessary.