skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Convection with Phase Change During Gas Formation from Methane Hydrates Via Depressurization of Porous Layers

Journal Article · · Journal of Porous Media
OSTI ID:912127

This is an analytical and numerical study of the generation and flow of methane gas through a layer of porous medium impregnated with solid clathrate hydrates. The porous layer is depressurized suddenly on its lower plane. The phase-change front advances upward under the influence of heat conduction and convection. The first part of the article describes a simplified analytical solution based on a unidirectional phase-change model in which the conduction in the gas-filled region behind the front is neglected. The second part presents numerical results for the evolution of the unidirectional phase-change process. Both methods lead to the conclusion that the rate of gas flow through the depressurized (bottom) plane of the layer decreases approximately as t-1/2.

Research Organization:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC07-99ID-13727
OSTI ID:
912127
Report Number(s):
INEEL/JOU-00-01157; TRN: US200801%%562
Journal Information:
Journal of Porous Media, Vol. 4, Issue 4
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English