Simulation of methane production in a laboratory-scale reactor containing hydrate-bearing porous medium

FUEL 215

Isaac K. Gamwo, gamwo@netl.doe.gov, National Energy Technology Laboratory, US Department of Energy, 626 Cochrans Mill Road, P.O. Box 10940, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940, Evgeniy M. Myshakin, Evgeniy.Myshakin@netl.doe.gov, U. S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, PA 15236, Wu Zhang, Wu.Zhang@mail.wvu.edu, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6102, West Virginia, WV 26506-6102, and Robert P. Warzinski, warzinski@netl.doe.gov, National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, P.O. Box 10940, Pittsburgh, PA 15236-0940.
Production of methane, induced by depressurization of hydrate sediment in a reactor, was investigated by numerical simulations using a computational fluid dynamics code TOUGH+/Hydrate. The methane production rates were computed at well-pressure drops of 4.2, 14.7, and 29.5 MPa and at a reactor temperature of 21 0C. The predicted behavior of methane production from the reactor is consistent with field-scale simulations and observations. The production rate increases with pressure drop at the well. Evolution patterns of gas and hydrate distributions are similar to those obtained in field-scale simulations. These preliminary results clearly indicate that numerical simulators can be applied to laboratory-scale reactors to anticipate scenarios observed in field experiments.
 

Ultraclean Transportation Fuels
1:30 PM-5:30 PM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Rm. 239, Oral

Division of Fuel Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008