Microfluidic study of hydrate propagation during CO2 injection into cold aquifers
Understanding the interplay between hydrate formation and CO2 injection is crucial for advancing submarine carbon sequestration, yet it remains underexplored. This study employs a high-pressure, low-temperature microfluidic system to investigate hydrate formation and propagation during CO2 injection...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Carbon Capture Science & Technology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772656825000417 |
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| Summary: | Understanding the interplay between hydrate formation and CO2 injection is crucial for advancing submarine carbon sequestration, yet it remains underexplored. This study employs a high-pressure, low-temperature microfluidic system to investigate hydrate formation and propagation during CO2 injection in porous media. This approach enables direct visualization of pore-scale and chip-scale hydrate formation dynamics across thousands of pores, offering critical insights into large-scale submarine CO2 storage processes. We systematically assess the effects of injection rate, temperature (1.1–9.4 °C), and pressure (6.9–13.8 MPa) on hydrate formation kinetics. CO2 injection reduces spatial stochasticity, with nucleation occurring primarily near the injection zone due to localized subcooling. Hydrate propagation follows a cascade mechanism over a broad saturation range (9–94%). Two key parameters—induction time and propagation velocity—are identified: induction time decreases with higher injection rates, while propagation velocity remains stable. Propagation velocity follows a power-law dependence on subcooling (exponent=2) but is diminished in porous media due to the effects of tortuosity and CO2 saturation degree. Pressure variations have minimal influence on hydrate growth, confirming that subcooling is the dominant factor controlling hydrate formation kinetics. Our findings suggest potential injection strategies for CO2 storage as hydrates in submarine environments. |
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| ISSN: | 2772-6568 |