Effect of Diameter of Granules on Dissociation of Methane Hydrate

The kinetics of dissociation of methane hydrate in air at an external pressure of 1 bar was experimentally studied. It is shown that to describe the mechanism of dissociation of gas clathrate, it is necessary to take into account not only the degree of deviation of temperature and pressure from equilibrium values, but also the diameter of granules. As the diameter decreases, the rate of decomposition of methane hydrate increases significantly. Change in the grain size affects formation of pores and dissociation. The experiment demonstrated a self-preservation mechanism for granule diameters of more than 1 mm. In the case of powder with an average diameter of less than 0.3 mm, there was no self-preservation. The rate of dissociation depends on the combined effect of diffusion, crystallization, and creep.