Specific Features of the Formation of Sulfur Dioxide Hydrate in a Porous Bed Containing Methane and Water in the Initial State

The paper presents a mathematical model of injecting liquid sulfur dioxide in a porous bed saturated with methane and water in a flat-dimensional approximation. The formulation of the problem under consideration implies the formation of SO₂ hydrate on the frontal surface separating the region saturated with sulfur dioxide and its hydrate and also with methane and water. An investigation has been made into the effects of the pressure and temperature of the sulfur dioxide being injected, of the initial temperature and also of the permeability of the system on the specific features of the formation of SO₂ hydrate. Based on numerical calculations, it has been shown that in the case of low injection pressure values, the formation of sulfur dioxide hydrate can occur in a regime with the formation of an additional region containing methane and its gas hydrate. It has also been shown that in the case of high values of injection temperature and of the bed′s initial temperature, and also of the bed permeability, the formation of sulfur dioxide hydrate occurs without the formation of a region containing methane and its gas hydrate. The critical injection temperature whose exceedance results in the occurrence of a regime without the formation of a region containing methane and its gas hydrate has been shown related to the SO₂ injection pressure. Based on the analysis of this dependence, it has been shown that the regime with the formation of a region saturated with methane and its gas hydrate is characteristic of the case of low injection temperature and pressure values.