Methane exploitation by carbon dioxide from gas hydrates - Phase equilibria for CO2-CH4 mixed hydrate system

Natural-gas hydrate fields having a large amount of methane deposits have become the object of public attention as a potential natural-gas resource. An idea of methane exploitation in linkage with CO2 isolation has been presented elsewhere. In the present study, the isothermal phase equilibrium relations of pressure and compositions in the gas, liquid, and hydrate phases for the CO2-CH4 mixed hydrate system at 280 K are obtained in company with the apparent Henry constants for the methane-water system and the three-phase coexisting lines for the methane hydrate system. The averaged distribution coefficient of methane between gas phase and hydrate phase is about 2.5, that is, methane in the hydrate phase is replaced selectively by CO2. This is the first experimental evidence for the possibility of methane exploitation combined with CO2 isolation.