Decomposition Kinetics for Formation of CO2 Hydrates in Natural Silica Sands

The decomposition kinetics for formation of CO2 hydrates in 90 cm3 wet natural silica sands were studied systematically using the depressurization method at the temperatures ranging from 273.2 to 277.2 K and the pressures from 0.5 to 1.0 MPa. The effects of temperature, pressure, particle diameter, porosity, and salinity of formation water on the decomposition kinetics were investigated. The results show that the dissociation percentage increases as temperature increases or as the initial decomposition pressure decreases. An increase in porosity or a decrease in particle diameter of silica sands accelerates the decomposition. Increasing the salinity of the formation water gives rise to a faster decomposition. However, a combination of the present results with the observations in literature reveals that the effect of the coexisting ionic solute depends on its chemical structure.