Methane hydrate dissolution rates in undersaturated seawater under controlled hydrodynamic forcing

The dissolution of in-situ generated methane hydrate in undersaturated, synthetic seawater (S=35) was investigated in a series of laboratory-based experiments at P-/T-conditions within the hydrate stability field. A controlled flow field was generated across the smooth hydrate surface to test if, in addition to thermodynamic variables, the dissolution rate is influenced by changing hydrodynamic conditions. The dissolution rate was found to be strongly dependent on the friction velocity, showing that hydrate dissolution in undersaturated seawater is a diffusion-controlled process. The experimental data was used to obtain diffusional mass transfer coefficients k(d), which were found to correlate linearly with the friction velocity, u*. The resulting k(d)/u*-correlation allows predicting the flux of methane from natural gas hydrate exposures at the sediment/seawater interface into the bulk water for a variety of natural P, T and flow conditions. It also is a tool for estimating the rate of hydrate regrowth at locations where natural hydrate outcrops at the seafloor persist in contact with undersaturated seawater. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.