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As ice-like crystals and non-stoichiometric compounds comprising gas and water, natural gas hydrates have drawn significant attention as a potential alternative energy source. This work focuses on holistically reviewing theoretical modeling and numerical studies conducted on the production of gas from natural gas hydrates. Firstly, fundamental models for the dissociation of a hydrate in a porous sediment are summarized in terms of the phase equilibrium and dissociation kinetics. The main features of different models and improvements for them are identified by clarifying crucial driving mechanisms and kinetic parameters. Subsequently, various numerical works addressing the dissociation of a hydrate in a porous sediment and the flow characteristics in a wellbore are reviewed, including aspects such as the theoretical background, computational scheme, and the physics involved. In general, profiting from a significant capacity to solve nonlinear differential equations, numerical simulations have contributed to great progress in fundamentally understanding the mechanism driving gas production and in developing effective exploitation methods. Owing to the substantial fundamental physics involved in the exploitation of natural gas hydrates, existing challenges, alternative strategies, and future directions are provided correspondingly from a practical application perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a key physical process, water vapor condensation has attracted significant attention because of its potential in engineering applications. The non-condensable gas in the surrounding vapor has a significant influence on condensation heat transfer. Considering as a crucial aspect, this work developed a transient multiphysics coupled solver to investigate droplet condensation in a moist air environment (considering dry air as the non-condensable gas). The current solver couples the time-dependent vapor-liquid phase-change heat transfer, mass transport of water vapor, and two-phase fluid flow. In contrast to the classical thermal resistance theory model, this solver can capture the dynamic and strong coupling characteristics during condensation comprehensively. The results demonstrate that for small-scale droplets, vapor condensation is driven by the coupled internal conduction-dominated heat transfer and external vapor diffusion. As the droplet grows and the contact angle increases, internal convection driven by the Marangoni effect becomes increasingly important. The enhanced fluid mixing inside the droplet can affect both the internal heat transfer and the external vapor diffusion. Because of the significant diffusion resistance, the droplet growth rates in a moist air environment are reduced up to 1-2 orders of magnitude compared with the case of pure steam. For large-scale droplets, the internal convection can increase the droplet growth rate up to 18.7%. Furthermore, the contact angle, the subcooling temperature, and the relative humidity have significant influences on droplet condensation in a moist air environment. This work not only promotes the mechanistic understanding of condensation heat transfer in a moist air ambient but also provides a flexible solver for vapor-liquid phase change problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanodroplet impacts have attracted significant attention, while the effect of surface wettability on contact time is evaluated poorly. Utilizing molecular dynamics simulations, the current work with a special focus on the contact time studies nanodroplets impacting solid surfaces in a wide range of static contact angles (θ0 = 105°–175°) and the Weber number (We = 0.1–200). The complete trends in contact time and restitution coefficient with surface wettability are analyzed and reported for the first time. For surfaces with θ0 > 160°, four different regimes are identified for the contact time and restitution coefficient as a function of the Weber number. For surfaces with 110° < θ0 < 160°, the fourth regime is not observed. The restitution coefficient is employed to analyze the contact time of distinct rebound patterns in the individual wettability range. Intriguingly, surface wettability has a remarkable influence on the contact time of nanodroplets even for superhydrophobic surfaces. The main reason for the difference between the macroscale and nanoscale is attributed to the significantly enhanced viscous effect and interfacial effect of the nanoscale impact. Considering the different effects of surface wettability on spreading and retraction dynamics, the theoretical models for the maximum spreading factor, spreading velocity, and retraction velocity are established. Finally, scaling laws of the spreading time τspr ∼ (R0/Vi)We2/3Re−1/3 and retraction time τret ∼ (R0/Vi)We2/3Re−1/3(1 − cos θ0)−1/2 are proposed. An excellent agreement with both the current data sources and the results in the literature verifies the universality of the current scaling law from hydrophobic to superhydrophobic surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a study of a droplet impacting an inclined hydrophobic surface using lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) simulation. The influence of surface inclination, surface wettability, and the Weber number on the dynamic of spreading and receding is elucidated. Intriguingly, the contact time is independent of the surface inclination. The surface wettability and Weber number do not affect the spreading time, while they significantly influence the receding dynamic. To further quantitatively describe the influence of surface wettability and Weber number, scaling laws of the receding rate are established as Vret ∼ (1 − cos θ)−0.25 and Vret ∼ Wen0.19, and, thus, scaling laws of the receding time are established as tr ∼ (1 − cos θ)−0.5 and tr ∼ Wen0.1, respectively, where Wen is the normal Weber numbers and θ is the contact angle. Based on this, a relationship of the contact time for a droplet impacting an inclined hydrophobic surface is ultimately established as tc = 3.1(ρR03/σ)1/2 (1 − cos θ)−1/2Wen0.1, where ρ, R0, and σ denote the droplet density, radius, and surface tension, respectively. This study provides a quantitative relationship to calculate the contact time of a droplet impacting an inclined hydrophobic surface, which can simultaneously efficiently evaluate the anti-freezing, anti-icing, and self-cleaning performance of hydrophobic surfaces employed in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]