Measurements of diffusion coefficient of methane in water/brine under high pressure

The diffusion coefficient of methane in water plays an important role in the formation and dissociation of methane hydrate. However, most of the previous studies on the diffusion coefficient of methane in brine are performed at room temperature and low pressures, which is quite different from the formation condition of methane hydrate. In this study, we measure the diffusion coefficient of methane in pure water and brine in capillary tube at 10.3 MPa and temperature ranging from 283.15 to 308.15 K. We use the Raman spectrum to measure the ratio of C-H bound signal of methane to the O-H bound signal of water, to estimate the concentration of methane dissolves in water/brine. The Raman spectrum is collected at different time and different positions away from the liquid-gas interface. Diffusion coefficient is determined by fitting the experimental data with the concentration profiles solved from Fick’s second law and semi-infinity boundary condition. By this method, we can evaluate the diffusion coefficient at different temperatures or salinities. The diffusion coefficient of methane in water/brine increases as the temperature increases. The diffusion coefficient of methane in brine is lower than that in pure water. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is also performed in this study to calculate the diffusion coefficient of methane in water/brine. The MD results can successfully predict the tendency of temperature effect and adding electrolyte.