MRI measurements of CO2 hydrate dissociation rate in a porous medium

After obtaining experimental data of CO2 hydrate formation and dissociation in a porous medium using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the purpose of this study was to analyze the different dissociation rate of CO2 hydrate using two heating rates. Images were obtained by using a fast spin-echo sequence, and the field of view was set to 40x40x40 mm. The vessel pressure was monitored during hydrate formation and dissociation, which was used to compare with MRI mean intensity. The result indicated that the MRI could visualize hydrate formation and dissociation, and the MRI mean intensity of water was in good agreement with the vessel pressure changes. The hydrate formation and dissociation rates were also quantified using the MRI mean intensity of water. The experimental results showed that the higher heating rate caused the rapid hydrate dissociation. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.