Mechanical Instability of Methane Hydrate–Mineral Interface Systems

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c08114
• Publication Date: 2021-09-14T17:52:45Z
• Authors: Pinqiang Cao; Tianshu Li; Fulong Ning; Jianyang Wu
• Keywords: Clathrate hydrate

Massive methane hydrates occur on sediment matrices in nature. Therefore, sediment-based hydrate systems play an essential role the society and community, including energy resources, global climate changes, geohazards. However, a fundamental understanding of mechanical properties hydrate–mineral interface is largely limited due to insufficient experimental techniques. Herein, by using large-scale molecular simulations, we show that (silica, kaolinite, Wyoming-type montmorillonite) are strongly dictated chemical components sedimentary minerals determine interfacial microstructures between minerals. The tensile strengths found decrease following order montmorillonite- > silica- kaolinite-based systems, all which brittle failure at under tension. In contrast, upon compression, decompose into water molecules, resulting from large strain-induced instability. particular, montmorillonite-based compression characterized sudden compressive stress strain around 0.23, distinguishing it those compression. Our findings thus provide insight potential mechanisms instability gas hydrate-bearing Earth.