Study on the formation of methane hydrates in a composite system of AES and activated alumina

Abstract This study investigates the synergistic effect of the combination of sodium lauryl ether sulphate (AES) and activated alumina on methane hydrate formation by varying the AES concentration (100–800 ppm) and the particle size of activated alumina (2–8 mm), while also analyzing the role of the aqueous phase volume in the autoclave (50 mL vs. 100 mL, corresponding to different volumes of the aqueous solution). The results indicate that the optimal AES concentration is 300 ppm, and the smaller the activated alumina particle size, the more significant the promotion effect; the combination of the two exhibits a significant synergistic effect. The combination of 300 ppm AES and 2 mm alumina yields the best results, with gas consumption increased by 25.7% compared to a system with the same concentration of SDS, and the gas storage density reaching a maximum of 118.9 Vg/Vh. Furthermore, increasing the volume of the aqueous solution (to 100 mL) further enhanced the system's pressure drop and gas consumption. This study provides experimental evidence and technical references for the synergistic promotion of hydrate formation by surfactants and porous media.