The occurrence of coalbed methane adsorption-desorption hysteresis has been widely observed, but a unified understanding of its mechanism is lacking, and the factors affecting its degree are unclear. This study introduces a microscale LB model for gas diffusion-adsorption-desorption in porous media that also accounts for the adsorption-desorption hysteresis effect. The accuracy of the model has been validated using previous experimental data, and the primary controlling factors of adsorption-desorption hysteresis were analyzed. The findings are as follows: (1) In the process of methane diffusion-adsorption-desorption, Knudsen diffusion dominates in micro- and mesopores, while viscous flow prevails in macropores; our model can adaptively adjust gas transport regimes across a broad range of pore sizes and pressures. (2) The desorption amount and rate are close relative to the correction factors α and β. A higher α value corresponds to greater initial adsorption as well as longer desorption time, whereas a lower β value implies weaker desorption capacity and a slower desorption rate. (3) Pore size can affect gas diffusion-adsorption-desorption kinetics, where larger pore size corresponds to efficient gas diffusivity; when r < 10 nm, the desorption process is mainly controlled by the desorption rate. Overall, this study has offered new insights into the mechanism behind methane adsorption-desorption hysteresis at the microscale, identified primary controlling factors of methane diffusion-adsorption-desorption process, and provided a foundation for numerical simulations and experiments related to the adsorption-desorption hysteresis.
© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.