Abstract
Considereing the methane migration processes in the closed coal mine, this paper describes the numerical experiment by two multiphase models, the basic two-phase (gas, water: hereinafter 2P) model and the two-phase (gas, water)/three-component (air, methane and water: hereinafter 2P/3C) model newly developed by the authours. The major difference between these two models is that the 2P/3C model can simulate the mass transfer processes between the phases such as the methane dissolution into the liquid phase, while the 2P model cannot. The methane migration proceeces in a hypothetical coal mine were simulated by these two models and compared. This study exhibited an interesting aspect that the 2P model can simulate the basic methane migration processes and the interphase mass transfer model (2P/3C) proposed can well simulate, in addition, the methane segregation in the subsurface. The results obtained herein typically indicate the importance of multiphase models for the water-gas simulation in the subsurface, as well as the further importance of the model concept selection.
