Kinetic and Phase Behaviors of Catalytic Cracking Dry Gas Hydrate in Water-in-Oil Emulsion

The systematic experimental studies were performed on the hydrate formation kinetics and gas-hydrate equilibrium for a simulated catalytic cracking gas in the water-in-oil emulsion. The effect of temperature, pressure and initial gas-liquid ratio on the hydrate formation was studied, respectively. The data were obtained at pressures ranging from 3.5 to 5 MPa and temperatures from 274.15 to 277.15 K. The results showed that hydrogen and methane can be separated from the C₂₊ fraction by forming hydrate at around 273.15 K which is much higher temperature than that of the cryogenic separation method, and the hydrate formation rate can be enhanced in the water-in-oil emulsion compared to pure water. The experiments provided the basic data for designing the industrial process, and setting the suitable operational conditions. The measured data of gas-hydrate equilibria were compared with the predictions by using the Chen-Guo hydrate thermodynamic model.     

甲烷+氨水体系水合物生成条件实验测定及计算

甲烷在氨水体系中生成水合物的实验数据对于开发水合法回收合成氨驰放气工艺以及操作条件的确定具有重要意义。本文测定了氨摩尔分数为1.018、3.171、5.278氨水溶液中甲烷气体水合物的生成条件。结果表明：氨的加入对甲烷水合物的生成起着明显抑制作用,而且随着氨浓度的增加,生成压力越高。采用Chen-Guo模型对甲烷在氨水中生成水合物的数据进行了计算,得到了较为满意的计算结果,平均误差为2.71%,说明Chen-Guo模型能够较好地预测该类体系的水合物的生成条件。     

Thermodynamic consistency test for experimental data of water content of methane

Accurate knowledge of the water content of natural gases is an important factor to estimate the gas hydrate, ice, and condensed water formation conditions. However, the experimental data regarding the water content of gases in equilibrium with the gas hydrate, ice, or liquid water (near gas hydrate or ice formation region) are limited. This is partly because of the fact that concentration of water in the gaseous phase in equilibrium with gas hydrate, ice or liquid water (near gas hydrate or ice formation region) is very low considering that reaching the equilibrium conditions near and inside gas hydrate or ice formation region is time consuming process. The measurement difficulties may consequently result in generating unreliable experimental data. This work aims at performing a thermodynamic consistency test based on area approach to study the reliability of some experimental data reported in the literature on the water content of methane (the main component of natural gases) in equilibrium with the gas hydrate, ice, or liquid water (near gas hydrate or ice formation region). A discussion is made on the studied experimental data according to the performed consistency test. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Modelling and experimental study of hydrate formation kinetics of natural gas‐water‐surfactant system in a multi‐tube bubble column reactor

To promote the heat and mass transfer during the hydrate formation process, an internal spiral‐grooved tube (ISGT) was proposed as the reaction tube in a large‐scale multi‐tube bubble column reactor with external slurry circulation. In order to investigate such multi‐component gas (natural gas)‐water‐surfactant systems during the hydrate formation process in the ISGT, based on the solute permeation model and Kolmogorov isotropic turbulence theory, a CFD method combined with the population balance model (PBM) was utilized to simulate gas‐liquid mass transfer coefficient. Then, the hydrate formation kinetics model in ISGT was modelled based on the model proposed by Kashchiev and Firoozabadi. The hydrate formation experiments were carried out in the multi‐tube bubble column reactor at six different pressure‐temperature‐circulating flow velocities of piston pump regimes to investigate the actual formation process of natural gas hydrate. The experimental results were then used to finetune the optimized parameters to facilitate accurate model predictions.     

Experimental and theoretical study of gas hydrate formation in a high‐pressure flow loop

A set of mathematical models are developed based on thermodynamics, mass transfer, and crystallisation concepts to predict hydrate formation rate and the aqueous phase composition in the flow loop. In order to validate the model, experimental study is carried out in a 10 m loop with the inside diameter of 10.6 mm using gas mixture of 73% methane and 27% propane to measure the hydrate formation rate. The experimental conditions include temperature from 4 to 5°C and pressures between 2 and 3 MPa. Good agreements are noticed when the experimental and theoretical hydrate formation rates are compared at different operating conditions.     

Phenomenological diffusion theory of formation of gas hydrate from ice powder

The diffusion theory of the formation of gas hydrate from ice powder is stated. The theory takes into account that a gas hydrate has a pore structure that can change during formation of gas hydrate. The parameters of the theoretical model that are responsible for the kinetics of methane hydrate formation are estimated using a comparison between experimental and calculated data.     

泡状流中水合物生成预测模型及实验

针对可燃冰钻采井筒内易发生水合物生成和堵塞的工程问题,本文开展了泡状流条件下甲烷水合物生成实验,发现流速增加会提高水合物生成速率,黄原胶质量分数的增加会降低水合物生成速率。基于传质理论,构建了适用于可燃冰钻采井筒内泡状流条件下水合物生成预测模型,模型考虑了连续相流体流变性、气泡破裂、聚并和形变等因素对泡状流中气液界面分布和气液间传质规律的影响,并耦合实验数据,提出了气泡群间的综合传质系数经验公式,用于描述气泡间相互作用对气液间传质速率的影响。对比实验结果,所建立模型对水合物生成量和水合物生成速率的预测误差分别在±5%和±15%以内,满足工程计算需求。该模型的构建有助于精准预测油气和可燃冰钻采井筒内水合物风险,为建立经济、高效的井筒水合物防治方案奠定理论基础。     

Kinetic simulation of methane hydrate formation and dissociation in porous media

The vast amount of hydrocarbon gas deposited in the earth's crust as gas hydrates has significant implications for future energy supply and global climate. A 3-D simulator for methane hydrate formation and dissociation in porous media is developed for designing and interpreting laboratory and field hydrate experiments. Four components (hydrate, methane, water and salt) and five phases (hydrate, gas, aqueous-phase, ice and salt precipitate) are considered in the simulator. The intrinsic kinetics of hydrate formation or dissociation is considered using the Kim-Bishnoi model. Water freezing and ice melting are tracked with primary variable switch method (PVSM) by assuming equilibrium phase transition. Mass transport, including two-phase flow and molecular diffusions, and heat transfer involved in formation or dissociation of hydrates are included in the governing equations, which are discretized with finite volume difference method and are solved in a fully implicit manner. The developed simulator is used here to study the formation and the dissociation of hydrates in laboratory-scale core samples. In hydrate formation from the system of gas and ice (G+I) and in hydrate dissociation systems where ice appears, the equilibrium between aqueous-phase and ice (A-I) is found to have a “blocking” effect on heat transfer when salt is absent from the system. Increase of initial temperature (at constant outlet pressure), introduction of salt component into the system, decrease of outlet pressure, and increase of boundary heat transfer coefficient can lead to faster hydrate dissociation.     

Study on the kinetics of hydrate formation in a bubble column

Gas hydrate formation experiments were performed using methane in the presence of tetrahydrofuran (THF) in aqueous solution in a transparent bubble column in which a single pipe or a sintered plate was used to produce bubbles. The mole fraction of THF in aqueous solution was fixed at 6%. The hydrate formation kinetic behaviors on the surface of the rising bubble, the mechanical stability of hydrate shell formed on the surface of the bubble, the interactions among the bubbles with hydrate shell were observed and investigated morphologically. The rise velocities of individual bubbles with hydrate shells of different thickness and the consumption rates of methane gas were measured. A kinetic model was developed to correlate the experimentally measured gas consumption rate data. It was found that the hydrate formation rate on the surface of the moving bubble was high, but the formed hydrate shell was not very easy to be broken up. The bubbles with hydrate shells tended to agglomerate rather than merge into bigger bubble. This kind of characteristic of hydrate shell hindered the further formation of hydrate and led to the lower consumption rate of methane. The consumption rate of methane was found to increase with the decrease of temperature or increase of pressure. The increase of gas flux led to a linear increase in consumption rate of methane. It was demonstrated that the developed kinetic model could be used to correlate the consumption rate satisfyingly.     

气体水合物平衡生成条件的测定及预测

建立了一套气体水合物实验测定装置，采用该装置在温度２６２．６－２８５．２Ｋ范围内分别测定了甲烷，二氧化碳和一种合成天然气在纯水、电解质水溶液以甲醇水溶液中水合物的平衡生成压力，共计９个体系，７８个数据点。     

Nonstationary Absorption of Methane by a Quiescent Aqueous Phase

Nonequilibrium dissolution of methane in unstirred water was investigated. The experiments were carried out in the ranges of temperatures, pressures, and concentrations corresponding to the existence of methane hydrate in an equilibrium state. The experimental data were satisfactorily described by a model taking into account the methane transfer both through the gas–liquid interface layer and in the liquid phase. Calculations using the model and the experimental data showed that the methane diffusivity in water is lower than in the interface layer. This can be associated with the formation of methane hydrate in the aqueous phase, since methane hydrate molecules are larger than methane molecules.     

A water droplet size distribution dependent modeling of hydrate formation in water/oil emulsion

Experimental data on chord length distributions and growth rate during methane hydrate formation in water‐in‐oil emulsions were obtained in a high pressure stirring reactor using focused beam reflectance measurement and particle video microscope. The experiments were carried out at 274.2 K for 10–30% water cuts and agitation rates ranging from 200 to 500 rpm initially at 7.72 MPa. Rapid growth was accompanied by gradually decrease in rate. Free water was observed to become depleted during rapid growth while some water remained encapsulated inside hydrate layers constituting a mass transfer barrier. The apparent kinetic constants of methane hydrate formation and free‐water fractions were determined using a newly developed kinetic model independent of the dissolution rate at the gas–oil interface. It was illustrated that continued growth depends on distribution and transfer of water in oil‐dominated systems. This perception accords with observations of hydrate film growth on suspended water droplet in oil and clarifies transfer limits in kinetics. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 1010–1023, 2017     

螺旋内槽管内天然气-水-表面活性剂体系的水合物生成动力学计算

针对多组分气体（天然气）-水-表面活性剂体系在螺旋内槽管内的水合物生成过程,首先采用CFD方法结合群体平衡模型（PBM）,基于溶质渗透模型和Kolmogorov各向同性湍流理论对螺旋内槽管内气液传质系数进行了模拟;其次基于Kashchiev和Firoozabadi的经典水合物成核和生长理论,将其体系从单组分-水系统扩展到多组分气体（天然气-水-十二烷基硫酸钠）系统,同时结合经典结晶理论利用传质系数对水合物生长模型进行了修正,建立了适用于螺旋内槽管流动体系内天然气水合物生成动力学模型。通过模拟计算,获得不同水合物生产条件下天然气在水中的平均传质系数;进而利用Microsoft Visual C++编程计算得到不同条件下水合物生成动力学数据,在考察范围内,天然气水合物的成核速率随着反应体系有效表面能的增大而锐减,而水合物生成驱动力和生长速率未受影响,同时水合物生长速率随着流速和反应压力的增大及温度的降低而增大,成核速率随着压力的增大和温度的降低而增大。     

多孔材料中甲烷水合物生成的传热数值模拟研究

水合物储运(NGH)是近几年发展起来的天然气储运技术,已具备实现工业化的潜力。但水合物的生长是传质传热控制的反应,因此在放大实验中存在诸多不确定因素。针对该问题,对水合物反应器中多孔材料内甲烷水合物生成传热过程建立了基于化学反应动力学和多孔材料内传质传热的甲烷水合物生成传热数学模型,可用于计算反应器内水合物生成分布和热量分布,指导水合反应器的设计和优化。通过模拟与实验数据对比验证了该模型的可靠性,并对使用了不同热导率填料的水合反应过程进行数值模拟。结果显示,模拟值与实验值的绝对平均相对误差小于6%,生成传热模型准确性高;在水合反应过程中,热量传递是影响水合物生成速率的关键因素之一。导热不良时,易在水合物生成中心部分形成局部过热,对水合物生长造成热抑制。在进行水合物生成放大实验时,应特别注意反应器内部的热量控制。     

多孔材料中甲烷水合物生成的传热数值模拟研究

水合物储运(NGH)是近几年发展起来的天然气储运技术,已具备实现工业化的潜力。但水合物的生长是传质传热控制的反应,因此在放大实验中存在诸多不确定因素。针对该问题,对水合物反应器中多孔材料内甲烷水合物生成传热过程建立了基于化学反应动力学和多孔材料内传质传热的甲烷水合物生成传热数学模型,可用于计算反应器内水合物生成分布和热量分布,指导水合反应器的设计和优化。通过模拟与实验数据对比验证了该模型的可靠性,并对使用了不同热导率填料的水合反应过程进行数值模拟。结果显示,模拟值与实验值的绝对平均相对误差小于6%,生成传热模型准确性高;在水合反应过程中,热量传递是影响水合物生成速率的关键因素之一。导热不良时,易在水合物生成中心部分形成局部过热,对水合物生长造成热抑制。在进行水合物生成放大实验时,应特别注意反应器内部的热量控制。     

Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Double Gas Hydrate Formation in the Presence or Absence of Kinetic Inhibitors in a Flow Mini‐Loop Apparatus

Double gas hydrate formation in the presence or absence of kinetic inhibitors in a flow mini‐loop apparatus was investigated. For the prediction of the gas consumption rate during hydrate formation in this system, the rate equation based on the Kashchiev and Firoozabadi model for simple gas hydrate formation in a batch system was developed for double gas hydrate formation in a flow mini‐loop apparatus. To complete the theoretical evaluation of gas hydrate formation through the mini‐loop apparatus in the presence or absence of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHI), a laboratory flow mini‐loop apparatus was set up to measure the induction time for hydrate formation and the uptake rate when a gaseous mixture (such as 75 % C1/25 % C3, 25 % C1/75 % C3, 75 % C1/25 % i‐C4, and 25 % C1/75 % i‐C4) is contacted with water containing or not containing dissolved inhibitor under suitable temperature and pressure conditions. In each experiment, a water blend saturated with gas mixture was circulated up to the required pressure. The pressure was maintained at a constant value during the experimental runs by means of a required gas mixture make‐up. The effect of pressure on gas consumption during hydrate formation was investigated in the presence or absence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and L ‐tyrosine as kinetic inhibitors at various concentrations. A good agreement was found between the predicted and experimental data in the presence or absence of KHI. The total average absolute deviation percents between the experimental and predicted values of gas consumption were found to be 16.4 and 17.5 % for the double gas hydrate formation in the presence or absence of the kinetic inhibitors, respectively.     

降温模式对甲烷水合物形成的影响

在定容条件下,以两种不同的降温模式(缓慢降温和快速降温)进行甲烷水合物在沉积物中的形成实验. 结果表明,甲烷水合物在沉积物中的形成过程包括气液溶解、核化、生长、稳定4个阶段. 在相同的初始条件下,降温模式对水合物生成的热力平衡影响较小,但对水合物生成动力学有显著改变. 快速降温下水合物生长速度明显快于缓慢降温,随着水合物初始条件不同,缓慢降温比快速降温水合物形成时间约增加21.4%~28.8%.     

Equilibrium and Kinetic Properties of Methane Hydrate

During methane dissolution in water in a closed space, the pressure varies exponentially with time until the formation of methane hydrate. A model of this process is proposed that fits experimental data well. The methane concentration at the onset of hydrate formation is calculated as a function of temperature and pressure.     

鼓泡塔中水合物法分离混合气体的数值模拟

To develop a new technique for separating gas mixtures via hydrate formation,a set of medium-sized experimental bubble column reactor equipment was constructed.On the basis of the structure parameters of the ex- perimental bubble column reactor,assuming that the liquid phase was in the axial dispersion regime and the gas phase was in the plug flow regime,in the presence of hydrate promoter tetrahydrofuran（THF）,the rate of hydrogen enrichment for CH4＋H2 gas mixtures at different operational conditions（such as temperature,pressure,concentra- tion of gas components,gas flow rate,liquid flow rate）were simulated.The heat product of the hydrate reaction and its axial distribution under different operational conditions were also calculated.The results would be helpful not only to setting and optimizing operation conditions and design of multi-refrigeration equipment,but also to hydrate separation technique industrialization.     

A型分子筛对甲烷水合物生成的影响

The porous medium has an important effect on hydrate formation. In this paper, the formation process and the gas storage capacity of the methane hydrate were investigated with A-type zeolite and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) existing in the system. The results show that A-type zeolite can influence methane hydrate formation. At the temperature of 273.5 K and pressure of 8.3 MPa, the distilled water with A-type zeolite can form methane hydrate with gaseous methane in 12 hours. The formation process of the system with A-type zeolite was quite steady and the amount of A-type zeolite can influence the gas storage capacity significantly. The adding of A-type zeolite with 0.067 g•(g water)－1 into 2×10－3 g•g－1 SDS-water solution can increase the gas storage capacity, and the maxi-mum increase rate was 31%. Simultaneously the promotion effect on hydrate formation of 3A-type zeolite is much more obvious than that of 5A-type zeolite when the water adding amounts are 0.033 g•g－1 and 0.067 g•g－1 at the experimental conditions.