Intensification and kinetics of methane hydrate formation under heat removal by phase change of n‐tetradecane

A method of direct heat removal resulting from the phase change of n‐tetradecane was used to intensify the heat transfer during hydrate formation. The growth rates of methane hydrate in aqueous slurries containing 25–45 wt % of solid n‐tetradecane were investigated at pressures between 4.70 and 6.46 MPa (gauge) and near the fusion point of solid n‐tetradecane. Methane hydrate growth started at a practically constant rate, which became variable after a sudden increase. Two rate laws were established to correlate with the experimental data for the constant and variable rate stages. The methane hydrate growth rates achieved with solid n‐tetradecane were significantly enhanced compared with those obtained under indirect heat removal. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 3441–3450, 2015     

Kinetic Modeling of Methane Hydrate Formation in the Presence of Low‐Dosage Water‐Soluble Ionic Liquids

The kinetic and thermodynamic effects of three typical low‐dosage imidazolium‐based ionic liquids (ILs) on methane hydrate formation and dissociation were investigated, considering the anion nature and subcooling and/or overpressure driving forces. Isochoric hydrate formation and dissociation data were obtained by the modified slow step‐heating method. ILs proved to have a dual effect on both formation and dissociation of methane hydrate including thermodynamic and kinetic inhibition. Kinetic modeling of methane hydrate inhibition by low‐dosage ILs was performed. Kinetic analysis showed that IL inhibitors mainly cause a delay in the nucleation or hydrate growth step. The related inhibition mechanism was resolved regarding the ionic nature and electrostatic interactions of ILs with water molecules. Two binomial exponential kinetic relations were derived and used for simple methane hydrate formation in the presence of ILs as kinetic hydrate inhibitors. The proposed relations can serve for a quick estimation of the nature, extent, strength, and effectiveness of ILs on various gas hydrates.     

Investigation on hydrate growth at the oil–water interface: In the presence of asphaltene

Natural gas hydrates can readily form in deep-water oil production processes and pose a great threat to the oil industry. Moreover, the coexistence of hydrate and asphaltene can result in more severe challenges to subsea flow assurance. In order to study the effects of asphaltene on hydrate growth at the oil–water interface, a series of micro-experiments were conducted in a self-made reactor, where hydrates nucleated and grew on the surface of a water droplet immersed in asphaltene-containing oil. Based on the micro-observations, the shape and growth rate of the hydrate shell formed at the oil–water interface were mainly investigated and the effects of asphaltene on hydrate growth were analyzed. According to the experimental results, the shape of the water droplet and the interfacial area changed significantly after the formation of the hydrate shell when the asphaltene concentration was higher than a certain value. A mechanism related to the reduction of the interfacial tension caused by the absorption of asphaltenes on the interface was proposed for illustration. Moreover, the growth rate of the hydrate shell decreased significantly with the increasing asphaltene concentration under experimental conditions. The conclusions of this paper could provide preliminary insight how asphaltene affect hydrate growth at the oil–water interface.     

Migration of a single gas bubble in water during the formation of stable gas-hydrate crust on its surface

A theoretical model of gas-hydrate formation during the migration of the methane bubble in water under thermobaric conditions of hydrate stability has been considered. Numeric solutions were obtained and analyzed for two limiting cases when the rate of formation of the hydrate crust on bubble surface is constrained by the intensity of heat removal, which is released during hydrate-formation process by the surrounding water or the diffusive resistance of gas hydrate crust against the transfer of hydrate-forming components. A comparative analysis of the numeric results with the experimental data showed that the diffusive transfer of hydrate-forming components through the crust most adequately described the process of hydrate-particle growth that was observed in experiments during the ascent of methane particles in seawater. The conditions of the best agreement between the theoretical and experimental data on changing of radius of gas-hydrate particle allowed numeric estimates to be obtained for values of the reduced coefficient of gas and water diffusion through the hydrate crust.     

Direct conversion of water droplets to methane hydrate in crude oil

Water droplets suspended in a crude oil were converted to methane hydrate by pressurization in an autoclave cell. Droplet size distributions were monitored using a focused beam reflectance method (FBRM) particle size analyzer as the water converted to hydrate. The droplet size distribution did not change significantly during conversion of nearly all the water to hydrate. The preservation of the distribution during conversion indicates that water droplets act as individual reactors and supports a hydrate shell formation model. Water droplet size distributions were measured with the FBRM probe at multiple shear rates in four crude oils (Albacora Leste, Conroe, Petronius, and a West African oil) with various surface tensions and viscosities. The water droplet size distributions, and thus hydrate particle distributions, were found to be lognormal with breadth increasing with mean. A correlation model has been developed to predict the entire size distribution of water droplets in these oils as a function of viscosity, interfacial tension, and shear rate. The model has been extended to represent gas hydrate particle size distributions in oil after conversion.     

Kinetics of carbon dioxide and methane hydrate formation

Experimental data on the kinetics of carbon dioxide hydrate formation and its solubility in distilled water are reported. The experiments were carried out in a semi-batch stirred tank reactor at nominal temperatures of 274, 276 and 278 K and at pressure ranging from 1.59 to 2.79 MPa for the kinetics experiments and at pressure ranging from 0.89 to 2.09 MPa for the solubility experiments. A minor inconsistency in the kinetic model developed by Englezos et al. (1987a) was removed and the model was modified to determine the intrinsic kinetic rate constant for carbon dioxide hydrate formation. The same model was also used to re-determine the intrinsic kinetic rate constant for methane hydrate formation. The model is based on the crystallization theory coupled with the two-film theory for gas absorption in the liquid phase. The Henry's constant (H) and apparent dissolution rate constant (K_La) required in the model were determined using the experimental solubility data. The kinetic model describes the experimental data very well. The kinetic rate constant obtained for the carbon dioxide hydrate formation was found to be higher than that for methane.     

Growth kinetics of hydrate formation from water–hydrocarbon system

Gas hydrates have drawn global attentions in the past decades as potential energy resources. It should be noted that there are a variety of possible applications of hydrate-based technologies, including natural gas storage, gas transportation, separation of gas mixture, and seawater desalination. These applications have been critically challenged by insufficient understanding of hydrate formation kinetics. In this work, the literatures on growth kinetic behaviors of hydrate formation from water-hydrocarbon were systematically reviewed. The hydrate crystal growth, hydrate film growth and macroscopic hydrate formation in water system were reviewed, respectively. Firstly, the hydrate crystal growth was analyzed with respect to different positions, such as gas/liquid interface, liquid–liquid interface and gas–liquid–liquid system. Secondly, experimental and modeling studies on the growth of hydrate film at the interfaces between guest phase and water phase were categorized into two groups of lateral growth and thickening growth considering the differences in growth rates. Thirdly, we summarized the promoters and inhibitors reported (biological or chemical, liquid or solid and hydrophobic or hydrophilic) and analyzed the mechanisms affecting hydrate formation in bulk water system. Knowledge gaps and suggestions for further studies on hydrate formation kinetic behaviors are presented.     

Study of the Kinetics and Morphology of Gas Hydrate Formation

The kinetics and morphology of ethane hydrate formation were studied in a batch type reactor at a temperature of ca. 270–280 K, over a pressure range of 8.83–16.67 bar. The results of the experiments revealed that the formation kinetics were dependant on pressure, temperature, degree of supercooling, and stirring rate. Regardless of the saturation state, the primary nucleation always took place in the bulk of the water and the phase transition was always initiated at the surface of the vortex (gas‐water interface). The rate of hydrate formation was observed to increase with an increase in pressure. The effect of stirring rate on nucleation and growth was emphasized in great detail. The experiments were performed at various stirring rates of 110–190 rpm. Higher rates of formation of gas hydrate were recorded at faster stirring rates. The appearance of nuclei and their subsequent growth at the interface, for different stirring rates, was explained by the proposed conceptual model of mass transfer resistances. The patterns of gas consumption rates, with changing rpm, have been visualized as due to a critical level of gas molecules in the immediate vicinity of the growing hydrate particle. Nucleation and decomposition gave a cyclic hysteresis‐like phenomena. It was also observed that a change in pressure had a much greater effect on the rate of decomposition than it did on the formation rate. Morphological studies revealed that the ethane hydrate resembles thread or is cotton‐like in appearance. The rate of gas consumption during nucleation, with different rpm and pressures, and the percentage decomposition at different pressures, were explained precisely for ethane hydrate.     

甲烷水合物在纯水中的生成动力学

引言一些低分子量气体,如石油和天然气中C_1～C_4轻烃、氮气、硫化氢、二氧化碳和惰性气体等,在一定压力和温度的条件下可与水形成一类笼形结构的冰状晶体,即所谓的气体水合物．气体水合物是一类较为特殊的包络化合物：主体水分子通过氢键相互结合形成一种内含空隙的笼形框架,客体分子则被笼罩于这些空隙中．主、客体分子之间的作用力为vanderWaals力．水合物晶体最为常见的两种结构分别称为结构I（体心立方构型）和结构Ⅱ（金刚石构型）．甲烷和水形成结构I水合物．文献阐述了开展水合物生成动力学研究的重要意义．但由于水合物生成…     

甲烷水合物在纯水中的生成动力学

The kinetic behavior of methane hydrate formation in pure water was investigated.12 sets of experimental data on methane hydrate formation were determined at temperatures ranging from 273.65 to 276.15K and pressures ranging from 4.47 to 8.47MPa.The duration of three stages in methane hydrate formation,known as the dissolution,nucleation and growth periods,that are lacking in open literature,was obtained.The effect of pressure and temperature on the kinetics of methane hydrate formation was also studied.     

Induction time,storage capacity,and rate of methane hydrate formation in the presence of SDS and silver nanoparticles

In this communication, the kinetic parameters of methane hydrate formation (induction time, quantity and rate of gas uptake, storage capacity (SC), and apparent rate constant) in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), synthetized silver nanoparticles (SNPs), and mixture of SDS?+?SNPs have been studied. Experimental measurements were performed at temperature of 273.65?K and initial pressure of 7?MPa in a 460?cm³ stirred batch reactor. Our results show that adding SDS, SNPs and their mixture increases the quantity of gas uptake, water to hydrate conversion, and SC of methane hydrate formation, noticeably. Using 300?ppm SDS increases the SC and the quantity of methane uptake 615, and 770%, respectively, compared with pure water. Investigating the hydrate growth rate at the start of hydrate formation process shows that, using SNPs, SDS, and their mixture increases the initial apparent rate constant of hydrate rate, considerably. Our results show that the system of methane?+?water?+?SDS 500?ppm?+?SNPs 45?µM represents the maximum value of initial apparent rate constant, compared with other tested systems.     

Experimental investigation of double gas hydrate formation in the presence of modified starch as a kinetic inhibitor in a flow mini‐loop apparatus

The main objective of the present work is experimental investigation of double gas hydrate formation with or without presence of modified starch as kinetic inhibitors in a flow mini‐loop apparatus. To this object, a laboratory flow mini‐loop apparatus was set up to measure the induction time for hydrate formation and the rate uptake 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, water blend saturated with gas mixture is circulated up to a required pressure. Pressure is maintained at a constant value during experimental runs by means of required gas mixture make‐up. The effect of pressure on gas consumption during hydrate formation is investigated with or without presence of polyvinylpyrrolidone and modified starch as kinetic inhibitors at various concentrations. Our results were shown that the modified starch can be applied as inhibitors in prevention of double gas hydrate formation in mini‐loop apparatus. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Role of different types of water in bentonite clay on hydrate formation and decomposition

The equilibrium and kinetic of hydrate in sediments can be affected by the presence of external components like bentonite with a relatively large surface area. To investigate the hydrate formation and decomposition behaviors in bentonite clay, the experiments of methane hydrate formation and decomposition using the multi-step decomposition method in bentonite with different water contents of 20%, 40% and 60% (mass) were carried out. The contents of bound, capillary and gravity water in bentonite clay and their roles during hydrate formation and decomposition were analyzed. In bentonite with water content of 20% (mass), the hydrate formation rate keeps fast during the whole formation process, and the final gas consumption under different initial formation pressures is similar. In bentonite with the water contents of 40% and 60% (mass), the hydrate formation rate declines significantly at the later stage of the hydrate formation. The final gas consumption of bentonite with the water contents of 40% and 60% (mass) is significantly higher than that with the water content of 20% (mass). During the decomposition process, the stable pressure increases with the decrease of the water content. Hydrate mainly forms in free water in bentonite clay. In bentonite clay with the water contents of 20% and 40% (mass), the hydrate forms in capillary water. In bentonite clay with the water content of 60% (mass), the hydrate forms both in capillary water and gravity water. The bound water of dry bentonite clay is about 3.93% (mass) and the content of capillary water ranges from 42.37% to 48.21% (mass) of the dry bentonite clay.     

Experimental and modeling study of the kinetics of methane hydrate formation and dissociation

In this work, several experiments were conducted at isobaric and isothermal condition in a CSTR reactor to study the kinetics of methane hydrate formation and dissociation. Experiments were performed at five temperatures and three pressure levels (corresponding to equilibrium pressure). Methane hydrate formation and dissociation rates were modeled using mass transfer limited kinetic models and mass transfer coefficients for both formation and dissociation were calculated. Comparison of results, shows that mass transfer coefficients for methane hydrate dissociation are one order greater than formation conditions. Mass transfer coefficients were correlated by polynomials as relations of pressure and temperature. The results and the method can be applied for prediction of methane production from naturally occurring methane hydrate deposits.     

Dual Effect of Low‐Dosage Poly(Ethylene Oxides) on Methane Hydrate Formation

Time‐dependent isochoric formation of methane hydrate was investigated in the presence of low‐dose poly(ethylene oxides) (PEOs). The effect of different molecular weights of PEO on methane hydrate nucleation time and storage capacity was studied and compared. Kinetic measurements revealed a dual effect of PEO, including inhibition and stabilization effects, on methane hydrate formation. The nature and type of the effect arises from the difference in molecular weights and concentration ranges of PEOs. These parameters directly affect the nucleation time and storage capacity of methane hydrate. Generally, in comparison with pure water, PEO improved the storage capacity of methane hydrate. PEO (1000 kD) at a concentration of 0.5 wt % exhibits a significant kinetic inhibitory performance. However, it was an efficient low‐dosage hydrate stabilizer at a concentration of 0.25 wt %, along with producing gas‐rich methane hydrate suitable for gas fuel storage and transportation.     

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.     

天然气水合物形成与生长影响因素综述

天然气水合物(NGH)是水分子和天然气分子形成的一种复杂的笼型晶体,其在油气管道输送、天然气储存和制冷等行业中都具有重要的研究意义和利用价值,但天然气水合物的形成是一个多组分、多阶段的复杂过程,不同因素对于天然气水合物形成和生长的影响尚有待明确。本文介绍了天然气水合物形成的物理过程以及水合物成核的3种机理假说;详细梳理了基质两亲性、添加剂、多孔介质环境和杂质、液体组成、温度压力以及流动条件等因素对于天然气水合物形成和生长的影响,并对其作了简要分析。同时指出,原油组成对于水合物抑制效果的定量化、蜡晶结构对于水合物形成过程中传质和传热的影响以及微观化的动力学抑制剂抑制机理等都是水合物相关研究中需要进一步深入探究和明确的问题。     

Macroscopic investigation of hydrate film growth at the hydrocarbon/water interface

Clathrate hydrate film growth has been investigated at the hydrocarbon/water interface for cyclopentane and methane hydrate, using video microscopy combined with gas consumption measurements. Hydrate formation was characterized by the film thickness, propagation rate across the hydrocarbon/water interface, and gas consumption. The film formation processes of cyclopentane and methane hydrate were measured over the temperature range of 260-273 K and pressure range of atmospheric to 8.3 MPa. Hydrate formation was initiated by the propagation of a thin, porous film across the hydrocarbon/water interface. This thickening rate was strongly dependent on the hydrate former solubility in the aqueous phase, in the absence and presence of hydrate. The methane hydrate film thickness began at about and grew to a final thickness (20-) which increased with subcooling. The cyclopentane hydrate film thickness began at about and grew to a final thickness (15-) which again increased with subcooling. The hydrate film grew into the water phase. Gas consumption indicated that the aqueous phase supplied hydrate former during the initial hydrate growth, and the free gas supplied the hydrate former for film thickening.     

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%.     

甲烷水合物在纯水和抑制剂体系中的生成动力学

Kinetic data of methane hydrate formation in the presence of pure water,brines with single salt and mixed salts,and aqueous solutions of ethylene glycol(EG) and salt EG were measured.A new kinetic model of hydrate formation for the methane water systems was developed based on a four-step formation mechanism and reaction kinetic approach.The proposed kinetic model predicts the kinetic behavior of methane hydrate formation in pure water with good accuracy.The feasibility of extending the kenetic model of salt(s) and EG containing systems was explored.