Dissociation behavior of “dry water” C_3H_8 hydrate below ice point:Effect of phase state of unreacted residual water on a mechanism of gas hydrates dissociation

The results on a dissociation behavior of propane hydrates prepared from "dry water" and contained unreacted residual water in the form of ice inclusions or supercooled liquid water(water solution of gas) were presented for temperatures below 273 K.The temperature ramping or pressure release method was used for the dissociation of propane hydrate samples.It was found that the mechanism of gas hydrate dissociation at temperatures below 273 K depended on the phase state of unreacted water in the hydrate sample.Gas hydrates dissociated into ice and gas if the ice inclusions were in the hydrate sample.The samples of propane hydrates with inclusions of unreacted supercooled water only(without ice inclusions) dissociated into supercooled water and gas below the pressure of the supercooled water-hydrate-gas metastable equilibrium.     

常见客体分子对笼型水合物晶格常数的影响

Natural gas hydrates are considered as ideal alternative energy resources for the future, and the relevant basic and applied research has become more attractive in recent years. The influence of guest molecules on the hydrate crystal lattice parameters is of great significances to the understanding of hydrate structural characteristics, hydrate formation/decomposition mechanisms, and phase stability behaviors. In this study, we test a series of artificial hydrate samples containing different guest molecules (e.g. methane, ethane, propane, iso-butane, carbon dioxide, tetrahydrofuran, methane + 2, 2-dimethylbutane, and methane + methyl cyclohexane) by a low-temperature powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Results show that PXRD effectively elucidates structural characteristics of the natural gas hydrate samples, including crystal lattice parameters and structure types. The relationships between guest molecule sizes and crystal lattice parameters reveal that different guest molecules have different controlling behaviors on the hydrate types and crystal lattice constants. First, a positive correlation between the lattice constants and the van der Waals diameters of homologous hydrocarbon gases was observed in the single-guest-component hydrates. Small hydrocarbon homologous gases, such as methane and ethane, tended to form sI hydrates, whereas relatively larger molecules, such as propane and iso-butane, generated sⅡ hydrates. The hydrate crystal lattice constants increased with increasing guest molecule size. The types of hydrates composed of oxygen-containing guest molecules (such as CO₂ and THF) were also controlled by the van der Waals diameters. However, no positive correlation between the lattice constants and the van der Waals diameters of guest molecules in hydrocarbon hydrates was observed for CO₂ hydrate and THF hydrate, probably due to the special interactions between the guest oxygen atoms and hydrate "cages". Furthermore, the influences of the macromolecules and auxiliary small molecules on the lengths of the different crystal axes of the sH hydrates showed inverse trends. Compared to the methane + 2, 2-dimethylbutane hydrate sample, the length of the a-axis direction of the methane + methyl cyclohexane hydrate sample was slightly smaller, whereas the length of the c-axis direction was slightly longer. The crystal a-axis length of the sH hydrate sample formed with nitrogen molecules was slightly longer, whereas the c-axis was shorter than that of the methane + 2, 2-dimethylbutane hydrate sample at the same temperature.     

含低剂量抑制剂体系气体水合物生成动力学

水合物管道堵塞是油气工业安全生产的重要问题之一, 目前低剂量抑制剂以其经济性、环境友好性等优点, 逐步取代传统抑制剂. 文中在8.5 MPa、4 ℃条件下, 1.072 L反应釜内, 采用甲烷、乙烷和丙烷混和气, 研究了含低剂量抑制剂聚乙烯吡咯烷酮(PVP)和GHI1的水合物生成体系反应过程, 计算分析了压缩因子和自由气量随反应时间的变化, 对比了在相同反应程度下添加PVP和GHI1后水合物含气量的区别, 探讨了GHI1组合抑制剂的抑制机理. 实验结果表明PVP和GHI1能抑制水合物生长, 不能有效抑制水合物成核; 添加PVP的体系, 在实验气体组成下, 甲烷乙烷进入水合物小晶穴, 并且甲烷优先进入小晶穴; GHI1对丙烷乙烷的抑制能力强于甲烷; 对比GHI1和PVP的反应过程, 认为协同剂二乙二醇丁醚的羟基和醚类结构加强反应体系中的氢键, 和PVP结合使用, 通过氢键和空阻达到抑制效果.     

微波场中乙烷及丙烷气体水合物的分解特性

研究了2.45GHz微波场中I型乙烷水合物及II型丙烷水合物的热激分解过程,基于晶体表面两步分解机制的动力学模型,结合传热传质分析了其分解特性.结果表明:水合物在微波场中的加热分解是一个与实际微波电磁场相互耦合的过程,微波体积加热的特点强化了水合物颗粒表层的传热传质过程,时间累积的热效应增大了水合物晶体破解速率;在120至540W入射功率下,乙烷、丙烷水合物气化速率分别达到0.109-0.400mol·min-·1L-1及0.090-0.222mol·min-1·L-1.在一定范围内增大微波功率可显著提高水合物分解速率,其中乙烷水合物一直处于功率主控区,丙烷水合物更早进入功率和分解动力机制共同控制区.     

Kinetic studies of gas hydrate formation with low-dosage hydrate inhibitors

Pipeline blockage by gas hydrates is a serious problem in the petroleum industry. Low-dosage inhibitors have been developed for its cost-effective and environmentally acceptable characteristics. In a 1.072-L reactor with methane, ethane and propane gas mixture under the pressure of about 8.5 MPa at 4 °C, hydrate formation was investigated with low-dosage hydrate inhibitors PVP and GHI1, the change of the compressibility factor and gas composition in the gas phase was analyzed, the gas contents in hydrates were compared with PVP and GHI1 added, and the inhibition mechanism of GHI1 was discussed. The results show that PVP and GHI1 could effectively inhibit the growth of gas hydrates but not nucleation. Under the experimental condition with PVP added, methane and ethane occupied the small cavities of the hydrate crystal unit and the ability of ethane entering into hydrate cavities was weaker than that of methane. GHI1 could effectively inhibit molecules which could more readily form hydrates. The ether and hydroxy group of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether have the responsibility for stronger inhibition ability of GHI1 than PVP.     

Effective control of gas hydrate dissociation above the melting point of ice

Direct measurements of the dissociation behaviors of pure methane and ethane hydrates trapped in sintered tetrahydrofuran hydrate through a temperature ramping method showed that the tetrahydrofuran hydrate controls dissociation of the gas hydrates under thermodynamic instability at temperatures above the melting point of ice.     

13C固体核磁共振测定气体水合物结构实验研究

采用高功率1H去偶结合魔角旋转13C固体核磁共振技术,在低温常压条件下对合成的乙烷和丙烷气体水合物进行了测试,获得了两种纯气体水合物的13C核磁共振谱图,初步建立了固体核磁共振波谱法测定天然气水合物的实验方法.实验表明:乙烷水合物的13C核磁共振谱图中仅有一条谱线(δ7.7),结构类型为sI,且乙烷分子仅填充在大笼中(...     

An experimental study of crystallization and crystal growth of methane hydrates from melting ice

An experiment with well defined gas-water interfacial surface area was developed to study the crystallization and crystal growth of methane hydrates. Measurable formation rates were observed only when melting ice was involved. No hydrates nucleated from liquid water or from non-melting ice. It is concluded that melting ice, which like hydrate water is hydrogen-bonded, provides a template for hydrate nucleation as well as providing a heat sink for absorbing the heat of formation during hydrate growth. The experiment was conducted in the absence of mixing so that hydrate crystals grew under quiescent conditions.Dedicated to Dr D. W. Davidson in honor of his great contributions to the sciences of inclusion phenomena.     

Dissociation behavior of C2H6 hydrate at temperatures below the ice point: melting to liquid water followed by ice nucleation

The dissociation of C(2)H(6) hydrate particles by slow depressurization at temperatures slightly below the ice melting point was studied using optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Visual observations and Raman measurements revealed that ethane hydrates can be present as a metastable state at pressures lower than the dissociation pressures of the three components: ice, hydrate, and free gas. However, they decompose into liquid water and gas phases once the system pressure drops to the equilibrium boundary for supercooled water, hydrate, and free gas. Structural analyses of obtained Raman spectra indicate that structures of the metastable hydrates and liquid water from the hydrate decay are fundamentally identical to those of the stable hydrates and supercooled water without experience of the hydration. These results imply a considerably high energy barrier for the direct hydrate-to-ice transition. Water solidification, probably induced by dynamic nucleation, was also observed during melting.     

Formation and decomposition of ethane, propane, and carbon dioxide hydrates in silica gel mesopores under high pressure

The experimental data on decomposition temperatures for the gas hydrates of ethane, propane, and carbon dioxide dispersed in silica gel mesopores are reported. The studies were performed at pressures up to 1 GPa. It is shown that the experimental dependence of hydrate decomposition temperature on the size of pores that limit the size of hydrate particles can be described on the basis of the Gibbs-Thomson equation only if one takes into account changes in the shape coefficient that is present in the equation; in turn, the value of this coefficient depends on a method of mesopore size determination. A mechanism of hydrate formation in mesoporous medium is proposed. Experimental data providing evidence of the possibility of the formation of hydrate compounds in hydrophobic matrixes under high pressure are reported. Decomposition temperature of those hydrate compounds is higher than that for the bulk hydrates of the corresponding gases.     

氮气笼型水合物的激光拉曼光谱

在253K和16MPa的压力下,于实验室内合成了氮气水合物,用显微共焦拉曼光谱对其N-N和O-H键伸缩振动的光谱特征进行了研究．结果表明,氮气水合物中的N-N和O—H键的拉曼峰分别为2322．4和3092．1cm^-1,与天然的空气水合物中的数据十分接近．另外,还测定了液氮和溶解于水中的氮分子中N—N键的拉曼峰值,分别为2326．6和2325．0cm^-1．氮气笼型水合物分解的拉曼谱图表明,氮分子同时进入水合物的大笼和小笼中,但由于氮分子在大、小笼中的环境氛围十分接近,其拉曼位移相差不大,故拉曼谱图只能显示N—N键伸缩振动一个峰．     

On the thermodynamic stability and structural transition of clathrate hydrates

Gas mixtures of methane and ethane form structure II clathrate hydrates despite the fact that each of pure methane and pure ethane gases forms the structure I hydrate. Optimization of the interaction potential parameters for methane and ethane is attempted so as to reproduce the dissociation pressures of each simple hydrate containing either methane or ethane alone. An account for the structural transitions between type I and type II hydrates upon changing the mole fraction of the gas mixture is given on the basis of the van der Waals and Platteeuw theory with these optimized potentials. Cage occupancies of the two kinds of hydrates are also calculated as functions of the mole fraction at the dissociation pressure and at a fixed pressure well above the dissociation pressure.     

Hydrate phase equilibrium and structure for (methane + ethane + tetrahydrofuran + water) system

The separation of methane and ethane through forming hydrate is a possible choice in natural gas, oil processing, or ethylene producing. The hydrate formation conditions of five groups of (methane + ethane) binary gas mixtures in the presence of 0.06 mole fraction tetrahydrofuran (THF) in water were obtained at temperatures ranging from (277.7 to 288.2) K. In most cases, the presence of THF in water can lower the hydrate formation pressure of (methane + ethane) remarkably. However, when the composition of ethane is as high as 0.832, it is more difficult to form hydrate than without THF system. Phase equilibrium model for hydrates containing THF was developed based on a two-step hydrate formation mechanism. The structure of hydrates formed from (methane + ethane + THF + water) system was also determined by Raman spectroscopy. When THF concentration in initial aqueous solution was only 0.06 mole fraction, the coexistence of structure I hydrate dominated by ethane and structure II hydrate dominated by THF in the hydrate sample was clearly demonstrated by Raman spectroscopic data. On the contrary, only structure II hydrate existed in the hydrate sample formed from (methane + ethane + THF + water) system when THF concentration in initial aqueous solution was increased to 0.10 mole fraction. It indicated that higher THF concentration inhibited the formation of structure I hydrate dominated by ethane and therefore lowered the trapping of ethane in hydrate. It implies a very promising method to increase the separation efficiency of methane and ethane.     

Kinetics and stability of CH4-CO2 mixed gas hydrates during formation and long-term storage.

The formation of CH4-CO2 mixed gas hydrates was observed by measuring the change of vapor-phase composition using gas chromatography and Raman spectroscopy. Preferential consumption of carbon dioxide molecules was found during hydrate formation, which agreed well with thermodynamic calculations. Both Raman spectroscopic analysis and the thermodynamic calculation indicated that the kinetics of this mixed gas hydrate system was controlled by the competition of both molecules to be enclathrated into the hydrate cages. However, the methane molecules were preferentially crystallized in the early stages of hydrate formation when the initial methane concentration was much less than that of carbon dioxide. According to the Roman spectra, pure methane hydrates first formed under this condition. This unique phenomenon suggested that methane molecules play important roles in the hydrate formation process. These mixed gas hydrates were stored at atmospheric pressure and 190 K for over two months to examine the stability of the encaged gases. During storage, CO2 was preferentially released. According to our thermodynamic analysis, this CO2 release was due to the instability of CO2 in the hydrate structure under the storage conditions.     

Gas hydrate formation in the system C2H6–H2–H2O at pressures up to 250 MPa

Decomposition curves of gas hydrates formed in the ethane–hydrogen–water system were studied in the pressure interval 2–250 MPa. Gas hydrates synthesized at low (up to 5 MPa) pressures were also studied with use of X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. It was shown that ethane–hydrogen mixtures with hydrogen contents 0–30 mol.% form cubic structure I gas hydrates. Higher hydrogen concentration most probably results in appearance of another hydrate phase. We speculate that the gas mixtures with the hydrogen content above 60 mol.% form cubic structure II double hydrate of hydrogen and ethane at temperatures below ≈280 K and pressures above 25 MPa.     

Interaction of Antifreeze Proteins with Hydrocarbon Hydrates

Recombinant antifreeze proteins (AFPs), representing a range of activities with respect to ice growth inhibition, were investigated for their abilities to control the crystal formation and growth of hydrocarbon hydrates. Three different AFPs were compared with two synthetic commercial inhibitors, poly‐N‐vinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and HIW85281, by using multiple approaches, which included gas uptake, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) temperature ramping, and DSC isothermal observations. A new method to assess the induction period before heterogeneous nucleation and subsequent hydrate crystal growth was developed and involved the dispersal of water in the pore space of silica gel beads. Although hydrate nucleation is a complex phenomenon, we have shown that it can now be carefully quantified. The presence of AFPs delayed crystallization events and showed hydrate growth inhibition that was superior to that of one of the benchmark commercial inhibitors, PVP. Nucleation and growth inhibition were shown to be independent processes, which indicates a difference in the mechanisms required for these two inhibitory actions. In addition, there was no apparent correlation between the assayed activities of the three AFPs toward hexagonal ice and the cubic structure II (sII) hydrate, which suggests that there are distinctive differences in the protein interactions with the two crystal surfaces.     

Formation and decomposition of gas hydrates of natural gas components

Based on our theoretical and experimental work carried out during the last decade, our understanding of the thermodynamics and the kinetics of formation and decomposition of gas hydrates is presented. Hydrate formation is modelled as a crystallization process where two distinct processes (nucleation and growth) are involved. Prior to the nucleation the concentration of the gas in the liquid water exceeds that corresponding to the vapor-liquid equilibrium. This supersaturation is attributed to the extensive structural orientation in the liquid water and is necessary for the phase change to occur. The growth of the hydrate nuclei or the decomposition of a hydrate particle are modelled as two-step procedures. Only one adjustable parameter for each hydrate forming gas is required for the intrinsic rate of formation or decomposition. In addition the inhibiting effects of electrolytes or methanol on hydrate formation are discussed and experimental data on methane gas hydrate formation in the presence of aqueous solutions of 3% NaCl and 3% NaCl + 3% KCI, are presented along with the predicted values. Finally, the relevence of the ideas to the technological implications of gas hydrates as well as areas where future research is needed are discussed.Dedicated to Dr D. W. Davidson in honor of his great contributions to the sciences of inclusion phenomena.     

Characterisation of gas hydrates formation using a new high pressure Micro-DSC

Gas hydrates are solid structures formed from water and gas under low temperature and high pressure conditions. Differential scanning calorimeter, operating under high pressure, is a very useful technique for the determination of the thermodynamic properties and the kinetics of gas hydrate formation. Specific gas tight controlled pressure vessels have to be used to obtain the hydrate formation in complex fluids. Based on the MicroDSC technology, a new High Pressure MicroDSC with a vessel (0.7 cm³) operating up to 400 bars between -45 and 120°C is introduced for this type of research. An example of the use of the HP MicroDSC is given with the formation of gas hydrates in drilling muds. With the increasing number of deep offshore drilling operations, operators and service companies have to solve more and more complex technical challenges. Extreme conditions encountered at these depths require an adaptation of the drilling muds. The range of temperature (down to -1°C) and pressure (up to 400 bars) are favorable conditions to the formation of hydrates. HP MicroDSC is used to determine the thermodynamic properties and kinetics of hydrate formation in mud formulations, particularly in the presence of large amounts of minerals. The technique allows the detection of phase transitions vs. time, temperature and pressure. Using such a technique, dangerous areas of hydrate formation in drilling muds formulations (water-base and oil-base) can be predicted. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Gas-hydrate formation, agglomeration and inhibition in oil-based drilling fluids for deep-water drilling

One of the main challenges in deep-water drilling is gas-hydrate plugs, which make the drilling unsafe. Some oil-based drilling fluids (OBDF) that would be used for deep-water drilling in the South China Sea were tested to investigate the characteristics of gas-hydrate formation, agglomeration and inhibition by an experimental system under the temperature of 4 ℃ and pressure of 20 MPa, which would be similar to the case of 2000 m water depth. The results validate the hydrate shell formation model and show that the water cut can greatly influence hydrate formation and agglomeration behaviors in the OBDF. The oleophobic effect enhanced by hydrate shell formation which weakens or destroys the interfacial films effect and the hydrophilic effect are the dominant agglomeration mechanism of hydrate particles. The formation of gas hydrates in OBDF is easier and quicker than in water-based drilling fluids in deep-water conditions of low temperature and high pressure because the former is a W/O dispersive emulsion which means much more gas-water interfaces and nucleation sites than the later. Higher ethylene glycol concentrations can inhibit the formation of gas hydrates and to some extent also act as an anti-agglomerant to inhibit hydrates agglomeration in the OBDF.     

The specific surface area of methane hydrate formed in different conditions and manners

The specific surface area of methane hydrates, formed both in the presence and absence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and processed in different manners (stirring, compacting, holding the hydrates at the formation conditions for different periods of time, cooling the hydrates for different periods of time before depressurizing them), was measured under atmospheric pressure and temperatures below ice point. It was found that the specific surface area of hydrate increased with the decreasing temperature. The methane hydrate in the presence of SDS was shown to be of bigger specific surface areas than pure methane hydrates. The experimental results further demonstrated that the manners of forming and processing hydrates affected the specific surface area of hydrate samples. Stirring or compacting made the hydrate become finer and led to a bigger specific surface area. Supported by the National natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.20490207, 2076145, uo633003), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University and National The National High Technology Research and Development Program of China Project.