Experimental and theoretical investigation of simple gas hydrate formation with or without presence of kinetic inhibitors in a flow mini-loop apparatus

Gas hydrates are ice-like crystalline compounds, which form through a combination of water and suitably sized guest molecules under low temperature and elevated pressure conditions. These solid compounds give rise to problems in the natural gas oil industry because they can plug pipelines and process equipment. Low dosage hydrate inhibitors are a recently developed hydrate control technology, which can be more cost-effective than traditional practices such as methanol and glycols. The kinetics of hydrate growth has been modeled by numerous authors who have measured the gas consumption rate during hydrate formation in batch agitator reactors.     

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Methane Hydrate Decomposition in the Presence of Alcohol Additives

The decomposition process of methane hydrate in pure water and methanol aqueous solution was studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The effects of temperature and pressure on hydrate structure and decomposition rate are discussed. The results show that decreasing pressure and increasing temperature can significantly enhance the decomposition rate of hydrate. After adding a small amount of methanol molecules, bubbles with a diameter of about 2 nm are formed, and the methanol molecules are mainly distributed at the gas-liquid interface, which greatly accelerates the decomposition rate and gas-liquid separation efficiency. The radial distribution function and sequence parameter analysis show that the water molecules of the undecomposed hydrate with ordered ice-like configuration at a temperature of 275 K evolve gradually into a long-range disordered liquid structure in the dynamic relaxation process. It was found that at temperatures above 280 K and pressures between 10 atm and 100 atm, the pressure has no significant effect on hydrate decomposition rate, but when the pressure is reduced to 1 atm, the decomposition rate increases sharply. These findings provided a theoretical insight for the industrial exploitation of hydrates.     

Kinetic hydrate inhibitor performance of new copolymer poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-2-vinyl pyridine)s with TBAB

In oil and gas field, the application of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) independently has remained problematic in high subcooling and high water-cut situation. One feasible method to resolve this problem is the combined use of KHIs and some synergists, which would enhance KHIs’ inhibitory effect on both hydrate nucleation and hydrate crystal growth. In this study, a novel kind of KHI copolymer poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-2-vinyl pyridine)s (HGs) is used in conjunction with TBAB to show its high performance on hydrate inhibition. The performance of HGs with different monomer ratios in structure II tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate is investigated using kinetic hydrate inhibitor evaluation apparatus by step-cooling method and isothermal cooling method. With the combined gas hydrate inhibitor at the concentration of 1.0 wt%, the induction time of 19 wt% THF solution could be prolonged to 8.5 h at a high subcooling of 6℃. Finally, the mechanism of HGs inhibiting the formation of gas hydrate is proposed.     

Accelerated nucleation of tetrahydrofuran(THF)hydrate in presence of ZIF-61

Clathrate hydrate can be used in energy gas storage and transportation,CO 2 capture and cool storage etc.However,these technologies are difficult to be used due to the low formation rate and long induction time of hydrate formation.In this paper,ZIF-61(zeolite imidazolate framework,ZIF) was first used in hydrate formation to stimulate hydrate nucleation.As an additive of clathrate hydrate,ZIF-61 promoted obviously the acceleration of tetrahydrofuran(THF) hydrate nucleation.It shortened the induction time of THF hydrate formation from 2-5 h to 0.3-1 h mainly due to the template function of ZIF-61 by which the nucleation of THF hydrate has been promoted.     

Antifreezes Act as Catalysts for Methane Hydrate Formation from Ice

Contrary to the thermodynamic inhibiting effect of methanol on methane hydrate formation from aqueous phases, hydrate forms quickly at high yield by exposing frozen water–methanol mixtures with methanol concentrations ranging from 0.6–10 wt % to methane gas at pressures from 125 bars at 253 K. Formation rates are some two orders of magnitude greater than those obtained for samples without methanol and conversion of ice is essentially complete. Ammonia has a similar catalytic effect when used in concentrations of 0.3–2.7 wt %. The structure I methane hydrate formed in this manner was characterized by powder X‐ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Steps in the possible mechanism of action of methanol were studied with molecular dynamics simulations of the Ih (0001) basal plane exposed to methanol and methane gas. Simulations show that methanol from a surface aqueous layer slowly migrates into the ice lattice. Methane gas is preferentially adsorbed into the aqueous methanol surface layer. Possible consequences of the catalytic methane hydrate formation on hydrate plug formation in gas pipelines, on large scale energy‐efficient gas hydrate formation, and in planetary science are discussed.     

天然气水合物的导热系数

分析介绍了关于水合物导热系数类玻璃体变化规律的三种模型及其相关测试手段、样品制备方法和测试结果。针对物性和测试手段的特点，笔者指出在制备测试样品的时候就要注意其生成品质。最后对比了国外相关实验结果和本实验室对制冷剂水合物的测量结果。     

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.     

Effect of temperature and pressure on the solubility of carbon dioxide in water in the presence of gas hydrate

The solubility of carbon dioxide in pure water in the presence of CO₂ gas hydrate has been measured at temperatures between 273 and 284 K and pressures ranging from 20 to 60 bar. It was found that the solubility decreases with decreasing temperature in the hydrate formation region. In the absence of gas hydrate, the gas solubility increases with decreasing temperature, but the hydrate formation process changes this trend. This confirms theoretical calculations as well as removes previously reported ambiguities. It was also observed that pressure was not a strong factor on the solubility.     

Influence of Gas Supply Changes on the Formation Process of Complex Mixed Gas Hydrates

Natural gas hydrate occurrences contain predominantly methane; however, there are increasing reports of complex mixed gas hydrates and coexisting hydrate phases. Changes in the feed gas composition due to the preferred incorporation of certain components into the hydrate phase and an inadequate gas supply is often assumed to be the cause of coexisting hydrate phases. This could also be the case for the gas hydrate system in Qilian Mountain permafrost (QMP), which is mainly controlled by pores and fractures with complex gas compositions. This study is dedicated to the experimental investigations on the formation process of mixed gas hydrates based on the reservoir conditions in QMP. Hydrates were synthesized from water and a gas mixture under different gas supply conditions to study the effects on the hydrate formation process. In situ Raman spectroscopic measurements and microscopic observations were applied to record changes in both gas and hydrate phase over the whole formation process. The results demonstrated the effects of gas flow on the composition of the resulting hydrate phase, indicating a competitive enclathration of guest molecules into the hydrate lattice depending on their properties. Another observation was that despite significant changes in the gas composition, no coexisting hydrate phases were formed.     

Methane hydrate stability in the presence of water-soluble hydroxyalkyl cellulose

The effect of low-dosage water-soluble hydroxyethyl cellulose (approximate MW～90,000 and 250,000) as a member of hydroxyalkyl cellulosic polymer group on methane hydrate stability was investigated by monitoring hydrate dissociation at pressures greater than atmospheric pressure in a closed vessel. In particular, the influence of molecular weight and mass concentration of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) was studied with respect to hydrate formation and dissociation. Methane hydrate formation was performed at 2℃ and at a pressure greater than 100 bar. Afterwards, hydrate dissociation was initiated by step heating from -10℃ at a mild pressure of 13 bar to 3℃, 0℃ and 2℃. With respect to the results obtained for methane hydrate formation/dissociation and the amount of gas uptake, we concluded that HEC 90,000 at 5000 ppm is suitable for long-term gas storage and transportation under a mild pressure of 13 bar and at temperatures below the freezing point.     

Experimental investigation of methane hydrate decomposition by depressurizing in porous media with 3-Dimension device

In order to simulate the behavior of gas hydrate formation and decomposition, a 3-Dimension experimental device was built, consisting of a high-pressure reactor with an inner diameter of 300 mm, effective height of 100 mm, and operation pressure of 16 MPa. Eight thermal resistances were mounted in the porous media at different depthes and radiuses to detect the temperature distribution during the hydrate formation/decomposition. To collect the pressure, temperature, and flux of gas production data, the Monitor and Control Generated System (MCGS) was used. Using this device, the formation and decomposition behavior of methane hydrate in the 20～40 mesh natural sand with salinity of 3.35 wt% was examined. It was found that the front of formation or decomposition of hydrate can be judged by the temperature distribution. The amount of hydrate formation can also be evaluated by the temperature change. During the hydrate decomposition process, the temperature curves indicated that the hydrate in the top and bottom of reactor dissociated earlier than in the inner. The hydrate decomposition front gradually moved from porous media surface to inner and kept a shape of column form, with different moving speed at different surface position. The proper decomposition pressure was also determined.     

表面活性剂用于促进气体水合物生成研究的进展

天然气水合物被誉为21世纪最具商业开发前景的战略资源,其特殊的笼形晶体结构具有巨大的储气能力,被认为是高效的气体储存器,为气体储运技术提供了一种新思路。本文汇总了通过添加表面活性剂促进气体水合物生成的研究报道,总结了不同表面活性剂如：十二烷基硫酸钠（SDS）、十二烷基苯磺酸钠（SDBS）和十六烷基三甲基溴化铵（CTAB）等对水合物生成促进的具体影响,阐述了表面活性剂作用于水合物生成的机理,认为采用多种添加剂复合的方式可弥补现有的不足,建立含有表面活性剂参数的水合物动力学模型是今后研究的重点。     

Hydrate film growth at the interface between gaseous CO_2 and sodium chloride solution

Greenhouse gas CO2 has become a serious problem for human beings. The hydrate technology has been considered as a possible approach to sequester CO2. In this work, the lateral growth rates of a CO2 hydrate film in aqueous NaCl solutions of different concentrations were measured by means of suspending a single gas bubble in liquid. The results show that the film growth rates depended on not only the driving force, but also the NaCl concentration, and the film growth rates decreased with the increasing NaCl c...     

多孔介质中气体水合物降压分解的分形理论研究

通过将水合物的分解过程看作是无固态产物层生成的气固反应过程, 结合粒径缩小的收缩核反应模型和分形理论, 建立了多孔介质中水合物降压分解的分数维动力学模型, 提出了基于水合物分解实验数据计算多孔介质分形维数的方法. 分别利用前人的甲烷水合物和CO2水合物降压分解实验数据, 对上述分数维动力学模型进行了验证. 计算结果表明, 用提出的方法所计算得到的多孔介质分形维数与前人的测定结果基本符合; 对甲烷水合物和CO2水合物的降压分解过程, 提出的分数维动力学分解模型得出了和实验结果基本一致的预测, 绝对平均误差(AAD)小于10%.     

Effect of cooling rate on methane hydrate formation in media

In order to study gas hydrate in media, formation of methane hydrate in three different media including loess, fine and coarse sands were studied. Five cooling rates were applied to form the methane hydrate. The nucleation time of the formation of methane hydrate with each cooling rate were measured for comparison. The experimental results show that the cooling rate is a significant factor affecting nucleation of methane hydrate and gas conversion. Under the same initial conditions, the faster the cooling rate, the shorter the nucleation time and the lower the methane gas conversion rate. The media also affect the formation process of methane hydrate within it. In loess, the gas conversion rate is lowest; in coarse sand, the gas conversion rate is the greatest; and in fine sand, it is in between. According to the study, it is found that the smaller the particle size of the media, the harder the methane hydrate forms within it.     

Intensification of the performance of kinetic inhibitors in the presence of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide for simple gas hydrate formation in a flow mini-loop apparatus

The main objective of the present work is enhancement of the performance of gas hydrate kinetic inhibitors in the presence of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polypropylene oxide (PPO) for simple gas hydrate formation in a flow mini-loop apparatus. PEO and PPO are high molecular weight polymers that are not kinetic inhibitors by their self. For this investigation, a laboratory flow mini-loop apparatus was set up to measure the induction time and rate of gas hydrate formation when a hydrate-forming substance (such as C1, C3, CO₂ and i-C4) is contacted with water containing dissolved inhibitor in presence or absence of PEO or PPO under suitable temperature and pressure conditions. In each experiment, water containing inhibitors blend saturated with pure gas is circulated up to a required pressure. Pressure is maintained at a constant value during experimental runs by means of required gas make-up. The effect of PEO and PPO on induction time and gas consumption during hydrate formation is investigated in the presence or absence of PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone) and l-tyrosine as kinetic inhibitors. Results were shown that the induction time is prolonged in the presence of PEO or PPO compared to the inhibitor only. Inclusion of PPO into a kinetic hydrate inhibitor solution shows a higher enhancement in its inhibiting performance compare to PEO. Thus, the induction time for simple gas hydrate formation in presence of kinetic hydrate inhibitor with PPO is higher, compare to kinetic hydrate inhibitor with PEO.     

Influences of different types of magnetic fields on HCFC-141b gas hydrate formation processes

Gas hydrates are crystalline compounds formedwhen gas molecules or volatile liquid molecules comein contact with water molecules through weak van derWaals force at favourable pressure and temperature.Refrigerant gas hydrates can be effectively formed atappropriate temperature (5—12℃) with a high reac-tion heat (320—380 kJ/kg). Because of their particularthermodynamic properties, refrigerant gas hydrate,especially low pressure refrigerant gas hydrate, hasbeen considered as one of the most pr…     

Study of the permeability characteristics of porous media with methane hydrate by pore network model

The permeability in the methane hydrate reservoir is one of the key parameters in estimating the gas production performance and the flow behavior of gas and water during dissociation. In this paper, a three-dimensional cubic pore-network model based on invasion percolation is developed to study the effect of hydrate particle formation and growth habit on the permeability. The variation of permeability in porous media with different hydrate saturation is studied by solving the network problem. The simulation results are well consistent with the experimental data. The proposed model predicts that the permeability will reduce exponentially with the increase of hydrate saturation, which is crucial in developing a deeper understanding of the mechanism of hydrate formation and dissociation in porous media.     

Hydrate film growth at the interface between gaseous CO2 and sodium chloride solution

Greenhouse gas CO₂ has become a serious problem for human beings. The hydrate technology has been considered as a possible approach to sequester CO₂. In this work, the lateral growth rates of a CO₂ hydrate film in aqueous NaCl solutions of different concentrations were measured by means of suspending a single gas bubble in liquid. The results show that the film growth rates depended on not only the driving force, but also the NaCl concentration, and the film growth rates decreased with the increasing NaCl concentration. The simple relationship v_f∝ΔT ^5/2 could be used to correlate the hydrate film growth rate of a CO₂ + NaCl + water system by introducing a NaCl concentration-dependent coefficient. The film thickness was investigated experimentally and evaluated theoretically; the results show that it became thicker at a higher NaCl concentration when the temperature and pressure were specified. In addition, a series of interesting phenomena, such as the occurrence of double hydrate films, were displayed and discussed. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 20676145 & U0633003) and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (Grant No. NCET-07-0842)     

Numerical studies of hydrate dissociation and gas production behavior in porous media during depressurization process

In this study,a numerical model is developed to investigate the hydrate dissociation and gas production in porous media by depressurization.A series of simulation runs are conducted to study the impacts of permeability characteristics,including permeability reduction exponent,absolute permeability,hydrate accumulation habits and hydrate saturation,sand average grain size and irreducible water saturation.The effects of the distribution of hydrate in porous media are examined by adapting conceptual models of hydrate accumulation habits into simulations to govern the evolution of permeability with hydrate decomposition,which is also compared with the conventional reservoir permeability model,i.e.Corey model.The simulations show that the hydrate dissociation rate increases with the decrease of permeability reduction exponent,hydrate saturation and the sand average grain size.Compared with the conceptual models of hydrate accumulation habits,our simulations indicate that Corey model overpredicts the gas production and the performance of hydrate coating models is superior to that of hydrate filling models in gas production,which behavior does follow by the order of capillary coating>pore coating>pore filling>capillary filling.From the analysis of t1/2,some interesting results are suggested as follows:(1) there is a "switch" value(the"switch"absolute permeability) for laboratory-scale hydrate dissociation in porous media,the absolute permeability has almost no influence on the gas production behavior when the permeability exceeds the "switch" value.In this study,the "switch" value of absolute permeability can be estimated to be between 10 and 50 md.(2) An optimum value of initial effective water saturation Sw,e exists where hydrate dissociation rate reaches the maximum and the optimum value largely coincides with the value of irreducible water saturation S wr,e.For the case of Sw,Swr,e,there are different control mechanisms dominating the process of hydrate dissociation and gas production.