基于量子化学计算方法的天然气水合物稳定性研究进展

天然气水合物以资源丰富、优质、洁净等特点,被视为21世纪新能源。天然气水合物稳定性的研究对天然气水合物资源勘探开发具有重要意义。本文简述了微观、介观、宏观、矿藏四个尺度天然气水合物稳定性的研究,重点从微观量子尺度介绍了量子化学计算方法对水合物晶体结构及其稳定性以及水合物宏观物理特性微观表征的计算研究。应用量子化学计算方法可以对天然气水合物的晶体结构、电子轨道分布、振动光谱、成键特性及主客体相互作用进行计算研究,其结果能够为天然气水合物在油气储运、水合物成藏、开采及其综合利用等方面的研究提供理论支持。目前,量子化学计算方法的优化与分子动力学模拟、分子力学模拟等方法的结合将有助于水合物形成和分解微观机理研究的发展,提升计算精度和扩大研究体系,为矿场尺度的天然气水合物资源开采利用提供理论支持。     

合成天然气水合物实验研究

天然气水合物(NGH)是天然气与水在低温高压条件下形成的笼形物,亦称可燃冰.在冻土带和海洋中已发现大量天然气水合物,是清洁燃料的后续天然资源,但开采技术尚不成熟.由于1m~3天然气水合物在常温下可释放约164m~3的天然气和0.8m~3的水,因此合成天然气水合物,可实现天然气的固态运输,更便于在天然气汽车上的储存.本文介绍天然气水合物的基本性质及其人工合成研究取得的进展.     

天然气水合物浆体分解对其在垂直管中流动特性影响的研究

针对天然气水合物浆体开采提升过程中水合物分解的问题,采用Euler多相流模型以及Finite-Rate/Eddy-Dissipation模型对天然气水合物浆体垂直管输的固-液两相流动以及气-液-固三相流流动特性进行研究。结果表明,受天然气水合物分解产生的气体影响,天然气水合物颗粒的速度分布、体积浓度分布均随高度的变化呈现出波动-均匀-波动的规律;水合物分解对浆体管道运输具有减阻作用,并提出天然气水合物浆体分解工况下,其流动速度不应低于3m·s~(-1);通过对管道的阻力特性分析,拟合出水合物分解下的水力提升阻力损失与流速的关系式,为天然气水合物浆体管道的经济提升参数提供指导。     

天然气水合物抑制剂用高分子研究进展

海底天然气开采过程中,甲烷和水可以形成天然气水合物,阻塞油气管道。本文先简要介绍高分子化合物用于水合物抑制剂的发展过程,从抗冻抑制剂的结构与性能关系,探讨了高分子型的低剂量天然气水合物抑制剂的特性、作用机理和主要影响因素。近年来的研究发现在寒冷地区海洋鱼类和昆虫体内存在一些抗冻蛋白,不仅能够降低水的冰点,而且能抑制天然气水合物的形成,是绿色环保的天然抑制剂,模拟这些具有抗冻性能的蛋白质结构的高分子化合物为今后水合物抑制剂研究提供一个新的发展方向。本文还提出了今后值得开展研究和应用的若干问题。     

钻井液添加剂对形成天然气水合物的影响

针对深水钻井中水基钻井液易形成天然气水合物从而导致钻井作业无法正常进行的问题,利用自行设计研制的气体水合物反应装置,模拟深水钻井温度压力条件,对水基钻井液添加剂进行了天然气水合物形成的实验研究。分析了各实验体系形成水合物的过冷度。以过冷度为评价指标,评价了各种钻井液添加剂在深水钻井水合物形成过程中的作用。结果表明,在钻井液使用的加量范围内,阳离子聚丙烯酰胺CPAM、两性离子聚合物FA367等对天然气水合物的形成有抑制作用,且随着加量的增加抑制作用增强;磺甲基丹宁SMT、木质素磺酸盐FCLS对天然气水合物的形成有微弱的促进作用,但影响不大。聚合物添加剂的离子类型对天然气水合物的形成影响不大。     

天然气水合物合成与分解模拟实验研究与设计

针对大学化学中有关天然气水合物的内容,设计了天然气水合物的教学实验和模拟实验装置,实现了天然气水合物在不同实验条件下的合成与分解等多个实验。仪器操作简单,实验可重复性高,可通过多种方式判断水合物是否生成或分解。     

多孔甲烷水合物样品导热系数的测定和模拟

天然气水合物是由水分子和气体分子在一定温压条件下形成的一种类冰状笼形化合物．天然气水合物主要存在于海底和大陆的永久冻土区和青藏高原等多年冻土区,是一种潜在的替代能源．在考虑对天然气水合物资源进行开采和考察地球温压变化对含水合物层的影响时,有必要掌握水合物的热物性和含水合物层的有效导热系数,但目前报道的水合物导热系数数据不一、差异很大．水合物是一种非化学计量的化合物,因此很难获得一个不含自由气、自由水的零孔隙率完美样品．利用多孔介质的理论模型对多孔水合物的导热系数进行预测是获得水合物本征导热系数的有效途径之一．我们在一个自行设计的实验台上使用HotDisk系统独特的单面测试技术,并利用瞬态平面热源法测定了含甲烷气的多孔甲烷水合物的有效导热系数,获得该样品的导热系数和温度以及所加压力的关系．为了研究含甲烷气的多孔甲烷水合物的有效导热系数与孔隙率的关系,我们利用自相似的Sierpinski地毯分形模型,先假设多孔介质体系由多孔介质和流体两部分组成,而多孔介质颗粒则由随机分布不相接触的颗粒和带有接触热阻的自相似分布颗粒组成,再通过一维热流假设和采用等价电阻网络（即通过电一热阻模拟分析得到系统的热导率）分别模拟了干砂（含空气）和多孔甲烷水合物样品（含自由甲烷气）导热系数与样品孔隙度的关系,推测了无孔隙水合物样品的导热系数．实验和模拟结果均显示样品的有效导热系数随着孔隙度的增大而降低,样品的有效导热系数在30％的孔隙度时降低了25％．通过分析实验结果和模拟结果发现,无孔隙甲烷水合物样品的导热系数约为0．7Wm^-1K^-1．     

南海神狐海域天然气水合物开采数值模拟

实地钻探结果表明我国南海北部神狐海域存在大量天然气水合物,其作为未来我国潜在的可开发能源的调查和资源评价工作正在展开.利用国际上先进的多相多组分沉积物渗流模拟计算软件TOUGH+HYDRATE,以2007年5月国土资源部广州地质调查局在南海北部神狐海域SH2,SH3和SH7站位的钻探、测井数据为基础,建立实际水合物藏分层地质模型,利用不同的开采井设计方式进行单井降压和降压+注热开采模拟.结果表明,开采过程中水合物分解区域主要集中在开采井周边区域、水合物层与含水层界面处以及水合物层顶部靠近上盖层的区域.由于水合物分解吸热,水合物层的温度降低,使得热量从上盖层向水合物层传递,形成地温梯度的逆转,促进水合物层顶部逐渐产生分解界面.降压开采进行到后期开采井周围会形成渗透率很低的"二次水合物",影响开采的进行,所以利用降压+注热开采方法消除"二次水合物",使开采过程顺利进行.     

天然气水合物降压分解微观实验设计*

为了解决天然气水合物降压分解过程中孔隙尺度精细描述的难题,开展了天然气水合物微观可视模型实验设计。实验装置设计从具备可视功能、实时监测功能、数据处理功能和临界状态判断功能入手,开展了设备初始化调试、生成与分解模拟和产气效率分析等共3个层次实验内容。实验结果表明,学生不但能够定性描述水合物微观孔隙水合物生成与分解过程,而且实现了定量计算不同时刻水合物产气效率,这为学生对水合物微观生成与降压分解规律的理解奠定了基础。实验加深了学生对海洋油气工程专业知识的理解,提升了学生解决复杂工程问题的实践能力。     

天然气水合物分解热的确定

利用可视化高压流体测试系统研究了6个体系（甲烷、合成天然气、甲烷－环己烷、甲烷－环戊烷、甲烷－甲基环己烷（MCH）、合成天然气－甲基环己烷）水合物的形成条件，根据水合物相平衡数据应用Clausius-Clapeyron方程计算了Ⅰ型、Ⅱ型和H型水合物的分解热，结果表明水合物分解热与填充水合物晶格的气体分子直径有关。     

Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Dry Water Gas Hydrate Formation and Self-Preservation Efficiency

The effect of silica concentration in dry water microdispersion on the kinetics of formation of methane hydrates and efficiency of their self-preservation was studied beyond the range of thermodynamic stability of hydrates below 273 K. For dry water used for the formation of gas hydrates, there is a certain concentration of silica that provides an optimum combination of high rate of formation and self-preservation efficiency of hydrates during their dissociation. Below this concentration, the rate of formation of methane hydrates in dry water significantly decreases with the silica content, while the self-preservation efficiency remains almost constant. Above this concentration, the formation rate changes insignificantly when the silica concentration increases, and the self-preservation efficiency abruptly decreases. Possible reasons for this behavior of hydrates were considered. It was found that the specific surface area of silica used to form dry water can significantly affect the formation rate of gas hydrates and their self-preservation efficiency.     

Gas Hydrate Formation in Reversed Micelles

We describe a technique to modify protein solubility and optimize enzyme activity in reversed micellar solutions. The technique is based on the ability of hydrates of natural gas to form in the micro-aqueous phase. Clathrate hydrates are crystalline inclusions of water and gas, and their formation in bulk water has traditionally been studied with relevance to natural gas recovery. We have found that hydrates can form in the environment of the microaqueous pools of reversed micelles, and that their extent of formation can be well controlled through the thermodynamic variables of temperature and pressure. Additionally, formation of hydrates affects the size and aggregation number of the micelles, and thus influences the solubility and conformation of encapsulated proteins. We demonstrate how the concept can be used in two applications: (i) protein extraction into reversed micelles and subsequent recovery, and (ii) optimization of enzyme activity in reversed micelles.     

I型和II型结构气体水合物的记忆效应

利用水合物二次生成实验装置, 采用“定容法”对I型(甲烷、二氧化碳)和II型(丙烷)结构气体水合物的二次生成进行了实验, 研究了不同结构水合物(I型、II型)彼此间的记忆效应, 发现水合物生成过程存在明显的诱导期, I型结构水合物间在二次生成过程中存在着记忆效应. I型与II型结构水合物之间在相互二次生成过程中存在着显著的记忆效应.     

Spectroscopic methods in gas hydrate research

Gas hydrates are crystalline structures comprising a guest molecule surrounded by a water cage, and are particularly relevant due to their natural occurrence in the deep sea and in permafrost areas. Low molecular weight molecules such as methane and carbon dioxide can be sequestered into that cage at suitable temperatures and pressures, facilitating the transition to the solid phase. While the composition and structure of gas hydrates appear to be well understood, their formation and dissociation mechanisms, along with the dynamics and kinetics associated with those processes, remain ambiguous. In order to take advantage of gas hydrates as an energy resource (e.g., methane hydrate), as a sequestration matrix in (for example) CO₂ storage, or for chemical energy conservation/storage, a more detailed molecular level understanding of their formation and dissociation processes, as well as the chemical, physical, and biological parameters that affect these processes, is required. Spectroscopic techniques appear to be most suitable for analyzing the structures of gas hydrates (sometimes in situ), thus providing access to such information across the electromagnetic spectrum. A variety of spectroscopic methods are currently used in gas hydrate research to determine the composition, structure, cage occupancy, guest molecule position, and binding/formation/dissociation mechanisms of the hydrate. To date, the most commonly applied techniques are Raman spectroscopy and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Diffraction methods such as neutron and X-ray diffraction are used to determine gas hydrate structures, and to study lattice expansions. Furthermore, UV-vis spectroscopic techniques and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have assisted in structural studies of gas hydrates. Most recently, waveguide-coupled mid-infrared spectroscopy in the 3–20 μm spectral range has demonstrated its value for in situ studies on the formation and dissociation of gas hydrates. This comprehensive review summarizes the importance of spectroscopic analytical techniques to our understanding of the structure and dynamics of gas hydrate systems, and highlights selected examples that illustrate the utility of these individual methods.     

Simulation of thermobaric conditions of the formation,composition, and structure of mixed hydrates containing xenon and nitrous oxide

Structural, dynamic, and thermodynamic features of double hydrates of xenon and nitrous oxide are calculated. Thermodynamic stability regions of these hydrates are found. At the atmospheric pressure the xenon hydrate is in the equilibrium with the gas phase at temperatures up to 263 K, whereas at these pressures the nitrous oxide hydrate decomposes already at 218 K. A strong dependence of the equilibrium temperatures and pressures of the formation/decomposition of double nitrous oxide and xenon hydrates on the composition of their mixture in the gas phase is shown.     

Communication: quantitative Fourier-transform infrared data for competitive loading of small cages during all-vapor instantaneous formation of gas-hydrate aerosols

A simple method has been developed for the measurement of high quality FTIR spectra of aerosols of gas-hydrate nanoparticles. The application of this method enables quantitative observation of gas hydrates that form on subsecond timescales using our all-vapor approach that includes an ether catalyst rather than high pressures to promote hydrate formation. The sampling method is versatile allowing routine studies at temperatures ranging from 120 to 210 K of either a single gas or the competitive uptake of different gas molecules in small cages of the hydrates. The present study emphasizes hydrate aerosols formed by pulsing vapor mixtures into a cold chamber held at 160 or 180 K. We emphasize aerosol spectra from 6 scans recorded an average of 8 s after "instantaneous" hydrate formation as well as of the gas hydrates as they evolve with time. Quantitative aerosol data are reported and analyzed for single small-cage guests and for mixed hydrates of CO(2), CH(4), C(2)H(2), N(2)O, N(2), and air. The approach, combined with the instant formation of gas hydrates from vapors only, offers promise with respect to optimization of methods for the formation and control of gas hydrates.     

Towards a fundamental understanding of natural gas hydrates

Gas clathrate hydrates were first identified in 1810 by Sir Humphrey Davy. However, it is believed that other scientists, including Priestley, may have observed their existence before this date. They are solid crystalline inclusion compounds consisting of polyhedral water cavities which enclathrate small gas molecules. Natural gas hydrates are important industrially because the occurrence of these solids in subsea gas pipelines presents high economic loss and ecological risks, as well as potential safety hazards to exploration and transmission personnel. On the other hand, they also have technological importance in separation processes, fuel transportation and storage. They are also a potential fuel resource because natural deposits of predominantly methane hydrate are found in permafrost and continental margins. To progress with understanding and tackling some of the technological challenges relating to natural gas hydrate formation, inhibition and decomposition one needs to develop a fundamental understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes. This fundamental understanding is also important to the broader field of inclusion chemistry. The present article focuses on the application of a range of physico-chemical techniques and approaches for gaining a fundamental understanding of natural gas hydrate formation, decomposition and inhibition. This article is complementary to other reviews in this field, which have focused more on the applied, engineering and technological aspects of clathrate hydrates.     

Structure and Density Comparison of Noble Gas Hydrates Encapsulating Xenon,Krypton and Argon

Understanding the effect of guest species on the host framework is important for the development of structure-based properties of inclusion compounds. Herein, the crystal structures of the noble gas hydrates encapsulating Xe, Kr, and Ar were studied by powder X-ray diffraction measurements. The crystal structures and hydration numbers of these noble gas hydrates were solved by Rietveld refinements using optimized models with the direct-space technique. It was revealed that host cage size of these hydrates changed depending on the type of guest species even though their unit-cell parameters were the same. Based on the structure models obtained, the densities of Xe, Kr, and Ar gas hydrates were also determined to be 1.837, 1.445 and 1.097 g/cm³ at 93 K, respectively. Our findings, from a crystallographic point of view, may give insight into further understanding the thermodynamic stability and physical properties of gas hydrates encapsulating small guests.     

Theoretical investigation of ozone hydrate formation conditions

Structural, dynamic, and thermodynamic properties of ozone, oxygen, and mixed ozone-oxygen hydrates are investigated. The thermodynamic stability regions of these hydrates are found. Ozone can form hydrates at ambient pressure and temperatures below 230 K. Strong dependence of the binary hydrate formation pressure on the ozone concentration in the gas phase is shown. In the formation of the hydrate, ozone concentrates in the hydrate phase. At an ozone concentration of 5 mol.% in the gas phase, the ozone content in the hydrate reaches 40%.     

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.