Molecular dynamics simulations and stabilization energy calculations are performed in this work in order to understand the stability of CH(4) hydrate, CO(2) hydrate, and CH(4)-CO(2) mixed hydrate. The model systems of fully occupied type SI CH(4) hydrate, CO(2) hydrate, and CH(4)-CO(2) mixed hydrate are prepared in a simulation box of 2 x 2 x 2 unit cell with periodic boundary conditions. The M...

Gas hydrates are crystalline solids formed from mixtures of water and low molecular weight compounds, referred to as hydrate formers, that typically are gases at ambient conditions (1). Generally, hydrates are formed in the laboratory from two-phase systems by contacting a hydrate former or formers in the gas or liquid phase with liquid water and increasing the pressure until crystalline hydrat...

The formation of hydrate plugs in oil and gas pipelines is a serious industrial problem and recently there has been an increased interest in the use of alternative hydrate inhibitors as substitutes for thermodynamic inhibitors like methanol. We show here that antifreeze proteins (AFPs) possess the ability to modify structure II (sII) tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate crystal morphologies by adherin...

We present an equilibrium model of methane venting through the hydrate stability zone at southern Hydrate Ridge, offshore Oregon. Free gas supplied from below forms hydrate, depletes water, and elevates salinity until pore water is too saline for further hydrate formation. This system self-generates local three-phase equilibrium and allows free gas migration to the seafloor. Log and core data f...

CO2 hydrate formation and dissociation is crucial for hydrate-based CO2 capture and storage. Experimental and calculated phase equilibrium conditions of carbon dioxide (CO2) hydrate in porous medium were investigated in this study. Glass beads were used to form the porous medium. The experimental data were generated using a graphical method. The results indicated the decrease of pore size resul...

[1] The interaction among water molecules, guest gas molecules, salts, and mineral particles determines the nucleation and growth behavior of gas hydrates in natural sediments. Hydrate of tetrahydrofuran (THF) has long been used for laboratory studies of gas hydrate-bearing sediments to provide close control on hydrate concentrations and to overcome the long formation history of methane hydrate...

Large reservoirs of methane hydrate exist in arctic permafrost and seafloor sediments. The physical properties of the permafrost and marine sediments are believed to affect hydrate stability. In 2004, Uchida et al. investigated the decomposition of methane hydrates formed in porous media using a laboratory pressure facility. They observed a shift of the hydrate stability curve and concluded tha...

Dissociation processes of methane hydrate synthesized with glass beads were investigated using powder X-ray diffraction and calorimetry. Methane hydrate formed with coarse glass beads dissociated quickly at 150-200 K; in this temperature range methane hydrate dissociates at atmospheric pressure. In contrast, methane hydrate formed with glass beads less than a few microns in size showed very hig...

The kinetics of film growth of hydrates of methane, ethane, and methane-ethane mixtures were studied by exposing a single gas bubble to water. The morphologies, lateral growth rates, and thicknesses of the hydrate films were measured for various gas compositions and degrees of subcooling. A variety of hydrate film textures was revealed. The kinetics of two-dimensional film growth was inferred f...

An understanding of the physical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments is important for interpretation of geophysical data collected in field settings, borehole and slope stability analyses, and reservoir simulation and production models. Yet current knowledge of geophysical and geotechnical properties of hydratebearing sediments is still largely derived from laboratory experiments conducted ...