Premelting-Induced Agglomeration of Hydrates: Theoretical Analysis and Modeling.

ABSTRACT: Resolving the long-standing problem of hydrate plugging in oil and gas pipelines has driven an intense quest for mechanisms behind the plug formation. However, existing theories of hydrate agglomeration have critical shortcomings, for example, they cannot describe nanometer-range capillary forces at hydrate surfaces that were recently observed by experiments. Here, we present a new model for hydrate agglomeration which includes premelting of hydrate surfaces. We treat the premelting layer on hydrate surfaces such as a thin liquid film on a substrate and propose a soft-sphere model of hydrate interactions. The new model describes the premelting-induced capillary force between a hydrate surface and a pipe wall or another hydrate. The calculated adhesive force between a hydrate sphere (R = 30

SUBMITTER: Nguyen NN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7343245 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature