At low temperatures and high pressures gas molecules can become trapped in a crystalline cage of water molecules. This process is an interfacial phenomena in that it occurs at the interface of a liquid organic phase and an aqueous phase. The resulting ice-like solid is a gas hydrate, and their frequent formation during oil and gas recovery can cause significant problems by blocking flow lines. Extensive resources have been devoted to understanding the connection between hydrate film growth at oil-water interfaces and bulk hydrate formations from emulsions, but that connection is still unclear in part because of the challenge of characterizing film mechanics during nucleation, growth, and dissociation. Interfacial rheological methods are sensitive to changes in film mechanics, and have been used to study cyclopentane gas hydrate films, which conveniently form at atmospheric pressure. We are using interfacial rheology to further establish connections between interfacial dynamics in hydrate systems, and bulk rheological properties. We have modified our interfacial rheology setup to include the ability to exchange the sub-phase fluid with minimal disruption to the interface. With this setup we are able to measure film mechanical properties after the introduction of hydrate inhibitors, and during film dissociation. This poster will include discussion our experimental setup, the data obtained on the formation and dissolution of cyclopentane hydrate films, and results from ongoing, complementary bulk hydrate rheological testing.

Interfacial rheology with sub-phase exchange used to investigate dynamics of cyclopentane hydrate film formation and dissociation

2019 Fall National Meeting

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