Thermodynamic and kinetic characterization of methane hydrate ‘nucleation, growth and dissociation processes, according to the labile Cluster theory

Methane hydrates were formed and then dissociated in presence of fresh water and a pure quartz porous medium, by using a small-scale experimental apparatus, appositely designed for those experiments. The most significant phases describing the process, or nucleation, massive growth and dissociation,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical Engineering Journal
Main Authors: Alberto Maria Gambelli, Federico Rossi
Other Authors: Gambelli, ALBERTO MARIA, Rossi, Federico
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11391/1495322
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2021.130706
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Summary:Methane hydrates were formed and then dissociated in presence of fresh water and a pure quartz porous medium, by using a small-scale experimental apparatus, appositely designed for those experiments. The most significant phases describing the process, or nucleation, massive growth and dissociation, were characterized both thermodynamically and kinetically. Methane hydrate equilibrium was defined in presence of such porous medium and the hydrate formation rate was calculated for kinetic considerations. To do this, the Labile Clusters Theory was considered and, according to it, hydrate formation was considered a first-order chemical kinetic equation for the time dependence. Finally, pressure variation over time was discussed. The comparison between trend assumed by those parameters revealed consistent and visible similarities, which allowed to a very deepened characterization about all three phases making up the whole process.