A STUDY OF HYDRATE FORMATION AND DISSOCIATION FROM HIGH WATER CUT EMULSIONS AND THE IMPACT ON EMULSION INVERSION.

• Main Authors: Greaves, David P., Boxall, John A., Mulligan, James, Sloan, E. Dendy, Koh, Carolyn A.
• Other Authors: University of British Columbia. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, International Conference on Gas Hydrates (6th : 2008 : Vancouver, B.C.)
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Agglomeration; Hydrate dissociation; Emulsion; Emulsion inversion; FBRM; PVM; Methane hydrate
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1127

Methane hydrate formation and dissociation studies from high water content (>60 vol% water) – crude oil emulsions were performed. The hydrate and emulsion system was characterized using two particle size analyzers and conductivity measurements. It was observed that hydrate formation and dissociation from water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions destabilized the emulsion, with the final emulsion formulation favoring a water continuous state following re-emulsification. Hence, following dissociation, the W/O emulsion formed a multiple o/W/O emulsion (60 vol% water) or inverted at even higher water cuts, forming an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion (68 vol% water). In contrast, hydrate formation and dissociation from O/W emulsions (≥71 vol% water) stabilized the O/W emulsion. Non UBC Unreviewed