(690d) Understanding the Influence of Thermodynamic Hydrate Inhibitors on the Mechanics of Cyclopentane Hydrate Films Using Interfacial Rheology with Subphase Exchange

Clathrate or gas hydrates are known to form at water-hydrocarbon and water-natural gas interfaces, generally at low temperatures and high pressures, to trap the guest hydrocarbon or gas molecules in crystalline cages of ice-like water. Gas hydrates are of interest to the oil and gas recovery community as rapid nucleation and growth of these solids can block flow lines and create significant problems. Thus, extensive efforts have been made to link hydrate film nucleation, growth, and dissociation using bulk hydrate formation and measurement techniques. However, the link between film nucleation, growth, and dissociation remains unclear because of the difficulties associated with generalizing bulk results to processes comprised of interfacial phenomena. Recently, interfacial rheological methods have been employed to investigate the growth kinetics and film mechanics of cyclopentane hydrate films that conveniently form at atmospheric pressure. By modifying our interfacial rheology setup to include the ability to exchange subphase fluid without disturbing the interface, we are able to measure hydrate film mechanical properties before, during, and after the introduction of thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors to gain fundamental insight into the interfacial processes associated with film nucleation, growth, and dissociation. We will present our results on the formation and dissociation of cyclopentane hydrate films in the presence of different thermodynamic inhibitors and discuss how this might influence bulk rheological properties.