1 research outputs found
Micromechanical Interactions between Clathrate Hydrate Particles and Water Droplets: Experiment and Modeling
The
micromechanical interactions between hydrate particles and
unconverted water droplets play an important role in determining hydrate
agglomeration, which is a key cause of hydrate blockages. In this
study, the interaction behaviors between cyclopentane hydrate particles
and water droplets in different conditions were directly investigated
using a micromechanical force apparatus. For a smaller extent of subcooling,
no hydrate was visibly converted from the water droplet during the
measurement. A modified theoretical model was proposed to predict
the corresponding interaction behavior. A parabolic approximation
was found to be adequate for describing the liquid bridge shape. The
insignificant change in the interfacial area between the liquid and
the hydrate as the separation distance varied suggests the presence
of a strong wetting hysteresis between liquid bridges and hydrate
particles. The capillary force model can predict the interaction force
with satisfactory accuracy. At a higher level of subcooling, the amount
of hydrate converted from water droplets during the interaction led
to a reduction in liquid volume and to dynamic changes in the boundary.
The theoretical model presented here is not adequate for this specific
case. Furthermore, a lower temperature induces more hydrate formation
during measurement, which can increase the adhesion force. Compared
with cohesion forces between a hydrate particle and a particle, adhesion
forces between a hydrate particle and a droplet should dominate hydrate
agglomeration. The present experiment and modeling contributes an
improvement to the current understanding of hydrate agglomeration,
leading to new potential strategies to control this process