Nucleation of Gas Hydrates

Book excerpt: This book introduces readers to experimental techniques of general utility that can be used to practically and reliably determine nucleation rates. It also covers the basics of gas hydrates, phase equilibria, nucleation theory, crystal growth, and interfacial gaseous states. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in the field of hydrate nucleation. The formation of gas hydrates is a first-order phase transition that begins with nucleation. Understanding nucleation is of interest to many working in the chemical and petroleum industry, since nucleation, while beneficial in many chemical processes, is also a concern in terms of flow assurance for oil and natural gas pipelines. A primary difficulty in the investigation of gas hydrate nucleation has been researchers’ inability to determine and compare the nucleation rates of gas hydrates across systems with different scales and levels of complexity, which in turn has limited their ability to study the nucleation process itself. This book introduces readers to experimental techniques that can be used to practically and reliably determine the nucleation rates of gas hydrate systems. It also covers the basics of gas hydrates, phase equilibria, nucleation theory, crystal growth, and interfacial gaseous states. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in the field of hydrate nucleation.