Collective Effect of Transformation of a Hydrogen Bond Network at the Initial State of Growth of Methane Hydrate

Abstract

The molecular dynamics study of the rearrangement of the dynamic hydrogen bond network of liquid water to the crystal hydrogen bond network of methane hydrate in the process of their formation and growth is conducted. To reveal the nature of nucleation, the time dependences of the degree of “crystallinity” of the nearest environment of all water molecules, the rate of ordering of the hydrogen bond network, and the relation of these parameters to the rate of growth of methane hydrate are studied. The effect of the presence of sea salt ions and hydrate seed on these parameters is analyzed. Systems with a completely mixed gas, i.e., with the minimum induction time, are fabricated, and it is shown that gas hydrates can be nucleated simultaneously in the entire volume of the solution, which in turn indicates the collective formation of hydrates from liquid solution.