Effect of surfactant Tween on induction time of gas hydrate formation

Abstract

Acceleration of gas hydrate formation is important in preventing coal and gas outbursts and is based on a hydration mechanism. It becomes therefore necessary to investigate the effect of surfactants, acting as accelerants for hydrate formation, on induction time. We experimented with three types of a Tween solution with equal concentrations of 0.001 mol/L (T40, T40/T80 (1:1), T40/T80 (4:1)). By means of visual experimental equipment, developed by us, we measured generalized induction time using a Direct Observation Method. The experimental data were analyzed combined with a mass transfer model and a hydrate crystal nuclei growth model. Our major conclusions are as follows: 1) solubilization of surfactants produces supersaturated gas molecules, which promotes the mass transfer from a bulk phase to hydrates and provides the driving force for the complexation between host molecules (water) and guest molecules in a gas hydrate formation process; 2) when the solution of the surfactant concentration exceeds the critical micelle concentration (CMC), the surfactant in an aqueous solution will transform to micelles. Most of the gas molecules are bound to form clusters with water molecules, which promotes the formation of crystal nuclei of gas hydrates; 3) the surfactant T40 proved to have more notable effects on the promotion of crystal nuclei formation and on shortening the induction time, compared with T40/T80 (1:1) and T40/T80 (4:1).