Investigation of the Flow Characteristics of Methane Hydrate Slurries with Low Flow Rates

Cuiping Tang; Xiangyong Zhao; Dongliang Li; Yong He; Xiaodong Shen; Deqing Liang

LAPSE

Living Archive for Process Systems Engineering

LAPSE:2019.0803

Published Article

LAPSE:2019.0803

Investigation of the Flow Characteristics of Methane Hydrate Slurries with Low Flow Rates

Cuiping Tang, Xiangyong Zhao, Dongliang Li, Yong He, Xiaodong Shen, Deqing Liang

July 26, 2019

Gas hydrate blockage in pipelines during offshore production becomes a major problem with increasing water depth. In this work, a series of experiments on gas hydrate formation in a flow loop was performed with low flow rates of 0.33, 0.66, and 0.88 m/s; the effects of the initial subcooling, flow rate, pressure, and morphology were investigated for methane hydrate formation in the flow loop. The results indicate that the differential pressure drop (ΔP) across two ends of the horizontal straight pipe increases with increasing hydrate concentration at the early stage of gas hydrate formation. When the flow rates of hydrate fluid are low, the higher the subcooling is, the faster the transition of the hydrates macrostructures. Gas hydrates can agglomerate, and sludge hydrates appear at subcoolings of 6.5 and 8.5 °C. The difference between the ΔP values at different flow rates is small, and there is no obvious influence of the flow rates on ΔP. Three hydrate macrostructures were observed: slurry-like, sludge-like, and their transition. When the initial pressure is 8.0 MPa, large methane hydrate blockages appear at the gas hydrate concentration of approximately 7%. Based on the gas⁻liquid two-phase flow model, a correlation between the gas hydrate concentration and the value of ΔP is also presented. These results can enrich the kinetic data of gas hydrate formation and agglomeration and provide guidance for oil and gas transportation in pipelines.

Record ID

LAPSE:2019.0803

Keywords

flow assurance, flow characteristics, hydrate, Natural Gas, sludge, slurry

Subject

Modelling and Simulations

Suggested Citation

Tang C, Zhao X, Li D, He Y, Shen X, Liang D. Investigation of the Flow Characteristics of Methane Hydrate Slurries with Low Flow Rates. (2019). LAPSE:2019.0803

Author Affiliations

Tang C: Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou
Zhao X: Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou
Li D: Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou [ORCID]
He Y: Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou
Shen X: Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou
Liang D: Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Gas Hydrate, Guangzhou 510640, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New and Renewable Energy Research and Development, Guangzhou
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Journal Name

Energies

Volume

10

Issue

1

Article Number

E145

Year

2017

Publication Date

2017-01-23