What is known in the literature on gas hydrates

Technical Report · Thu Dec 04 04:00:00 UTC 1941

OSTI ID:6020032

Nonnenmacher,

This report summarized what was known at that time about gas hydrates. Most of the work had been done in America because of the problems that had been encountered with gas hydrates stopping up natural-gas pipelines and causing problems, so most of the references cited were American references. Gas hydrates could be formed by methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, propane, normal butane, isobutane, chlorine, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and methyl mercaptan (CH/sub 3/SH). The hydrates were white, crystalline, flammable substances of general form R 7H/sub 2/O which expanded upon solidifying. Under conditions in which they were unstable, they could disintegrate rapidly, giving off a crackling noise. The report gave several graphs which were temperature-pressure diagrams showing the particular combinations of temperatures and pressures under which gas hydrates could form. For instance, methane hydrate could exist at pressures over 2.8 atm at 0/sup 0/C, over 8 atm at 10/sup 0/C, over 250 atm at 20/sup 0/C, and at no usual pressure over 21.5/sup 0/C. Also, ethane hydrate could hardly exist over 14.5/sup 0/C, propane hydrate over 5.6/sup 0/C, and n-butane hydrate over 1/sup 0/C. However, mixtures of those gases seemed to be able to form hydrates at temperatures higher than the ones just mentioned; however, it seemed that no such mixture could form hydrates over 35/sup 0/C at any pressures likely to be encountered in hydrogenation. The three major possibilities for prevention of formation of gas hydrates were to lower pressure, increase temperature, or remove water content of the gases. The Americans had generally chosen the last alternative, but the German hydrogenation plants had generally chosen to heat gas lines.

• Research Organization: I.G. Farbenindustrie, A.G., Ludwigshafen (Germany)
• OSTI ID: 6020032
• Report Number(s): TOM-9-278-286
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: German

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