Fundamentals of Natural Gas Hydrates and Practical Implications

Objectives

The goals of course is to provide the students with a detailed insight into the physical and thermodynamic nature of hydrate as they appear as and industrial problem, as well as in nature as energy source, environmental problem and potential geohazard

Content
The course contains a detailed description of the nature of hydrates and its properties as well as conditions for stability but also to a large extent anasis of inability to reach stability when coexisting with other phases in a processing or transport environment or in nature. Modern theories for estimation of the kinetics of hydrate nucleation and growth is also discussed along with simpler theories which may be easier for use in reservoir modeling or modeling of hydrate formation risk in industrial situations.

On completion of the course

the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The students

• Are able to analyze specific industrial situation with respect to possibility of hydrate formation
• Can evaluate various means of prevention of hydrate problems (plugging)
• Knows how to calculate maximum amount of water that can be permitted in a gas in order to avoid hydrate problems
• Can evaluate whether hydrate that forms can establish equilibrium with surrounding phases or not
• Understand hydrates in nature and how these hydrates can be produced for energy purposes
• Knows how hydrates can dissociate in nature and give rice to fluxes of hydrocarbons to sea and air
• Knows how geomechanical instabilities may be generated by hydrate dissociation

Skills

The students

• Can analyze complex multiphase systems in terms of possibility to reach equilibrium or not
• Can describe the thermodynamics related hydrate formation, dissociation and non-equilibrium.
• Can analyze specific process plants with respect to critical points for possible hydrate problems.
• Can participate in project related to hydrates in nature as is able to evaluate thermodynamica aspects of specific reservoirs

General competence

The students understand how hydrates form, dissociate and rearrange in interactions with other solid and fluid phases in industrial settings as well as for hydrates in nature