High-pressure gas hydrate autoclave hydraulic experiments and scale-up modeling on the effect of stirring RPM effect

A synthetic quaternary gas mixture (Methane = 85.24%, Ethane = 10.03%, n-Hexane = 0.02 mol %, Carbon dioxide = 2.49% and Nitrogen = 2.22%) has been used to study the effect of different stirring rates between 100 and 1400 rotations per minute (RPM) on hydrate crystal formation in the high pressure autoclave cell (HPC). The experimental results obtained show that there exists a threshold limit above and below which hydrate formation decreases drastically. The results were used to determine the optimum-stirring rate at which maximum hydrate crystal formation is obtained in HPC. For the scale up purposes, using the experimental results, the dimensional analysis has been conducted on HPC to obtain optimum power and density ratio factors for the bench scale reactor system. So this work aims to facilitate the ongoing research for using hydrates for natural gas storage and transportation purposes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.