Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Dry Water Gas Hydrate Formation and Self-Preservation Efficiency

The effect of silica concentration in dry water microdispersion on the kinetics of formation of methane hydrates and efficiency of their self-preservation was studied beyond the range of thermodynamic stability of hydrates below 273 K. For dry water used for the formation of gas hydrates, there is a certain concentration of silica that provides an optimum combination of high rate of formation and self-preservation efficiency of hydrates during their dissociation. Below this concentration, the rate of formation of methane hydrates in dry water significantly decreases with the silica content, while the self-preservation efficiency remains almost constant. Above this concentration, the formation rate changes insignificantly when the silica concentration increases, and the self-preservation efficiency abruptly decreases. Possible reasons for this behavior of hydrates were considered. It was found that the specific surface area of silica used to form dry water can significantly affect the formation rate of gas hydrates and their self-preservation efficiency.