Can 2-propanol form clathrate hydrates?

2-Propanol is an alcohol commonly used in petroleum exploration and production operations. However, there are at present no data concerning its effects on hydrate stability available in the open literature. Here, we present experimental hydrate equilibrium data for methane with 10.0, 16.4, and 25.0 mass % 2-propanol aqueous solutions. The results show that 2-propanol does not have the inhibition effect which would be expected from an alcohol and may, in fact, take part in clathrate formation. Consequently, 2-propanol has been modeled as a hydrate-forming compound using a thermodynamic model. Comparisons between experimental hydrate dissociation data and model predictions indicate that 2-propanol may take part in structure II hydrate formation, occupying the large cavity of the hydrate structure. The hydrate phase boundary for a natural gas system with a 25 mass % 2-propanol aqueous solution has also been measured. The predicted hydrate stability zone, considering 2-propanol as a structure II hydrate-forming compound, is in good agreement with the experimental data, confirming the results obtained for methane/2-propanol hydrates.