STUDY OF AGGLOMERATION OF ICE PARTICLES AND OF TRICHLOROFLUOROMETHANE HYDRATE PARTICLES SUSPENDED IN A HYDROCARBON PHASE

This work deals with the problem of pipeline plugging by gas hydrates during oil production. Gas hydrates are crystals resulting from water and gas molecules association under high pressure and low temperature conditions. Such thermodynamical conditions are generally encountered during oil production and transport, particularly in deep offshore fields or in cold areas. Due to an agglomeration process which is still debated, hydrate occurrence can lead to plug formation. This study aims at improving the understanding in this mechanism process, in the case of water-in-oil emulsions. Therefore, ice or hydrate particle agglomeration is compared. Ice or trichlorofluoromethane (CCl3F) hydrate particles dispersed in xylene with asphaltenes as surfactant is chosen as a model system. As CCl3F hydrates are stable under atmospheric pressure, it allows us to apply different techniques without being limited by high pressure conditions. The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technique is used. The very different relaxation rate for solids or liquids is used to monitor in situ the ratio between solid and total hydrogen or fluorine as a function of time with controlled shearing conditions. Thus, a kinetic study is realized, that enabled to know the amount of ice formed. The apparent viscosity of the system, during crystallization and plugging, is also followed with rheometry in order to characterize agglomeration. This experimental approach allows us to highlight that physico-chemistry of interface water/oil has an important role in agglomeration. It enables us to discuss different mechanisms of agglomeration of ice and hydrate particles in a hydrocarbon phase.Non UBCUnreviewe