Experimental study and thermodynamic modelling of methane and mixed C1 + C2 + C3 clathrate hydrates in the presence of mesoporous silica gel

In this communication, methane and synthetic gas mixture [CH4 (93.25 mol%) + C2H6 (4.8 mol%) + C3H8 (2 mol%)] hydrate dissociation conditions above the ice point of water were measured in a synthetic porous media of silica gel with different pore radii of 10 and 15 nm in the temperature and pressure ranges of (273.3-287.0) K and (3.30-6.22), respectively. The predictions of a thermodynamic model based on the solid solution theory of van der Waals and Platteuw (vdWP) considering the effects of interfacial tension and capillary forces are then compared with the obtained experimental data. It is shown that the model results are in good agreement with the corresponding data. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.