Evolution of morphology and cohesive force of hydrate particles in the presence/absence of wax
Yang Liu, Chengxuan Wu, Xiaofang Lv, Xinyi Xu, Qianli Ma, Jiawei Meng, Shidong Zhou, Bohui Shi, Shangfei Song, Jing Gong
Abstract
with different contact times and temperature. When the contact time was 0 s and 10 s, the cohesive force between particles increased first and then stabilized with temperature. When the contact time was 20 s, the cohesive force was greater than the first two cases and showed an overall stable trend. An interesting phenomenon was also discerned: a large water bridge between particles formed during their separation process. For the wax-containing system, it required a longer time for water droplets to be converted into hydrate particles than that for wax-free systems. After wax participated in hydrate growth, hydrate particles showed the properties of elasticity and stickiness, which resulted in a larger liquid bridge between hydrate particles after their contact. It was suggested that wax crystal would alter the shell structure of hydrate particles, and change the surface properties of hydrate particles and the formation process of the liquid bridge, leading to significant and rapid increase in the cohesive force.