Nucleation of gas hydrates

The kinetics of nucleation of one-component gas hydrates in aqueous solutions are analyzed. The size of the hydrate nucleus and the work for nucleus formation are determined as functions of the supersaturation Deltamu. Expressions for the stationary rate J of hydrate nucleation are derived. These expressions describe the J(Deltamu) dependence for homogeneous nucleation and for heterogeneous nucleation at the solution/gas interface or on solid substrates and nucleation-active microparticles in the solution. The results are applied to nucleation of methane hydrate in solutions containing additives that may act as kinetic inhibitors of the process. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.