The Formation of Tetrahydrofuran-Based Hydrate Suspensions in n-Decane as Studied by Near Infrared Spectroscopy

ABSTRACT

Near infrared spectroscopy and principal component analysis (PCA) have been used for monitoring interactions between THF hydrates and naphthenic acids and other surface active molecules. The hydrate particles are primarily hydrophilic and are preferably localized in the water phase. Interactions with surface active molecules may hydrophobize the hydrate surface sufficiently to disperse them into a paraffinic n-decane phase. Hydrate particles dispersed into the n-decane give rise to light scattering accompanied by a baseline shift in the NIR spectra. These observations serve as proof of such interactions taking place and may in turn contribute to the understanding of natural transportability in pipelines of hydrates in multiphase flow.