Synthesis of Natural Gas Hydrates in Dispersed Media: Application in Gas Storage and Transport

Currently, the prospects of using gas hydrate technologies for the storage and transportation of natural gas in the solid state are being evaluated for implementation in mobile field development complexes in cryolithozone. This paper presents the results of experimental studies on methane hydrate formation kinetics in water-containing dispersed systems. A comparative analysis of the water-to-hydrate conversion ratio was conducted in “dry water”, “dry gel”, powder cryogel, and hydrogel. The maximum methane capacity (V/Vh) was achieved using a powder cryogel system, reaching 147 vol of gas per volume of hydrate. Additionally, the possibility of reusing dispersed systems for repeated methane hydrate formation has been analyzed. The best result was observed with the powder cryogel system, which remained stable for 9 cycles, exhibiting only an 11.5% decrease in efficiency by the final cycle. These results are significant in assessing the economic feasibility of gas hydrate technologies in storing and transporting natural gas and associated petroleum gas in the solid state in the Arctic regions.