ja309117d_si_001.pdf (132.14 kB)
Homogeneous Nucleation of Methane Hydrates: Unrealistic under Realistic Conditions
journal contribution
posted on 2012-12-05, 00:00 authored by Brandon
C. Knott, Valeria Molinero, Michael F. Doherty, Baron PetersMethane hydrates are ice-like inclusion
compounds with importance
to the oil and natural gas industry, global climate change, and gas
transportation and storage. The molecular mechanism by which these
compounds form under conditions relevant to industry and nature remains
mysterious. To understand the mechanism of methane hydrate nucleation
from supersaturated aqueous solutions, we performed simulations at
controlled and realistic supersaturation. We found that critical nuclei
are extremely large and that homogeneous nucleation rates are extremely
low. Our findings suggest that nucleation of methane hydrates under
these realistic conditions cannot occur by a homogeneous mechanism.