Determination of specific heat of methane and methane hydrates at high pressures

• Grant number: 16/13319-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): September 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): August 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal researcher: Maria Dolores Robustillo Fuentes
• Grantee: Rafael Belém Lavrador
• Home Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/02140-7 - Study on the formation and dissociation of gas hydrates, AP.JP

Abstract

Gas hydrates are compounds formed by well-defined crystalline structures in which water molecules form a cage capable of trapping inside small molecules such as low molecular weight gases. Despite being responsible for the blockage of crude oil extraction pipes, especially in undersea regions, such as the Brazilian pre-salt region, these compounds are of special interest for their potential use as a renewable energy source. One of the most important thermodynamic properties to be known for this application is the heat capacity, since it allows to quantify the amount of energy that can be stored in the form of hydrate.Hydrates are formed at high pressure and low or ambient temperature conditions. For these operating conditions, the current data on the heat capacity of pure methane and methane hydrates are scarce - sometimes even non-existent - and mostly only determined from mathematical models. This project aims to generate experimental data of heat capacities of methane and methane hydrates in hydrate formation conditions by high pressure differential scanning calorimetry, and compare them with the data currently available in the literature or modelled through commercial software, pointing out possible deviations in current modelling.