Fundamental understanding of gas hydrate formation and decomposition processes is critical in many energy and environmental areas and has special importance in flow assurance for the oil and gas industry. These areas represent the core of gas hydrate applications, which, albeit widely studied, are still developing as growing fields of research. Discovering the molecular pathways and chemical and physical concepts underlying gas hydrate formation potentially can lead us beyond flowline blockage prevention strategies toward advancing new technological solutions for fuel storage and transportation, safely producing a new energy resource from natural deposits of gas hydrates in oceanic and arctic sediments, and potentially facilitating effective desalination of seawater. The state of the art in gas hydrate research is leading us to new understanding of formation and dissociation phenomena that focuses on measurement and modeling of time-dependent properties of gas hydrates on the basis of their well-established thermodynamic properties.

Gas hydrates are crystalline inclusion compounds, where molecular cages of water trap lighter species under specific thermodynamic conditions. Hydrates play an essential role in global energy systems, as both a hinderance when formed in traditional fuel production and a substantial resource when formed by nature. In both traditional and unconventional fuel production, hydrates share interfaces with a tremendous diversity of materials, including hydrocarbons, aqueous solutions, and inorganic solids. This article presents a state-of-the-art understanding of hydrate interfacial thermodynamics and growth kinetics, and the physiochemical controls that may be exerted on both. Specific attention is paid to the molecular structure and interactions of water, guest molecules, and hetero-molecules (e.g., surfactants) near the interface. Gas hydrate nucleation and growth mechanics are also presented, based on studies using a combination of molecular modeling, vibrational spectroscopy, and X-ray and neutron diffraction. The fundamental physical and chemical knowledge and methods presented in this review may be of value in probing parallel systems of crystal growth in solid inclusion compounds, crystal growth modifiers, emulsion stabilization, and reactive particle flow in solid slurries.

The present work uses a micromechanical force apparatus to directly measure cyclopentane clathrate hydrate cohesive force and hydrate-steel adhesive force, as a function of contact time, contact force and temperature. We present a hydrate interparticle force model, which includes capillary and sintering contributions and is based on fundamental interparticle force theories. In this process, we estimate the cyclopentane hydrate tensile strength to be approximately 0.91 MPa. This hydrate interparticle force model also predicts the effect of temperature on hydrate particle cohesion force. Finally, we present the first direct measurements of hydrate cohesive force in the gas phase to be 9.1 ± 2.1 mN/m at approximately 3 °C (as opposed to 4.3 ± 0.4 mN/m in liquid cyclopentane).