The objective of this project is to use existing, novel equipment for obtaining fundamental, crosscutting chemical, physical, and hydrodynamic information on fluids that could be released and transported from deep, subsea hydrocarbon reservoirs and inadvertently released into a deepwater environment. Specifically, the research will use the resulting fundamental information in numerical, thermodynamic, and plume models to comprehensively describe potential roles and impacts of gas hydrates in such a scenario. The goal is to have a comprehensive understanding of:
The formation and stability of simple and complex hydrates under deepwater conditions.
The stability of hydrates and their interaction with hydrocarbon fluids at or near the point of release into deep water and at longer times as they are transported away from the point of release into the seawater column.
The impact of dispersants and anti-agglomerates on the fate and interaction of hydrates near the point of release and during transport in the seawater column.
This project has been completed. Some major accomplishments include;
Modification of a plume model based on thermodynamic phase equilibrium and gas solubility data to better describe a natural, deepwater gas seep Completion of experiments with a methane, ethane, and propane gas mixture that is thermodynamically similar to the gases released from the Macondo blowout. These data not only confirm previous observations with pure methane but also provide new insight into the behavior of gas mixtures. Thermodynamic models continue development to better predict hydrate equilibrium conditions and equilibrium solubility conditions for gases of interest in water.