fordimhysmain

The experimental set-up is designed to crystallise a hydrate slurry in a batch reactor and to transfer it a main reactor where the slurry is accumulated to form a plug in a measurement cell

The measurement cell (462cm3) is a transparent polycarbonate tube of internal diameter of 0.07m. It is located inside a tank of 10 litters which can be pressurised up to 28 MPa. It can operate in the temperature range of [-20°C, +150°C]. The temperature control is ensured by circulation of an ethanol-water mixture in the volume separating the cell external surface (diameter of 0.08m) and the tank internal surface (diameter of 0.15m). Two Teflon plates are also mounted at the top and the bottom of the cell in order to thermally insulate hydrate plugs against heat source. Two pairs of windows (diameter of 0.01m) on both sides of the reactor allow us to see the cell which is transparent, so we can observe the plugs during dissociation. The measurement cell is monitored by 5 Platinum thermocouples Pt100 located in the plug in order to observe the temperature gradient versus radius.

Pressures of the main reactor are measured by means of pressure transducers (range: 0–30 MPa). The pressure uncertainty is estimated to be within 0.25 % of full scale ( 0.075 MPa).
Temperature and pressure measurements are displayed or controlled by West instrument (model 8010 and 6100). The data acquisition unit is also connected to a personal computer through two cards National Instruments (PCI –6023E and Lab1200).
The main reactor can be positioned in horizontal, vertical position, or at variable angle. So that, the measurement cell can be in a position that simulates a pipe orientation whatever its location on the surface of the sea floor.