Name: GUILHERME RAINHO MELHORIM
Type: MSc dissertation
Publication date: 24/02/2022
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| RENATO DO NASCIMENTO SIQUEIRA | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| EDSON JOSE SOARES | Co advisor * |
| RAMON SILVA MARTINS | External Examiner * |
| RENATO DO NASCIMENTO SIQUEIRA | Advisor * |
Summary: Brazil is one of the largest oil producers on the planet, thanks to investments in the order of billions reais by Petrobras. The flow of oil through the pipes generates high mixing rates due to the intense shocks with the walls of these pipes. In addition, at the bottom of the ocean there is a combination of two factors: high pressures and low temperatures. These particularities represent the main causes of hydrate nucleation, which is a solid compound that low molecular weight molecules are encapsulated by water molecules. The formation of hydrates triggers a series of problems in the oil industry, which can block the flow of oil and cause production losses. There are large areas of importance involving hydrates, from climate change concerns to the development of sustainable technologies. A third application of hydrates concerns flow assurance, vital for the oil and gas industry. It is in this area that we will focus our studies. For this, the formation of methane hydrates is investigated using water-in-mineral oil emulsions at high pressures and low temperatures. Span80 surfactant is used to stabilize the emulsions. Initially, some parameters are varied to observe their effects: shear rate, cooling temperature and average droplet diameter. Finally, the effect of the paraffin concentration on the formation of hydrates is analyzed. For this, a rotational rheometer and a pressure cell are used to simulate a pressurized environment.
