Structural Transition of a Natural Gas Clathrate Hydrate

O-02 STRUCTURAL TRANSITION OF A NATURAL GAS CLATHRATE HYDRATE M.D. JAGER and E.D. SLOAN Jr. Center for Hydrate research Colorado School of Mines 1500 Illinois St. Golden CO 80401 USA 1. Introduction 1 One of the main concerns in flow assurance of offshore pipelines is the formation of solid clathrate hydrates. Clathrate hydrates are crystalline compounds of water in a hydrogen-bonded lattice with cavities in which hydrocarbon molecules are trapped. Small hydrocarbon molecules methane through butane are ideally suited to form such compounds under elevated pressure in the presence of water. Thus any pipeline that transports hydrocarbons and water has