The presence of unconverted water drops in bulk hydrocarbon is likely to bridge hydrate particles and cause hydrate agglomeration, leading to hydrate accumulation or bedding in oil and gas pipelines. The knowledge of the interaction forces between hydrate particles and water drops can provide critical insights into hydrate agglomeration as well as potential prevention strategies. At high subcooling, the frequent solidification of the capillary bridge between hydrate particles could significantly affect the interaction force. However, the existing classic pendular liquid bridge model with a fixed liquid volume is not adequate for this unique case. A new interaction force model is required. Based on the pendular liquid bridge model and hydrate shell theory, a modified interaction force model was developed by considering the solidification of capillary bridges. Furthermore, using a self-built micromechanical force apparatus, the cyclopentane (CyC5) hydrate–droplet adhesion forces at a temperature range from 0.5 to 6 °C were measured to verify the proposed model. The experiments suggest that as the temperature was increased from 0.5 to 6 °C, the adhesion forces first increased and then decreased. Solidification could enhance the strength of the already formed liquid bridge. However, at lower temperatures (0.5–3 °C), the quick solidification led to smaller particle/bridge initial contact areas and weaker adhesion forces. By accurately predicting the evolution of the capillary bridge shape/outline, the predicted adhesion forces agree well with the experimental measurements. This study can provide more insights into hydrate agglomeration. The proposed model is an important supplement to hydrate adhesion theory and could more accurately evaluate hydrate plug risks in gas–oil flowlines.

中文翻译：

---

毛细管桥的凝固对水合物颗粒间相互作用力的影响

散装烃中未转化的水滴的存在可能会桥接水合物颗粒并引起水合物团聚，导致水合物在油气管道中积聚或堆积。水合物颗粒与水滴之间相互作用力的知识可以为水合物的聚集以及潜在的预防策略提供重要的见解。在较高的过冷度下，水合物颗粒之间的毛细管桥的频繁凝固会显着影响相互作用力。但是，对于这种独特的情况，现有的具有固定液体体积的经典摆式液体桥模型是不够的。需要一个新的相互作用力模型。基于摆式液桥模型和水合物壳理论，考虑到毛细管桥的凝固，建立了改进的相互作用力模型。此外，使用自建的微机械力装置，在0.5至6°C的温度范围内测量了环戊烷（CyC5）水合物-液滴的粘附力，以验证所提出的模型。实验表明，当温度从0.5升高到6°C时，粘附力先增加然后降低。固化可以增强已经形成的液桥的强度。但是，在较低温度（0.5–3°C）下，快速固化导致较小的颗粒/桥初始接触面积和较弱的粘附力。通过准确地预测毛细管桥形状/轮廓的演变，预测的粘附力与实验测量结果非常吻合。这项研究可以为水合物的聚集提供更多的见解。所提出的模型是水合物黏附理论的重要补充，可以更准确地评估天然气输油管线中水合物堵塞的风险。