Introducing Population Balance to Advance Gas Hydrate Thermo-kinetic Modeling And Optimization

In this contribution, a population balance model is grounded in a theoretical framework to investigate hydrate formation and dissociation dynamics in a marine environment. A high-resolution, finite-volume method is framed to solve the population balance equations for determining the size distribution and the corresponding surface area of hydrate particles. This formulation addresses numerous issues that affect hydrate thermokinetics, including hydrate formation and decomposition in nanometer-sized pores, irregularity in sediment shape and pore size, interaction of water molecules with salt ions, replenishment of sediment surface, and nth-order reaction kinetics. Moreover, a parameter-free thermodynamic model is deployed in the framework to stochastically describe the clathrate hydrate phase. Estimating the kinetic parameters by drafting a genetic-algorithm-based optimization strategy, the model is tested using the hydrate dynamics data procured at a wide range of geologic conditions. It is perceived that this formulation consistently delivers a promising performance with reference to hydrate data over the latest model.