Gas Hydrates: Formation, Structures, and Properties

Abstract

In this chapter, the characteristics of clathrate hydrates of natural gases, generally called gas hydrates, will be presented. After an introduction to hydrate structures, which have been verified in nature as well as the associated hydrate formers, the phase diagrams exhibiting the stability fields and thermodynamic properties of these natural systems depending on their composition will be discussed. Natural gas hydrates are methane-rich but may also contain CO2, H2S, and other hydrocarbons and hence vary in their thermodynamic properties.