Hydrates in the Natural Gas Industry

In the mid-1930s Hammerschmidt studied the 1927 hydrate review of Schroeder (D.L. Katz, Personal Communication, November 14, 1983) to determine that natural gas hydrates were blocking gas transmission lines, frequently at temperatures above the ice point. This discovery was pivotal in causing a more pragmatic interest in gas hydrates and shortly thereafter led to the regulation of the water content in natural gas pipelines. 

The detection of hydrates in pipelines is a milestone marking both the importance of hydrates to industry and the beginning of the modern research era. As a complement to the history prior to 1934 in Table 1.2, hydrate studies in more recent times are indicated in Table 1.3. The key scientific developments and applications to the natural gas industry are listed in Table 1.3. With this listing as an abstract, an introduction to modern research is provided in the next few pages, with more details and literature references in later chapters. 

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