State-of-the-Art for Hydrate Dissociation

The following summary statements are made about hydrate dissociation, based upon the previous subsections  

A hydrate plug or core dissociates radially, not axially. 

X-ray CT provides a powerful means of imaging the hydrate core during the dissociation process, and obtaining real time density profiles of the core. 

Hydrate dissociation is an endothermic process, typically controlled by heat transfer. 

Using a heat transfer limited model based on Fourier s Law in cylindrical coordinates (developed at the Colorado School of Mines), hydrate dissociation under field conditions provides an order of magnitude (higher) prediction, which is acceptable in the industrial setting (see Chapter 8 and Appendix B for more details, including a description of CSMPlug to determine dissociation dimensions and times). 

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