This
study presents the phase equilibrium conditions for methane
hydrate with one of the following organic ammonium salts differing
in carbon chain length: tetramethylammonium bromide (TMAB), tetraethylammonium
bromide (TEAB), tetrapropylammonium bromide (TPrAB), tetrabutylammonium
bromide (TBAB), and tetrapentylammonium bromide (TPeAB). The hydrate
phase equilibrium measurements were conducted for a temperature range
of 278.94–291.85 K and pressure range of 4.79–14.32
MPa using the step-heating pressure search method. The addition of
TBAB or TPeAB shifts the phase equilibria of the semiclathrate hydrates
(SCHs) of CH4 to a lower pressure and higher temperature
zone. At a given temperature, increasing the mole fraction of TBAB
and TPeAB from 0.294 mol % to 0.620 mol % made the shift in phase
equilibrium conditions greater. At a given dosage, TBAB consistently
outperformed TPeAB in thermodynamically promoting methane hydrate
formation. TMAB, TEAB, or TPrAB slightly shifts the phase equilibrium
conditions to a higher pressure and lower temperature region. We analyzed
the hydrate phase equilibrium data for TMAB, TEAB, and TPrAB using
the colligative property equation and compared them with the phase
equilibrium data of a CH4 and salt water system. The results
suggest that these three organic salts have a small hydrate inhibiting
effect that is comparable to NaCl. Promotion of the formation of CH4 hydrate by TBAB and TPeAB indicates that these additives
provide a means to store CH4 at moderate pressure conditions,
which could lower the cost of pressure reduction in hydrate formation.
In contrast, TMAB, TEAB, and TPrAB could be used for prevention of
formation of hydrates in systems where the use of NaCl is unsuitable.