A unified nucleation theory for the kinetics of hydrate formation

In this work I present a nucleation theory for the kinetics of hydrate nucleation and growth, The first stage of the theory is the kinetic transport of hydrate formers towards the surface, calculations of average surface density, and composition of adsorbed molecules. The second step is molecular agglomeration and clustering, with a matrix approach for evaluation of cluster distribution, and a subsequent cluster stability analysis. Growth rates for metastable clusters are obtained from an extended diffuse interface theory, The final step is the calculation of growth rates for stable cores according to an explicit solution of the classical nucleation theory, Preliminary results from the theory are very promising. The deviations from the experiments are also in directions that are to be expected from the simplifications made at this stage in the development of the theory.