CERE has purchased a High-Pressure Differential Scanning Microcalorimeter (HP µ-DSC) which will be used to study the effect of highly active ice-structuring proteins on the formation of gas hydrates.
In general the HP µ-DSC (like any DSC) allow thermal analysis of phase transition processes i.e. the phase transition temperature as well as the energy needed or created during the phase transition.
The main advantage of the HP µ-DSC compared to other DSC’s is that it can be used at pressures up to 200 bar. This makes it in particular suitable for studying the thermal behaviour of systems of relevance to the petroleum industry. Below you see some examples of systems which could be studied using the µ-DSC:
- Gas hydrate kinetics and phase equilibria
- Asphaltene precipitation or wax appearance temperatures in dead or live oils
- Phase transitions in electrolyte solutions
- Glass transition temperature of polymers at atmospheric or elevated pressure
The µ-DSC also has an option which enables direct measurement of heat capacities of various substances.
Publications
Nagu Daraboina, Christine Malmos Perfeldt, and Nicolas von Solms, “Testing antifreeze protein from the longhorn beetle Rhagium mordax as a kinetic gas hydrate inhibitor using a high-pressure micro differential scanning calorimeter,” Can. J. Chem 93 (2015) 1025-1030
Nagu Daraboina, Christine Malmos, and Nicolas von Solms, “Investigation of Kinetic Hydrate Inhibition Using a High Pressure Micro Differential Scanning Calorimeter,” Energy and Fuels, 27, 5779 (2013).”