Hydrate

A hydrate is a compound formed by the addition of water to another molecule. Hydrates have a crystalline structure, which means that they are solid. In its operations, the oil industry comes across gas hydrates, also known as clathrate hydrates. One of the most frequent is methane hydrate (CH4, nH20), the formation of which must be avoided during production operations at all costs as it can block the flow of hydrocarbons and cause very serious accidents. Huge amounts of natural methane hydrate are trapped in the upper layers of certain oceanic sediment, forming a natural carbon sink that is notable for its instability.