Intermolecular Forces in Clathrate Hydrate Related Processes

The thermodynamics and kinetics of clathrate hydrate formation processes are topics of high scientific interest, especially in the petroleum industry. Researchers have made efforts at understanding the underlying processes that explicate the macroscopic observations from experiments and other research methods of gas hydrate formation. To achieve this, they have employed theories founded upon force related intermolecular interactions. Some of the theories and concepts employed include hydrogen bonding, the Leonard Jones force principle, and steric interactions. This paper gives a brief review of how these intermolecular interaction principles have been understood, and used as tools, in explaining the inaccessible microscopic processes, that characterize clathrate hydrate formation. It touches upon nucleation, growth, and inhibition processes.