The formation of natural gas hydrate (NGH) is studied in this work. Kinetics data of hydrate formation with no agitation were collected at various concentrations of the aqueous solutions with different additives such as alkylpolyglucside, sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate and potassium oxalate monohydrate. Various kinds of additive increased the formation rates of NGH and its storage capacity and reduced the induction time of NGH formation. Moreover, the storage capacity, the induction time and the hydrate formation rate were influenced by the concentration of the aqueous solution. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.