ORIGINAL PAPER Resolving CO2 and methane hydrate formation kinetics

• Main Authors: Juan-carlos Rojas Luzardo Æ, Yuan Yuan He, Æ Pacelli Zitha
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Methane hydrate
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.604.5569; http://repository.tudelft.nl/assets/uuid:6a15cbb9-86ca-42ed-ac25-a50534623c7a/golombok_2009.pdf

Abstract We analyse the kinetics of CO2 and methane hydrate formation. The characteristic formation times are associated with different steps of the formation process. Conditions for minimising these rate times are identified while maintaining a regime where CO2 hydrate is formed and methane remains predominantly gaseous. This involves a rapid pressurisation routine and accesses points well above the phase boundary in order to enable faster kinetics. Conditions for optimising rates and times, to obtain maxi-mum CO2 uptake with respect to CH4, were identified as (1) stirring faster than 1,000 rpm, (2) rapid pressurisation to a partial pressure of around 50 bar for CO2 and (3) re-use of contaminated as opposed to fresh water.