Thermotactic habit of gas hydrate growth enables a fast transformation of melting ice

Lei Yang, Dawei Guan, Aoxing Qu, Qingping Li, Yang Ge, Huiyong Liang, Hongsheng Dong, Shudong Leng, Yanzhen Liu, Lunxiang Zhang, Jiafei Zhao and Yongchen Song

Applied Energy, 2023, vol. 331, issue C, No S0306261922016294

Abstract: Promoting hydrate formation kinetics is considered a major challenge hindering the application of hydrate-based techniques. Surfactants are thus widely used for a better gas solution and water conversion. Yet significant issues involving an uncontrolled morphology and foaming are encountered. In this work, a unique anisotropic behavior of gas hydrate formation was identified through in-situ X-ray technique with the rate of vertical growth 5 times higher than the lateral. This was ascribed to the varying driving force of hydrate nucleation at the wall surface where the reaction heat could be more easily dissipated. Consequently, a thermotactic habit of gas hydrate growth was proposed: the nucleation and growth would preferentially proceed towards a low temperature region to release the reaction heat. Hence through regulating the temperature and thereby the heat transfer scheme one can design the behavior and morphology of hydrate formation. Specifically, a surprisingly fast hydrate formation was observed when freezing the surfactant-containing solution prior to warming-up and pressurization. The melting ice consuming large amount of heat enabled a sequential transformation of water into hydrate tracing the thawing front. This thermotactic behavior was also consolidated in a more macroscopic process. The findings could provide new insights into the kinetics of gas hydrate formation coupling the heat-associated phase transition; the results could also be of help in the up-scale of the hydrate-based techniques where a concentrated transformation is highly required.

Keywords: Gas hydrate; Thermotactic habit; Formation morphology; Kinetics; Surfactant (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120372

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