Effects of temperature and pressure on the transformation rate from air bubbles to air-hydrate crystals in ice sheets

Abstract

Experimental investigations on the formation and growth processes of air-hydrate crystals were carried out to determine the transformation process of air bubbles into air-hydrate crystals in deep ice sheets. The microscopic observations revealed that the transformation began at the boundary between a bubble and ice. Faster transformation occurred along the boundary and, subsequently, the transformation progressed towards the center of the bubble at a lower rate. Each transformation rate increased with pressure and also with temperature. The activation energy of the transformation was about 0.52 eV for the primary transformation process and about 0.90 eV for subsequent processes. These results indicate that the rate determining the process of transformation is mainly supplementation of water molecules to the transformation site. An estimation of the transformation period of an air bubble into an air-hydrate crystal in a deep ice sheet reveals that it is about one thousandth of the time period of the transition zone, where both air-hydrates and air bubbles exist