Experimental study on gas separation from the oil–water-emulsion mixture via hydrate method

Abstract

The gas separation technology based on hydrate method offers several advantages, including a short process flow, simple equipment, no pollution, less corrosion, and lower energy consumption. It has a broad application prospect in the acid gas purification, biogas purification and CO2 sequestration., etc. However, demanding hydrate formation conditions and lower gas separation effects constrain its application. Oil-water emulsion shows promise in improving mass and heat transfer efficiency, enhancing hydrate slurry fluidity, and reducing hydrate aggregates. Thus, this study investigates the effects of different oil–water ratios, promoter concentrations, and surfactants on hydrate formation and separation efficiency in an oil–water emulsion system. At an oil–water ratio of 1:1, the purification rate increased to 6.06, five times higher than in a pure water system. The addition of 1,3-Dioxolane (DIOX) facilitated bidirectional growth properties of hydrate formation on droplet surfaces, enhancing hydrate nucleation and formation, leading to a CO2 recovery increase to 87% with 1.5 wt% DIOX. Furthermore, lipophilic surfactants were more likely to promote hydrate slurry fluidization. The addition of Span80 reduced hydrate agglomeration and increased the rate of hydrate formation as concentration rose. The results suggest that adding DIOX and increasing the concentration of Span80 could improve the hydrate method’s separation efficiency at an oil–water ratio of 1:1.