Methane storage scale-up using hydrates & metal organic framework HKUST-1 in a packed column

Abstract

As the demand for energy rises, so does the need for storing natural gas. Gas hydrates offer a unique opportunity as they consist of water and gas, and can hold up to 160 m3 of methane (at STP) in 1 m3 of hydrate. Combining gas hydrates with the metal organic framework HKUST-1 produced synergistic improvements for methane storage. This study scaled the system from 0.5 cm3 in a differential scanning calorimeter to 60 cm3 in a packed column with a volume, with highly reproducible results, and provided insight into how HKUST-1 affects the kinetics of methane hydrate formation. For the system with HKUST-1 concentration of only 1.0 wt% and at operating conditions tested, the hydrate nucleation induction time reduced on average by 86.2 ± 5.4%, the amount hydrates formed increased by 47.7%, and the rate of hydrate growth increased on average by 7.0 times. Additionally, the system with HKUST-1 operated optimally above the freezing point of ice, unlike a system without HKUST-1, and thus requires less energy to form hydrates. This scalability of performance and positive kinetic effect shows that the combination of HKUST-1 and gas hydrates produce a promising candidate for a commercial method to store and transport natural gas.