STUDY OF CAPTURING EMITTED CO2 IN THE FORM OF HYDRATES IN A TUBULAR REACTOR

Abstract

Stabilizing atmospheric CO2 concentration requires the development of novel methods for capturing it in the form of permanent reservoirs. Among the proposed methods is CO2 storage in the form of hydrate. In this study a method was established for CO2 conversion to hydrate. This method can be applied to bioethanol plants, which produce CO2 as a by-product of ethanol fermentation. In this regard, a tubular recirculating flow reactor was developed for the study of CO2 hydrate formation. The experiments were carried out at 279 K and 3.5–5 MPa to determine the rate of CO2 hydrate formation. Further, a model was developed for prediction of the rate of hydrate formation based on the mass transfer, crystallization, and thermodynamic concepts. The predicted hydrate formation rate was compared to the experimental data in order to validate the model prediction. The predicted results were in good agreement with the experimental data at different operating conditions.