Combination of surfactants and organic compounds for boosting CO2 separation from natural gas by clathrate hydrate formation

M. Ricaurte (1) , Christophe Dicharry (1) , X. Renaud , Jean-Philippe Torre (1)

1 LFCR - Laboratoire des Fluides Complexes et leurs Réservoirs

This study investigates the effects of several combinations of surfactants and organic compounds on the separation of CO2 from a CO2–CH4 gas mixture by clathrate hydrate formation. Seven additives, three surfactants (SDS, SDBS, DATCl) and four organic compounds (THF, 1,3-dioxolane, 2-methyl-tetrahydrofuran and cyclopentane) were tested for various operating conditions and at different concentrations. The influence of these additives on the quantity of gas removed, the selectivity of the separation toward CO2, and the kinetics of hydrate formation were analyzed through experiments in a batch reactor. It was found that a suitable combination of a surfactant and a organic compound can, in some cases, strongly enhance the hydrate crystallization. The best results were obtained with a combination of the additives SDS and THF.

Mots clés: Gas hydrate; Additives; Carbon dioxide separation; Natural gas; Promoters

Domaines: Génie chimique; Milieux fluides et réactifs; Génie des procédés; Génie mécanique [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des matériaux [physics.class-ph]; Géophysique [physics.geo-ph]

M. Ricaurte, Christophe Dicharry, X. Renaud, Jean-Philippe Torre. Combination of surfactants and organic compounds for boosting CO2 separation from natural gas by clathrate hydrate formation. Fuel, 2014, 122, pp.206-217. ⟨10.1016/j.fuel.2014.01.025⟩. ⟨hal-01816787⟩