Investigating the Effect of Carbon Dioxide to Propane Ratio on Incubation Time and Gas Hydrate Conversion Yield

This study investigated the influence of varying carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to propane (C 3 H 8 ) ratio on the induction time and gas hydrate conversion yield measured in a 300 mL batch reactor. Gas hydrates are naturally occurring crystalline compounds that form guest-host structures from water and gas under low temperature and high-pressure conditions. These kinetically unstable compounds are attracting significant attention due to their potential in wastewater and other applications. Experiments were conducted under identical reaction parameters, including a fixed amount of deionized (DI) water, pressure, cooling rate, time, and stirring speed (rpm). By adjusting the CO 2 /C 3 H 8 ratio, the study aimed to optimize two critical parameters: the time required for gas hydrate nucleation (induction time) and the overall conversion yield to gas hydrates. Through five trials using CO 2 /C 3 H 8 ratios of 12:1, 7.2:1, 5:1, 3.2:1, and 2:1, it was found that the ratio with the highest conversion yield was 3.2:1, achieving 68.8% conversion. The shortest induction time was observed at the 7.2:1 ratio, with nucleation occurring in 383 seconds. These findings offer valuable insights in to optimizing gas hydrate formation process, which could enhance their potential applications in thermal energy storage and wastewater management, along with other applications.