Successive gas hydrate manufacturing method

Abstract

Embodiments of the inventive concept provide a successive gas hydrate manufacturing method, without hydration after generating gas hydrate slurry, capable of operating with a higher conversion rate and relatively low hydrate generation pressure and reducing a product cost by decreasing the number of processing steps for removing heat of reaction, for which the total exothermic value downs due to no need of latent heat according to a phase change rather than the case of generating a gas hydrate directly from a water solution, as well as making gas diffusion easier during reaction of generation and maximizing a contact area between water and gas to increase a gas capture rate and shorten the total hydrate generation time.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001]1. Field[0002]Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a successive gas hydrate manufacturing method using potential hydrate crystals. More particularly, embodiments of the inventive concept relates to a successive gas hydrate manufacturing method including the steps of: injecting potential hydrate crystals of water solution, which include a surfactant, into a piped reactor; generating a gas hydrate by pressurizing a gas to the piped reactor in which the potential hydrate crystals are injected; and circularly transporting the gas hydrate through the full length of the piped reactor in the piped reactor to maximize a conversion rate. Circularly transporting the gas hydrate is carried out by means of pig-balls connected to each other with a constant interval in multiplicity.[0003]2. Description of Related Art[0004]Natural gas is a kind of fuel having purity, stability and convenience, being sprightly interested as alternative energy capable of replacing the tradi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The inventive concept provides a method for making gas hydrate using a surfactant, which allows for higher conversion rates, lower hydrate generation pressure, and reduced processing steps. The method involves injecting potential hydrate crystals into a reactor, then using a gas to generate the gas hydrate. The gas hydrate is then circulated through the reactor to maximize the conversion rate. This method results in a decreased cost for gas hydrate production and improved gas capture efficiency.

Problems solved by technology

In the meantime, methane gas, which is a main ingredient of LNG, can be liquefied at extremely low temperature about −162° C. so it takes much cost for manufacturing an LNG transporting device in the sea and land as well as for preparing production facilities.

While another way for storing and transporting LNG is to use gas compression, it also has problems such as technical difficulty in manufacturing a huge container due to high storage pressure, high cost, and low stability due to high pressure explosion.

However, such a natural gas hydrate generated by such a method may cause a plugging effect to nozzles for raw water or natural gas.

Furthermore, it is difficult to separate the generated natural gas hydrate and unreacted water from each other.

And its low conversion rate may result in a large amount of unreacted materials, consuming a lot of energy for separating and recycling the remnant of the reaction.

On the other hand, a traditional method of generating a natural gas hydrate is disadvantageous to industrialization because of a long hydrate induction period and a low hydrate crystallization rate.

In extending a reaction area, there have been being used different methods such as nozzle ejection, microscopic bubbling, agitation, etc., but limited to conversion rate and highly cost for manufacturing equipment.

Thus, it is difficult to manufacture such a heat exchange system and impossible to conduct uniform heat exchange within the reactor when an amount of hydrate generated increases, which makes mass production harder.

Moreover, since a hydrate begins to be generated from a cooled surface of the heat exchanger, absorption (like an effect that ice is attached to the inside of a cold / freezing room) between the surface of the heat exchanger and the hydrate degrades heat conductivity to further restrain heat exchange in the reactor, also causing separation to be difficult and hence disturbing hydrate transportation.

Therefore, such a foregoing method makes it difficult to manufacture equipment thereof due to some restrictions involved in endurance of devices for cleaning the filtration net or filter, and structural availability that the dehydration should be carried out within the reactor, hence less suitable for mass production in commercialization because of enlargement of equipment.

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