Experimental correlation for the formation rate of CO2 hydrate with THF (tetrahydrofuran) for cooling application

• CO2 hydrate with THF can be used as a secondary refrigerant for cooling application.
• An experimental correlation was developed to predict the CO2 hydrate formation rate.
• The present model should be applied only for the CO2 hydrate formation with THF.

The CO2 hydrate formation experiments with THF (tetrahydrofuran) are performed in a stirred semi-bath reactor. The experimental data on CO2 hydrate formation are obtained at constant pressure and temperature with the low driving force conditions. The experimental temperature is above 279 K, which is high enough to prevent the formation of only THF hydrate. The Gibbs free energy difference by the pressure variation is chosen as the driving force. The experimental results confirm that the THF drastically reduces the required CO2 hydrate formation pressure. A two-parameter kinetic model based on the Chen-Guo model is developed to predict the CO2 hydrate formation rate and to correlate the experimental data. It is found that the experimental correlation based on the present estimation model fits well with the experimental results and can predict the CO2 hydrate formation rate satisfyingly for cooling application.