Gas Hydrates and their Role in Future Energy Needs & Mitigating Environmental Impacts

Speaker:

Carolyn A. Koh
Center for Hydrate Research Colorado School of Mines, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering

Abstract:

Gas hydrates are ice-like solids comprised of a crystalline lattice of hydrogen-bonded water cages that can trap small gas molecules, such as methane and carbon dioxide. Understanding and controlling the gas hydrate crystal growth processes and interfacial interactions is important in several energy applications, including mitigating the potential environmental impacts during fuel production and transportation. Gas hydrates can present major safety, economic, and environmental hazards when they form and block flowlines producing and transporting oil and natural gas. Conversely, gas hydrate technologies may be developed for energy storage of fuels in gas hydrate crystals, or as an alternative potential energy resource from naturally occurring hydrate deposits. This presentation will provide an overview and the state-of-the-art of gas hydrates in the different energy applications. Highlights will be presented on our investigations of the growth processes and inter-particle interactions of gas hydrate crystals at high pressure and low-temperature conditions, and different synthesis strategies for energy storage and carbon capture.