Experiments on fast nucleation and growth of HCFC141b gas hydrate in static water columns

A major technical issue in the realization of refrigerants gas hydrates energy storage systems is to develop a practical means for rapid hydrate formation. In this paper, the nucleation and growth processes of HCFC141b (CH₃CCl₂F, HCFC141b) gas hydrate in a column of water added with 0.038 wt% sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate-6 and with a metal rod which was placed in the center of the column has been studied. The water solution column, in a cylindrical glass container, was placed in a thermostatic bath ranged 274.15–280.15 K and under atmospheric pressure. The experimental results show that, comparing to that of pure water and HCFC141b system, the properly placed metal rods combined with proper amount of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate-6 considerably promotes the hydrate formation speed and reduces the nucleation time. The growth rate of HCFC141b hydrate is significantly effected by the surrounding bath temperature and the formation can be finished in 8 h with a short nucleation time when the bath temperature ranged 274.15–279.15 K and the iron rod penetrating the interface between the water solution and liquid HCFC141b. The experimental results suggest a new way for fast formation of gas hydrates.