Thermophysical Properties of Clathrate Hydrates with Various Guests for Novel Technologies: A Review

Abstract

Thermophysical properties relevant to clathrate hydrate-based technologies were reviewed. Clathrate hydrates are solids composed of water and guests. The clathrate hydrate-based technologies considered in this study were as follows: carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration; natural gas storage and transportation; ozone storage and transportation; carbon dioxide clathrate hydrate as food; desalination and salt production; separation of tritiated water; cold thermal energy storage; and heat pumps and heat engines. The review was based on the experimentally measured data. The reviewed thermophysical properties were phase equilibrium conditions, formation/decomposition enthalpy, heat capacity, thermal conductivity, interfacial tension, and density. The phase equilibrium conditions determine the operating conditions for the clathrate hydrate-based technologies. The formation/decomposition enthalpy, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity relate to the thermal energy exchange during hydrate formation/decomposition. The interfacial tension is a key parameter when considering the multiphase flow composed of water and guests. The density influences the behavior of clathrate hydrates within the reactor. The relevance between these properties and the clathrate hydrate-based technologies was discussed. The methods correlating the phase equilibrium conditions were also compared in terms of applicability and usefulness. It was revealed that the suitability of the model, which is based on the Clausius–Clapeyron equation or statistical thermodynamic modeling, depends on the purpose of the correlation. Future perspectives of the thermophysical properties of clathrate hydrates were also discussed.