ACCELERATED HYDRATE FORMATION AND DISSOCIATION

摘要

The invention relates to using gas hydrate to separate specific gases from a gas mixture. In particular, compound hydrate is formed from a mixed gas feedstock to concentrate one or more desired gas species in the hydrate phase and the remainder in the gas phase. The hydrate is then separated from the gas phase and dissociated to produce a gas stream concentrated in the desired species. Additives that accelerate the growth of hydrate and a defoaming agent are added to change the rate of reaction and eliminate hard to break foam produced by the catalyst to enhance total throughput through the process. The addition of some materials can result in changes in the density of the hydrate product, which can be useful for optimizing the separation of hydrate from unreacted liquid and/or rejected gas.