Clathrate hydrates help with natural gas storage and CO2 sequestration

• Report rights infringement
• published: 04 Jun 2013
• views: 1196

Clathrate hydrates are crystalline materials with cage-like structures, formed by water molecules enclosing "guest substances" other than water. Recently, methane hydrates have been considered a promising future source of natural gas. In such ways, clathrate hydrates are in the spotlight as a solidification technology for hydrophobic gases. At Keio University, the Ohmura Lab, in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, aims to make practical use of various characteristics of clathrate hydrates. Q"The technology closest to commercial use is probably the reaction of natural gas with water to produce natural gas hydrates artificially. R&D; on transporting and storing natural gas in the form of artificial hydrates has been progressing in Japan for nearly twenty years. We think it might take less than a decade for this technology to make its debut in the world." Natural gas hydrates occupy about 3.5 times the volume of LNG, which is widely used as a means of storing and transporting natural gas. But unlike LNG, which requires an ultra-low temperature of -162 degrees to be maintained and controlled, natural gas hydrates only require -20 degrees. This makes them a promising alternative technology for transporting natural gas. In addition, because clathrate hydrates can enclose substances at the molecular level, they're also being considered as a way to store hazardous materials or unstable substances like ozone, which is difficult to store. Q"New crystal structures have been discovered, and we've also discovered new hydrates in our lab. This is a field that still has lots of room for developing even basic technologies. In particular, hydrate research is becoming very vigorous. While we do have rivals worldwide, I've been working in this field for ten years. So, I think our group is capable of doing world-class research." Apart from transporting and storing natural gas, clathrate hydrates are expected to find various other commercial uses. For example, their characteristics could be utilized in CO2 sequestration technology, and in media for highly efficient thermal energy storage, as exemplified by ice thermal storage. The Ohmura Lab will keep moving ahead with its R&D.; The researchers aim to demonstrate the safety of guest substances in clathrate hydrates, and to work out basic principles and systems for clathrate storage technologies.