(11e) Application of Shrinking Core Model Applied for Gas Hydrate-Based CO2 Capture in Presence of Porous Hydrogels

Research Interests:  CO₂ Capture, Gas Hydrate, Process Modelling, Reservoir Simulation, Flow Assurance, Asphaltene Deposition and Precipitation, Enhanced Oil Recovery

Teaching Interests:  Thermodynamics, Transport Phenomena, Chemical Engineering Simulation Software, Heat Transfer, Kinetics and Reactor Design

A salient portion of the global pollutant gases emission is contributed to the carbon dioxide (CO₂) released from industrial sectors. Currently, stiff environmental requirements do not allow industries to proceeds beyond the standard limitations for such a harmful exhaust. Hence, deduction of CO₂ released from industrial processes has been the subject of researches for many years seeking novel, efficient and cost-effective technologies for worldwide applications. Among the various methodologies, the hydrate-based CO₂ capture (HBCC) process is considered as a promising approach to achieve this goal. This process, however, is in its infancy and must be examined through a vast range of experiments and modelling studies prior to being well commercialized. Advancements in both the process intensification and the materials and technology development associated with this method can be found in a few recent reports. While most works focus on the development of new materials to enhance the kinetic of this process, a very small number of studies have been focused on the mechanism of the hydrate-based CO₂ capture process in the presence of porous materials which will lead to design and improvement of new materials for industrial application. In this article, porous hydrogel (HYD) microspheres are investigated for application in CO₂ clathrate hydrates. A new variation of so-called shrinking core model is developed and analyzed for this case study in which the intrinsic hydrate formation rate is combined with transport phenomena to comprehensively capture the role of controlling mechanisms including the diffusivity of the CO₂ gas molecules, the water distribution and conversion rate in various phases of the medium and operational parameters involved. The proposed model allows the prediction and explanation of hydrate formation and CO₂ capture rates in hydrate structure under different pressures and temperatures. The model is tested against experimental data which have been obtained in our research group. A range of sensitivity analysis is carried out to investigate the influence of the extracted parameters.