Mass transfer improvement in hydrate formation processes by nanofluids

Natural gas is one of the most fundamental resources of energy in the world, the use of energy is growing constantly so that based on the current forecasts, the consumption of natural gas to the end of year 2030, will be 207 TCF. Gas hydrates are ice-like solid compounds formed by the interaction between gas and water molecules under special operating conditions of low temperature and high pressure. Hydrogen-bonded water cages are formed between gas molecules with water molecules based on VdW intermolecular forces. The hydrate formation and inhibition are applied in some applications, for example, CO2 capture, natural gas storage and transportation, and pipeline blocking prevention. Therefore accelerating the hydrate formation rate is critical. In recent years, growing attention has been paid to nanofluids because of their potential to aid in the improvement of transfer processes like heat and mass transfer. The aim of this chapter is to summarize the literature on the effects of nanofluids on mass transfer in hydrate formation.