Phase Behavior, Kinetics, and Energy Efficiency with Recycling of HFC-152a-Based Clathrate Hydrate Desalination for Synthetic Produced Water

Abstract

Clathrate hydrate desalination (CHD) is an emerging technology that generates hydrate crystals to separate salts from saline water, producing fresh water. This study explores the potential of CHD using HFC-152a as the hydrate former with synthetic produced water (SPW) containing 11.94 wt % salts. Phase equilibrium and kinetic analyses revealed that salts act as inhibitors, shifting hydrate formation to higher pressures and lower temperatures while prolonging induction times and reducing gas uptake. Energy analysis showed that total energy consumption (TEC) was primarily driven by HFC-152a compression and refrigeration, with a specific energy consumption (SEC) of 104.77 kWh/m³ at a 40% water recovery rate. Implementing HFC-152a recycling reduced TEC to 42.86 kW and SEC to 79.34 kWh/m³. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the process stability across salinities. These findings highlight CHD as a promising, energy-efficient desalination alternative. Future research should focus on optimizing parameters and addressing scaling challenges for large-scale applications.