Multipoint Interfacial Disturbance Driven by Electromagnetic Field for Promoting Methane Hydrate Formation

Abstract

The industrial application of gas hydrate technology has garnered increasing attention. However, the random hydrate nucleation process and low hydrate growth rate limit its practical use. Mechanical stirring is a traditional method for promoting gas–liquid mass transfer and enhancing hydrate formation kinetics; however, only a single stirring point was provided, resulting in nonuniform and uncontrolled disturbance at the gas–liquid interface. In this study, Electromagnetic Actuation (EMA) was employed to apply multipoint magnetic stirring at the gas–liquid interface in hydrate formation for the first time. The effects of the number of stirring points and the rotation frequency of the magnetic field on hydrate formation kinetics were investigated. Compared to 10 stirring points and a rotation frequency of 10 Hz, the interfacial velocity increased by up to 5.65 times, reaching 0.373 m/s at 40 stirring points and a rotation frequency of 40 Hz. Consequently, the induction time was reduced from 257.50 ± 130.81 to 48.75 ± 19.83 min by 81.7%, and the gas storage capacity was increased from 117.38 ± 5.07 to 131.93 ± 8.81 v/v. Moreover, a power–law relationship between induction time and gas–liquid interface velocity was established. The results provide new perspectives about the kinetic enhancement of gas hydrate formation via mechanical methods.