Systematic Study of Nanohybrids of ZnO Nanoparticles toward Enhancement of Gas Hydrate Kinetics and the Application in Energy Storage
Bhavikkumar Mahant, Dhaval Patel, Omkar Singh Kushwaha, Rajnish Kumar
Abstract
The search for efficient storage and transportation systems of natural gas has led to the exploration of gas hydrate-based technologies as a potential solution. The gas hydrate formation and development have a propensity for occurrence under suitable conditions. The enhancement in the hydrate growth kinetics through the usage of surfactants was attributed to the enhanced heat and mass transfer, reactor design, and ability of surfactants to promote the formation of hydrate crystals but limited as a result of the generation of foam during the process of hydrate dissociation. Apart from surfactants, studies emphasized the utilization of selected nanoparticles as additives as a result of the reduced nucleation barrier and improved heat transfer characteristics. To establish the versatility of the observed behavior in the case of reported nanoparticles, there is a requirement to launch a systematic study focusing particularly on the chemical alterations of nanoparticles and their impact on hydrate growth. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the growth kinetics of methane hydrate formation by surfactant-modified nanoparticles as nanohybrids and their synergistic effects. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were produced in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and polyvinylpyrrolidone stabilizers, which are generally known to enhance and reduce the pace of hydrate formation, respectively. The comparative morphological study was conducted to visualize the gas hydrate growth of all of the additive systems. The gas hydrate yield reached its maximum level with minimal foam production when 0.5 wt % ZnO nanohybrids (with SDS) were used, thus surpassing the methane gas hydrate promotion observed with SDS alone. Moreover, for industrial applicability, the selected nanohybrids used for methane gas hydrate formation were further tested with natural gas to investigate the kinetic as well as gas hydrate storage behavior. Additionally, for techno-commercial purposes, the reuse and recovery of ZnO NPs was demonstrated.