Spectroscopic analysis of gas hydrates: From their natural environment to application as a sustainable energy solution
The natural occurrence of large quantities of gas hydrates in deep oceans, permafrost and plausibly on extraterrestrial planets or comets, lies at the heart of numerous research projects, innovative technologies and developments in fields ranging from physical-chemistry, geosciences and astrophysics to chemical engineering.
Gas hydrates are ice-like systems made when low molecular weight gases combine with water under low temperature and high-pressure conditions. The water molecules form nano-cages that are stabilized by the encapsulation of foreign molecules such as methane, ethane or carbon dioxide. At a fundamental level, their nanostructures confer specific properties to these materials (e.g. metastability, molecular selectivity, heat transport, etc.) and dictate their formation mechanism.
Understanding these molecular interactions requires a combination of advanced experimental and theoretical approaches, in which Raman spectroscopy constitutes a unique chemically sensitive and non-destructive tool.
This presentation by Dr. Arnaud Desmedt, Director, French Hydrates Research Consortium (CNRS-IFREMER), will review recent results from gas hydrates physical chemistry studies and the challenges associated with promising new applications of these materials in the fields of sustainable energy and separative technologies.
Key learning objectives:
- Physical chemistry of gas hydrates
- Using Raman micro-spectroscopy
- Fundamental and industrial challenges of working with gas hydrates
- Carrying out experiments under "extreme" conditions (high pressure / low temperatures)
Who should attend:
- Industrial scientists in the field of energy, batteries, fuel cells, gas technologies, etc.
- Academics in the field of physical-chemistry, chemical engineering, astrophysics, geosciences, etc.
- Spectroscopists