In-situ measurement of interfacial tension: Further insights into effect of interfacial tension on the kinetics of CO2 hydrate formation

Hydrate-based CO2 capture and sequestration has been viewed as one of the most attractive technologies due to its environmental friendliness and relatively moderate temperature and pressure conditions. In current work, the kinetics of CO2 hydrate formation was investigated at pressures of 2.5–3.5 MPa and temperatures of 274.15–279.15 K and the effect of interfacial tension on CO2 hydrate formation rate was discussed. The interfacial tension between CO2 and aqueous solution during the hydrate formation was in-situ measured via an axisymmetric drop shape analysis method. Under the experimental conditions of this study, the interfacial tension decreased significantly with increasing pressure, while it did not vary obviously with temperature. As to SDS aqueous solutions, the interfacial tension at the gas-liquid interface decreased approximately 12% and 42% when the SDS concentration was 100 ppm and 500 ppm, respectively. In addition, CO2 hydrate formation rate ascended by 59% and 102% when the SDS concentration is 100 ppm and 500 ppm, respectively. Furthermore, a good linear relationship was observed between hydrate formation rate and ratio of driving force to interfacial tension (R2 = 0.9211). This work provides a new idea for rapid estimation of hydrate formation rate.