Prospects of Using Gas Hydrates in Power Plants

Abstract

By adding water to fuels, several objectives are pursued, with the main ones being to stabilize combustion, minimize the anthropogenic gaseous emissions, homogenize and stabilize the fuel, as well as improve its fire and explosion safety. Water can be injected into the furnace as droplets or vapor and introduced as part of fuel samples. Water often serves as a coupling or carrier medium for the delivery of the main fuel components. In this paper, we compare the combustion behaviors of high-potential slurry fuels and gas hydrates. We also analyze the contribution of in slurries and gas hydrates to the combustion process. The values of relative combustion efficiency indicators are determined for gas hydrates and slurry fuels. The conditions are identified in which these fuels can be burned effectively in power plants. The research findings can be used to rationalize the alternative ways of using water resources, i.e., gas hydrate powder and promising composite fuel droplets. The results can also help predict the conditions for the shortest possible ignition delay, as well as effective combustion of gas hydrates as the most environmentally friendly new-generation alternative fuel.

Keywords

• methane–propane hydrate
• gas hydrate combustion
• gas hydrate dissociation
• gas emission
• coal–water slurry
• coal slime