In
this study, the effects of salinity on the equilibrium and kinetics
of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane
(HFC134a), and their mixture were evaluated to analyze their potential
applications to hydrate-based desalination. The equilibrium pressure
of the mixture gas (SF6/HFC134a) was lower than that of
pure SF6 gas but higher than that of pure HFC134a gas.
The thermodynamic effects of various concentrations (0, 3.5, 5, and
8 wt %) of NaCl on the gas hydrates were evaluated. Experiments were
performed on the formation kinetics in the presence of NaCl solution
at the same experimental temperature and pressure (274.15 K and 0.70
MPa). The hydrate growth rates decreased with increasing NaCl concentration.
The rates also declined with time, associated with the inhibition
of mass transfer between the gas and the liquid. During hydrate formation,
the vapor compositions of the mixture gas were analyzed by in situ
Raman spectroscopy and the results were consistent with those obtained
by gas chromatography. Furthermore, an in situ Raman spectroscopic
analysis demonstrated that the SF6 and HFC134a molecules
occupy only the large cage (51264) of the structure
II (sII) hydrate during SF6/HFC134a formation and the addition
of salt did not change the structure of the SF6 and HFC134a
hydrates. The hydrate phase behavior and kinetic results of this study
can serve as foundational data for hydrate-based desalination technology
and fluorinated gases separation and recovery processes.