A Visual Experimental Study on the Effects of Electrostatic Fields on TBAB Hydrate Formation Thermodynamics, Kinetics, and Morphology in Microchannels

Hydrates, as a clean energy source and a key method for carbon capture and storage, are vital for the advancement of related technologies. Tetrabutylammonium bromide hydrate, with mild phase transition conditions, is widely used in experimental studies. This work employed microfluidic chips with two submillimeter channels of different widths to investigate hydrate formation thermodynamics, kinetics, and morphology. Microscopic observation examined the effects of electrostatic fields of varying strengths on the crystal growth morphology, induction time, growth rate, and melting temperature under identical supercooling. Raman spectroscopy analyzed the microscopic structure. Results show that electrostatic fields significantly alter morphology and type of hydrate, enhance growth rate within certain field intensities, and increase melting temperature. Furthermore, the study identified channel dimensions as one factor influencing the hydrate formation. These findings offer valuable insights for applying electrostatic field methods in hydrate-related technologies.