CATHY : CAracTerization of Gas HYdrates (CATHY)
Gas hydrates have many practical applications with high industrial and environmental impact. The characterization of these compounds is therefore of great scientific and economic interest and should be developed at the University of Pau and the Pays de l'Adour (UPPA). The CATHY platform is supported by the ISIFoR Carnot Institute and federates the skills of three UPPA laboratories (LFC-R, LaTEP and IPREM-ECP). This platform enables research to be conducted on these compounds, ranging from the most fundamental aspects to practical applications, by understanding the influence of the scale factor on the observed properties.
The techniques and experimental means of gas hydrate characterization implemented at different scales are the following :
- Macro and micro pressure calorimetry (SETARAM BT 2.15 and micro DSC 7 for the determination of thermodynamic properties (enthalpies, specific heat, phase diagrams, etc.);
- RAMAN spectroscopy: HORIBA JOBIN-YVON T64000 spectrometer coupled to a pilot hydrate synthesis reactor for in-situ kinetic and structural analysis;
- Hydrate synthesis pilot plants with gas and ion chromatography for process
engineering and thermodynamics.
The fields of application of this platform are numerous :
- Flow assurance: prevention and study of hydrate deposits that may form in hydrocarbon transport pipelines located offshore and deep offshore;
- Environment: development and study of innovative processes for CO2 capture,
storage and transport of gas in the form of hydrates; - Energy: cold storage and transport, new phase change materials.
