Continuous production of clathrate hydrates from aqueous and hydrate-forming streams, methods and uses thereof

A method for producing clathrate hydrates in a continuous process, the process comprising:

• lowering the temperature of an aqueous solution stream to a pre-defined temperature range;
• introducing the aqueous solution stream into a hydrator via a first inlet;
• introducing a stream of at least one hydrate-forming compound into the hydrator via a second inlet;
• contacting the hydrate-forming stream and the aqueous stream inside a mixing element of the hydrator to produce an aqueous slurry of clathrate hydrates,
• wherein the hydrator operates at a temperature in the range of from 0° C. to 5° C., at a pressure in the range of from 10 to 40 bar, and at a hydrate-forming stream rate in the range of from 1 to 500 ton/h;
• and
• collecting the aqueous slurry of clathrate hydrates from an outlet of the hydrator;
• wherein the hydrator is an array of static mixing elements comprising
• a stack of plates (11), delimited by two closing plates (12) for compression, and two heat exchange plates (13) intercalated by one network plate (14);
• wherein the closing plates (12) comprises a top closing plate and a bottom closing plate;
• wherein the top closing plate comprises inlets (15) for the hydrate-forming stream and the aqueous solution stream, and one or more inlets for a cooling liquid (16);
• wherein the bottom closing plate comprises outlet (17) for the flow of aqueous slurry of hydrates, and one or more outlets (18) for the flow of the cooling liquid;
• wherein the network plate (14) comprises chambers (21);
• wherein each chamber (21) is being interconnected by at least two prismatic channels (22) to at least two other chambers (21);
• wherein the heat exchange plate (13) comprises a channel for the flow of the cooling liquid;
• wherein the channel of the heat exchange plate (13) and the chambers (21) of the network plate (14) are lined up to transfer heat between said chambers (21) and said channel (22);
• wherein the cooling liquid is flowing in co-current with the hydrate-forming and aqueous streams;
• wherein the cooling fluid flows inside the heat exchange plates (13) to absorb the heat released by the adjacent network plates (14);
• wherein the temperature of the cooling liquid ranges from −5° C. to 0° C.;
• wherein the hydrate-forming compound is selected from a list of molecules with molecular radii less than 9 Å comprising:
• carbon dioxide stream, carbon monoxide stream, hydrogen stream, nitrogen stream, C1-C5 hydrocarbons stream, hydrogen sulphide stream, or mixtures thereof.