Infrared Spectroscopy for Monitoring Gas Hydrates in Aqueous Solution

• Main Authors: Dobbs, Gary T., Luzinova, Yuliya, Mizaikoff, Boris, Raichlin, Yosef, Katzir, Abraham
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: gas hydrates; infrared sensors; IR-ATR; evanescent field sensing; fiber optics; ICGH 2008; International Conference on Gas Hydrates 2008
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1259

The presented work describes first principles for monitoring gas hydrate formation and dissociation in solution by evaluating state-responsive IR absorption features of water with fiberoptic evanescent field spectroscopy. In addition, a first order linear functional relationship has been derived according to Lambert Beer’s law, which enables quantification of percentage gas hydrate within the volume of water directly probed via the evanescent field. Moreover, spectroscopic studies evaluating seafloor sediments collected from a gas hydrate site in the Gulf of Mexico revealed minimal spectral interferences from sediment matrix components, thereby establishing evanescent field sensing strategies as a promising perspective for monitoring the dynamics of gas hydrates in oceanic environments.