DEPOSITION OF CO2 ON THE SEABED IN THE FORM OF HYDRATES .2.

The increasing use of fossil fuels worldwide causes build-up of the at hmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. This paper discusses wh ether permanent deposition of CO2 on the seabed in the form of hydrate s is technically feasible. Hydrates are crystalline material built up of water and one or more hydrate forming components, such as light hyd rocarbons or CO2. Hydrates look much like snow or ice, and at elevated pressures they are formed at temperatures well above the freezing poi nt of water. This paper mainly focuses on the deposition and formation processes of CO2 hydrates, taking the solubility of carbon dioxide in sea water and the stability of the CO2 hydrates formed into account. High pressure experiments on CO2 and sea water in a flow simulator hav e been performed. Special attention has been paid to the stability of the hydrates formed, and the solubility of CO2 in sea water.