• Clean Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.476-480
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• 2013

The growth behavior of $CH_4$ and $SF_6$ mixture gas hydrate has been investigated by a combined approach of Raman spectroscopy and molecular modeling. Raman spectroscopy results presented that when $CH_4$ is used only, $CH_4$ guest molecule is inserted first into the large cavity of the host structure built by $H_2O$ molecules and then into the small cavity to stabilize the whole gas hydrate structure. In the other hand, when $SF_6$ is mixed together, $SF_6$ is favored over (or competing with) $CH_4$ in being inserted into the large cavity and the small cavity still prefers $CH_4$ insertion. The calculations of binding energies clearly supported this. While $SF_6$ has a binding energy of -26.9 kcal/mol a little lower than -24.2 kcal/mol of $CH_4$ in the large cavity, $SF_6$ and $CH_4$ has 1.2 kcal/mol and -22.0 kcal/mol, respectively, in the small cavity. It indicates that the sizable $SF_6$ is not preferred in the small cavity but has a relative energetic advantage over $CH_4$ in the large cavity.