Hydrolysis losses in the hydrate desalination process: rate measurements and economic analysis

Hydrolysis of the agents used in the hydrate process for desalination is an irreversible reaction and represents an economic loss chargeable to the cost of the water produced. Rates of this reaction have been measured for the agents CH₂ClF-(F-31), CHCl₂F(F-21), CH₃CClF₂(F-142b), and CH₃Br. Rates for CH₃Cl and CCl₂F₂(F-12) have been found in the literature. An economic analysis of hydrolysis losses for all six agents has been made with the following results: F-21, F-31, F-142b and F-12 are all suitable for use in the hydrate process from the standpoint of hydrolysis; CH₃Br hydrolyses much too rapidly to be economical; CH₃Cl requires additional study with metal catalysts before being certified as useful.