The microscopic morphology and agglomerating characteristics of hydrate particles play an important role in the flow assurance as well as heat transfer in refrigeration systems. The formation process of tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate was studied by using a visual reactor with stirring. The microscopic morphology of THF hydrate could be divided into single crystal type, flat plate type, and agglomerate type and each experimental condition includes these three types. However, there is a large difference in the proportion of the three morphological particles and the average particle size. The larger the initial concentration of the THF solution, the larger the average size of the particles, and the higher the proportion of agglomerate-type particles. An increase in the stirring speed causes breakup of the agglomerate-type particles, and the proportion of the single crystal-type particles increases. Moreover, the agglomeration of hydrate particles is related to the content of THF in the liquid phase. A microscopic model indicated the evolution mechanism of the microscopic morphology in THF hydrate formation and agglomeration process was presented. These research results provide a theoretical basis for the application of hydrate technology in refrigeration systems.

水合物颗粒的微观形态和凝聚特性在制冷系统的流量保证和传热中起着重要作用。通过在搅拌下使用可视反应器研究了四氢呋喃（THF）水合物的形成过程。THF水合物的微观形貌可分为单晶型，平板型和附聚物型，每种实验条件都包括这三种类型。但是，这三种形态颗粒的比例和平均粒径存在很大差异。THF溶液的初始浓度越大，颗粒的平均尺寸越大，并且附聚物型颗粒的比例越高。搅拌速度的增加会导致团聚型颗粒破碎，单晶型颗粒的比例增加。此外，水合物颗粒的团聚与液相中THF的含量有关。微观模型表明了THF水合物形成过程中微观形貌的演化机理，提出了团聚过程。这些研究结果为水合物技术在制冷系统中的应用提供了理论依据。