Skip to main content
Log in

Synthesis and application of a novel combined kinetic hydrate inhibitor

  • Published:
Science China Technological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In oil and gas exploration and transportation, low dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHIs) are more favorably utilized to inhibit the formation of hydrates than thermodynamic inhibitors (THs) as a trend. However, there are no industrial products of LDHIs available domestically, and the corresponding application experience is in urgent need. In this paper, a combined hydrate inhibitor (HY-1) was synthesized after a series of reaction condition optimization, and its performance on THF hydrate inhibition was investigated using kinetic hydrate inhibitor evaluation apparatus with 6 cells bathing in air. The results show that when the reaction temperature is 60°C, the reaction time is 6 h, and the monomer: solvent ratio is 1:2, the product has the best kinetic hydrate inhibitor performance on THF hydrate. On these bases, the scale-up production of this combined hydrate inhibitor was carried out. Although the scale-up product (HY-10) performs less effectively on the THF hydrate inhibition than HY-1, it functions better than a commercial product (Inhibex501) during in-house tests. HY-10 was successfully applied to the gas production process. Field trials in northern Shaanxi PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Company (PCOC) show that 2 wt% of HY-10 is effective on natural gas hydrate inhibition. It is found through economic analysis that the use of HY-10 has obvious economical advantage over methanol and Inhibex501.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sloan E D, Koh C A. Clathrate Hydrates of Natural Gases. 3rd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2008. 1–5

    Google Scholar 

  2. Zhu F A, Fan J Z, Liu Y B. The harm and prevention of natural gas hydrate in Jiannan natural gas field (in Chinese). Chem Eng Oil & Gas, 2007, 36(6): 500–502

    Google Scholar 

  3. Sun C Y, Li W Z, Yang X, et al. Progress in research of gas hydrate. Chinese J Chem Eng, 2011, 19(1): 151–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bai Y H, Li Q P, Li X F, et al. The simulation of nature gas production from ocean gas hydrate reservoir by depressurization. Sci China Ser E-Tech Sci, 2008, 51(8): 1272–1282

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Bai Y H, Li Q P. Simulation of gas production from hydrate reservoir by the combination of warm water flooding and depressurization. Sci China Ser E-Tech Sci, 2010, 53(9): 2469–2476

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Chen G J. Science and Technology of Gas Hydrates (in Chinese). Beijing: Chemical Industry Press, 2007. 223–225

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kelland M A. History of the development of low dosage hydrate inhibitors. Energ Fuel, 2006, 20(3): 825–847

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Long J, Lederhos, Sum A, et al. Kinetic inhibitors of natural gas hydrates. Proceedings of the 73rd Annual GPA Convention, New Orleans, LA, March 7–9, 1994. 85

  9. Tang C P, Dai X X, Du J W,et al. Kinetic studies of gas hydrate formation with low-dosage hydrate inhibitors. Sci China Ser B-Chem, 2010, 53(12): 2622–2627

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Sloan E D. US Patent 5639925, 1997

  11. Sefidroodi H, Cheng C P, Kelland M A. THF hydrate crystal growth inhibition with small anionic organic compounds and their synergistic properties with the kinetic hydrate inhibitor poly(N-vinylcaprolactam). Chem Eng Sci, 2011, 66(10): 2050–2056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Zeng H, Wilson L D, Walker V K, et al. Effect of antifreeze proteins on the nucleaton, growth, and the memory effect during tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrate formation. J Am Chem Soc 2006, 128(9): 2844–2850

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Jensen L, Thomsen K, von Solms N. Inhibition of structure I and II gas hydrates using synthetic and biological kinetic inhibitors. Energ Fuel, 2011, 25(1): 17–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Xiao C, Wibisono N, Adidharma H. Dialkylimidazolium halide ionic liquids as dual function inhibitors for methane hydrate. Chem Eng Sci, 2010, 65(10): 3080–3087

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Kim K S, Kang J W, Kang S P. Tuning ionic liquids for hydrate inhibition. Chem Commun, 2011, 47(22): 6341–6343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Li X S, Liu Y J, Zeng Z Y, et al. Equilibrium hydrate formation conditions for the mixtures of methane plus ionic liquids plus water. J Chem Eng Data, 2011, 56(1): 119–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. MacDonald A W R, Petrie M, Wylde J J, et al. Is subcooling the right driving force for testing low-dosage hydrate inhibitors? Proceedings of the SPE Gas Technology Symposium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, May 15–17, 2006, SPE 99388

  18. Talley L D, Mitchell G F. Application of proprietary kinetic hydrate inhibitors in gas flowlines. Proceedings of the 30th Annual Offshore Technology Conference, Houston TX, May 3–6, 1998, OTC 11036

  19. Phillips N J, Grainger M. Development and application of kinetic hydrate inhibitors in the North Sea. In: Proceedings of the Annual Gas Technology Symposium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, March 15–18, 1998, SPE 40030

  20. Fu S B, Cenegy L M, Neff C. A summary of successful field application of a kinetic hydrate inhibitor. Proceedings of the SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, Houston, TX, February 13–16, 2001, SPE 65022

  21. Du J, Fan S S, Lang X M, et al. China Patent (in Chinese), 101692077, 2011

  22. Ayel V, Lottin O, Popa E, et al. Using undercooling to measure the freezing points of aqueous solutions. Int J Therm Sci, 2005, 44(1): 11–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Kelland M A, Iversen J E. Kinetic hydrate inhibition at pressures up to 760 bar in deep water drilling fluids. Energ Fuel, 2010, 24(5): 3003–3013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Sloan E D, Subramanian S, Matthews P N, et al. Quantifying hydrate formation and kinetic inhibition. Ind Eng Chem Res, 1998, 37(8): 3124–3132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Frostman L M, Thieu V, Crosby D L, et al. Low-dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHI): Reducing costs in existing systems and designing for the future. Proceedings of the SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, Houston, TX, February 5–8, 2003, SPE 80269

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to ShuanShi Fan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hu, J., Wang, Y., Lang, X. et al. Synthesis and application of a novel combined kinetic hydrate inhibitor. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 54, 3289–3295 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-011-4583-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-011-4583-x

Keywords

Navigation