Laboratory testing and field trial of a new kinetic hydrate inhibitor
Gas hydrates, ice-like gas and water clathrate structures, cause substantial operational safety problems by blocking pipelines, valves, etc. in gas transmission, gas processing, and deep water drilling systems. Traditionally, prevention of gas hydrate formation has been accomplished thermodynamically through the use of very large quantities of alcohols, glycols, and occasionally salts. The costs associated with building and maintaining traditional inhibitor delivery/recovery systems can be extremely high. These costs have been the motivation for establishing a number of research programs seeking kinetic gas hydrate inhibitors. Kinetic hydrate inhibitors, in concentrations about 100 times lower than thermodynamic inhibitors, do not permanently prevent hydrates, but delay the onset of significant formation long enough for normal water removal to eliminate the threat. This paper describes the prefield trial testing done as part of the research program at the Colorado School of Mines, and the successful testing of one kinetic inhibitor (ISP{prime}, Gaffix VC-713, a terpolymer of vinyl caprolactam/polyvinyl pyrrolidone/dimethyl-aminomethacrylate) in a 9.4 km transmission line in the southern North Sea Gas Basin.
- OSTI ID:
- 128934
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950501--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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