Efficiency of Chemicals to Prevent the Formation and Elimination of Gas Hydrates

Abstract

This work is devoted to the prevention of the formation and/or dissociation of gas hydrates under the influence of inorganic chemicals, such as solutions of salts, oxidizing agents, and hydroxides. The purpose of this research is to create a method for determining the efficiency of reagent solutions. The methodology of the work is based on physical and mathematical simulation of hydrate formation in aqueous solutions of reagents with various concentrations. The simulation is based on the absorption of the water component by the reagent from vapor, liquid, and solid phases. Using mathematical dependences obtained in the course of simulation, we have succeeded in calculating the concentrations and amounts of aqueous solutions of reagents for the prevention and elimination of gas hydrates and the duration of these processes. The dimensionless criterion for the antihydrate efficiency of the reagents has been obtained. Based on mathematical dependencies, graphs have been constructed for express analysis of the decrease in the temperature of hydrate formation on the concentration of aqueous solutions of reagents. The models have been verified by comparing the calculated and experimental parameters. Their discrepancy has been found to be less than 5%. This suggests that the developed model has a sufficient reliability and can be used to prevent and eliminate man-made gas hydrates and to product gas from natural hydrates.