Evaluation of Conditions to Prevent the Formation of Gaseous Hydrates Using Kinetic Inhibitors

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Hydrate formation in the oil and gas industry poses serious operational problems. These problems include clogging of the gas transmission path and its pressure drop. There are several ways to prevent the formation of hydrates, one of which is the use of kinetic inhibitors. These compounds inhibit the growth of hydrate crystals and prevent them from enlarging. The most important of these compounds are polyvinyl caprolactum (PVCAP) and a ternary polymer of vinyl pyrrolidene, vinyl caprolactum and dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (VC-713). In this study, using the energy balance around a hydrate cluster and simplification, a mathematical equation for the rate of hydrate formation is obtained. The resulting equation has two parameters, model nt0 and s, which are determined using the experimental data of Ledhos et al. . In the following, using the values ​​obtained for the above parameters, the conditions for hydrate formation in raw maroon without the presence of inhibitors and also with their presence are predicted. The results show that if PVCAP inhibitors are used in raw maroon, the rate of hydrate formation is about 0.005 gmol / lit, which is 70% lower than in the case without inhibitors. For inhibitor VC-713, the amount of hydrate formed will be zero to 0.004 gmol / lit, which results in a 70 to 100% reduction in hydrate formation compared to conditions without inhibitor. Therefore, the results indicate the proper performance of the VC-713 inhibitor. Also, the effect of temperature and pressure operating parameters on the rate of hydrate formation was investigated and, as expected, increasing temperature and decreasing pressure will reduce the rate of hydrate formation.