Molecular design and evaluation of hydrate dissociation inhibitors used in cementing slurry based on molecular dynamic simulations

Abstract

For offshore oil and gas drilling and completion operations, the dissociation of hydrate caused by the heat release of cement slurry is an urgent problem in the field of hydrate formation cementing. To address this problem, various low hydration heat cements have been developed, but they might still cause hydrate dissociation. This study provides a new approach to address this challenge: designing a chemical that can be added to cement slurry to inhibit the dissociation of hydrate. We designed a new hydrate dissociation inhibitor with a simple structure, and its synthesis is straightforward. We evaluated the effectiveness of the dissociation inhibitor in delaying hydrate dissociation from multiple perspectives through molecular simulation. By adding hydrate dissociation inhibitors to low heat cement slurry, the problem of hydrate formation cementing is expected to be solved.