水合物动力学抑制剂的作用机理研究进展

水合物动力学抑制剂作为低液量抑制剂,其可应用于深水流动保障风险控制水合物冻堵问题,受到国内外研究者的广泛关注。本文重点阐述了动力学抑制剂的可承受最大过冷度和对诱导时间的延长这两个评价指标,同时梳理了动力学抑制剂对水合物生成及分解过程影响的研究成果。总体而言,可承受最大过冷度越大、延长诱导时间程度越强的动力学抑制剂,抑制水合物生成并保障流动安全的可靠性越高;动力学抑制剂对水合物生成与分解过程存在复杂的影响规律。本文将其对气体消耗速率、气体消耗量和形态,分解温度、时间和分解速率,“记忆效应”等影响进行了分析。结合上述研究成果,总结了动力学抑制剂对水合物的影响机理,特别是提出了化学型动力学抑制剂对水合物吸附抑制机理的概念示意图。最后,给出了未来深入开展动力学抑制剂研究的建议。     

An investigation into the laboratory method for the evaluation of the performance of kinetic hydrate inhibitors using superheated gas hydrates

Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are used to prevent gas hydrate formation in gas and oilfield operations. Recently, a new KHI test method was reported in which hydrates are formed and re-melted just above the equilibrium temperature, before the fluids are re-cooled and the performance of the chemical as a KHI is determined. The method, which we have called the superheated hydrate test method, is claimed to be more reliable for KHI ranking in small equipment, giving less scattering in the hold time data due to avoiding the stochastic nature of the first hydrate formation. We have independently investigated this superheated hydrate test method in steel and sapphire autoclave tests using a gas mixture forming Structure II hydrates and a liquid hydrocarbon phase, which was necessary for satisfactory results. Our results indicate that hold times are shorter than using non-superheated hydrate test methods, but they are more reproducible with less scattering. The reduced scattering occurs in isothermal or slow ramping experiments even when the hydrates are melted at more than 10 °C above the equilibrium temperature (T_eq). However, if a rapid cooling method is used, the improved reproducibility is retained when melting hydrate at 2.4 °C above T_eq but lost when warming to 8.4 °C above T_eq. Using the ramping test method, most, but not all the KHIs tested agreed with the same performance ranking obtained using traditional non-superheated hydrate test methods. This may be related to the variation in the dissociation temperature of gas hydrates with different KHIs and different KHI inhibition mechanisms. Results also varied between different size autoclave equipments.     

Reviews of gas hydrate inhibitors in gas-dominant pipelines and application of kinetic hydrate inhibitors in China

During the development and application of natural gas, hydrate plugging the pipelines is a very important issue to solve. Currently, adding thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors (THIs) and kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) in gas-dominated pipelines is a main way to prevent hydrate plugging of flow lines. This paper mainly reviews the efforts to develop THIs and KHIs in the past 20 years, compare the role of various THIs, such as methanol, ethylene glycol and electrolyte, and give the tips in using. The direction of KHIs is toward high efficiency, low toxicity, low pollution and low cost. More than a hundred inhibitors, including polymers, natural products and ionic liquids, have been synthesized in the past decade. Some of them have better performance than the current commercial KHIs. However, there are still few problems, such as the complex synthesis process, high cost and low solubility, impeding the commercialization of these inhibitors. The review also summarized some application of KHIs in China. Research of KHIs in China began late. There are no KHIs used in gas pipelines. Only a few field tests have been carried out. In the end of this paper, the field test of self-developed KHIs by China is summarized, and the guidance is given according to the application results.     

水合物动力学抑制研究现状

着重评述了二类低用量水合物抑制剂,即动力学抑制剂和防聚剂的抑制机理方面的理论研究成果,以及抑制性能方面的实验研究成果。简要介绍了低用量水合物抑制剂的应用状况。根据水合物动力学抑制的研究现状,指出了可作为今后研究重点的5个方面。     

二氧化碳水合物动力学促进剂研究进展

利用水合物法捕获二氧化碳是当今世界的研究热点,但其应用受到了水合物的生成条件苛刻、生成速率缓慢等问题的限制,故需要利用特定促进剂来改善水合物法分离气体的性能。本文从动力学促进剂对二氧化碳水合物生成的影响效果和促进机理两个方面的研究进展进行了分析和介绍：在影响效果方面,主要阐述了不同类型动力学促进剂对水合物生成产生不同的影响以及在高浓度时对水合物生成产生的抑制作用,并分别分析了其原因;在促进机理方面,总结了国内外各学者的研究成果,并指出现有各种关于动力学促进剂促进机理的理论存在的不足。此外,还提出了未来关于二氧化碳水合物动力学促进剂的发展方向：一是着重研究动力学促进剂对水合物生成促进效果与其含有基团的关系;二是目前关于动力学促进剂促进水合物生成机理还没有统一定论,这可能是由于目前的研究主要集中在促进剂对水合物外部形态的改变而未探讨促进剂对水合物内部结构的改变,因此促进剂对水合物内部结构的改变上需进一步研究。     

THF hydrate crystal growth inhibition with small anionic organic compounds and their synergistic properties with the kinetic hydrate inhibitor poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)

Small, cationic tetraalkylammonium ions (particularly for alkyl=butyl or pentyl) are known to inhibit tetrahydrofuran (THF) and natural gas hydrate crystal growth and have been used as synergists for commercial kinetic hydrate inhibitor polymers (KHIs), such as N-vinylcaprolactam polymers, for a number of years. The ability for small, organic anionic molecules to inhibit (THF) hydrate crystal growth and their potential as KHI synergists in blends with poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) have been investigated. Several series of sodium alkyl carboxylates, sulphates and sulphonates were synthesised. It was found that none of these molecules were capable of inhibiting THF hydrate crystal growth as well as the best tetraalkylammonium salts. Alkyl carboxylates appeared to be more effective as inhibitors than the sulphonates or sulphates. The most effective anionic THF hydrate crystal growth inhibitors had butyl or pentyl groups, with alkyl branching at the tail (i.e. iso- rather than n-isomers) being advantageous. Anionic carboxylate molecules, particularly with isopentyl or isobutyl groups, showed some kinetic inhibition synergy with poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) lowering the onset and catastrophic hydrate formation temperatures in high pressure (78 bar) constant cooling experiments with Structure II hydrates by 1–2 °C when dosed at 2500 ppm compared with using 2500 ppm polymer alone. This synergism was however less than the best tetraalkylammonium salts (alkyl=n-butyl or n-pentyl) at the same test conditions. Sodium butyl sulphonate and sodium 4-methylpentanoate did not prevent hydrate agglomeration with 3.6% brine and decane at 25% water cut in stirred sapphire cells when dosed at 20,000 ppm based on the aqueous phase, whereas 10,000–20,000 ppm active material of several commercially available anti-agglomerants gave fine transportable slurries and no hydrate deposits at the same conditions.     

Experimental influence of kinetic inhibitors on methane hydrate particle size distribution during batch crystallization in water

This paper reports an experimental study of methane hydrate crystallization, crystallization and dissociation cycles are performed in an isothermal and isobaric pressurised stirred reactor. Both methane gas consumption and methane hydrate particles population size distribution (PSD) (calculated from turbidimetric measurements) are recorded. The influence of pressure, stirring and two kinetic inhibitors (PVP and FXAP) is quantified. The crucial moment of the additive introduction (dissolved before or injected during crystallization) is particularly focused on. Finally, the bases of a kinetic inhibition model are raised, introducing a dead zone for crystal nucleation and growth.'     

Experimental and density functional theory computational evaluation of poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-butyl methacrylate) kinetic hydrate inhibitors

Natural gas hydrate inhibitor has been serving the oil and gas industry for many years. The development and search for new inhibitors remain the focus of research. In this study, the solution polymerization method was employed to prepare poly(N-vinyl caprolactam-co-butyl methacrylate) (P(VCap-BMA)), as a new kinetic hydrate inhibitor (KHI). The inhibition properties of P(VCap-BMA) were investigated by tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate testing and natural gas hydrate forming and compared with the commercial KHIs. The experiment showed that PVCap performed better than copolymer P(VCap-BMA). However, low doses of methanol or ethylene glycol are compounded with KHIs. The compounding inhibitors show a synergistic inhibitory effect. More interesting is the P(VCap-BMA)-methanol system has a better inhibitory effect than the PVCap-methanol system. 1% P(VCap-BMA) + 5% methanol presented the best inhibiting performance at subcooling 10.3 ℃, the induction time of natural gas hydrate was 445 min. Finally, the interaction between water and several dimeric inhibitors compared by natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses and density functional theory (DFT) indicated that inhibitor molecules were able to form the hydrogen bond with the water molecules, which result in gas hydrate inhibition. These exciting properties make the P(VCap-BMA) compound hydrate inhibitor promising candidates for numerous applications in the petrochemical industry.     

Differences in nucleator adsorption may explain distinct inhibition activities of two gas hydrate kinetic inhibitors

Pipeline blockage by gas hydrate is a serious problem in petroleum industry. Recently, low-dosage inhibitors have been developed. In particular, poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCap) is a stronger inhibitor than poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). In this study, PVCap was also found to have stronger inhibition activity compared to PVP, but it was less effective during reformation of hydrate. To understand the mechanism, the adsorption of PVCap and PVP on silica, a common nucleating agent, was examined using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation factor observation function. The results reveal that PVP forms a loose film on silica whereas PVCap forms a relatively more rigid and compact film. However, most of the PVCap film could be rinsed off. These results help explain the different inhibition activities of PVCap and PVP.     

A short review on natural gas hydrate,kinetic hydrate inhibitors and inhibitor synergists

Gas hydrate-caused pipeline plugging is an industrial nuisance for petroleum flow assurance that calls for technological innovations. Traditional thermodynamic inhibitors such as glycols and inorganic salts suffer from high dosing, environmental unfriendliness, corrosiveness, and economical burden. The development and use of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs), mostly polymeric compounds, with their inhibiting effects on hydrate nucleation and growth are considered an effective and economically viable chemical treatment for hydrate prevention. However, the actual performance of a KHI candidate is dependent on various factors including its chemical structure, molecular weight, spatial configuration, effective concentration, pressure and temperature, evaluation methods, use of other additives, etc. This review provides a short but systematic overview of the fundamentals of natural gas hydrates, the prevailing categories of polymeric kinetic hydrate inhibitors with proposed inhibition mechanisms, and the various synergists studied for boosting the KHI performance. Further research endeavors are in need to unveil the KHI working modes under different conditions. The conjunctive use of KHIs and synergists may facilitate the commercial application of effective KHIs to tackle the hydrate plugging problem in the oil and gas flow assurance practices.     

Proposal and verification of a kinetic mechanism model for NOx removal with hydrazine hydrate

A relatively precise kinetic mechanism of NO_x reduction using N₂H₄·H₂O in a selective non‐catalytic reduction process was proposed and verified by experiment in this study. The dominant radicals and reactions were confirmed, and the proper ranges of key parameters were determined through sensitivity analysis. Both experimental and simulation results show that the effective temperatures exhibit a bimodal distribution with the optimum temperatures being approximately 893 and 1248 K and the lower temperature window falling in the range of 848–973 K. The optimum residence time of the reaction was 0.2–0.35 s under the research conditions, and a longer residence time would lead to the regeneration of NO_x. The normalized stoichiometric ratio (NSR) of 3.0 corresponded to the lowest temperature window, and a higher NSR value would make the temperature window shift to a higher temperature range. This kinetic mechanism model for the N₂H₄·H₂O‐based De‐NO_x process will serve its precise application. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 904–912, 2015     

客体分子数对甲烷水合物导热性能影响的分子动力学模拟

本文通过采用EMD方法Green-Kubo理论计算263.15 K 晶穴占有率0-100% sI甲烷水合物导热系数,研究客体分子数对甲烷水合物导热性能的影响。模拟结果显示,甲烷水合物的低导热性能由主体分子构建的笼型结构决定。而在相同温压条件下,随着客体分子甲烷进入晶胞数目增多,晶穴占有率增大后,密度增大,同时客体分子对声子的散射也增强,二者均导致导热性能增强。     

Inhibitory effects of novel green inhibitors on gas hydrate formation

Natural gas hydrates easily form in pipelines, causing potential safety issues during oil and gas production and transportation. Injecting gas hydrate inhibitors is one of the most effective methods for preventing gas hydrate formation or aggregation. However, some thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors are toxic and harmful to the environment, whereas degradation of kinetic inhibitors is difficult. Therefore, environmentally friendly and easily biodegradable novel green inhibitors have been proposed and investigated. This paper provides a short but systematic review of the inhibitory performance of amino acids, antifreeze proteins, and ionic liquids. For different hydrate formation systems, the influences of the inhibitor type, structure, and concentration on the inhibitory effects are summarized. The mechanism of green inhibitors as kinetic inhibitors is also discussed. The progress described here will facilitate further developments of such green inhibitors for gas hydrate formation.     

Crystal growth inhibition of tetrahydrofuran hydrate with poly(N-vinyl piperidone) and other poly(N-vinyl lactam) homopolymers

Poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) containing the 5-ring lactam and poly(N-vinyl caprolactam) (PVCap) containing the 7-ring lactam are well-known kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs). For the first time we have synthesised and studied the performance of poly(N-vinyl piperidone) (PVPip), containing the 6-ring lactam, as a kinetic hydrate inhibitor. In the first part of the study we have investigated the ability of PVPip to inhibit the growth of tetrahydrofuran SII hydrate crystals. The results are compared to those of PVP and PVCap. Various polymer molecular weights have been investigated at varying subcoolings. PVPip shows an intermediate growth inhibition performance compared to PVP and PVCap at similar polymer molecular weights. In addition, the weight percentage concentration of polymer needed to achieve complete THF hydrate crystal growth inhibition increases as the polymer molecular weight decreases.     

Rheological evaluation of kinetic hydrate inhibitors in NaCl/n‐heptane solutions

The performance of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinylcaprolactam (PVCap) as kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) in the presence of NaCl and n‐heptane was evaluated by using a high‐pressure cell in conjunction with a rotational rheometer. The addition of KHIs was found to prolong the induction time and decrease the hydrate growth. On the other hand, hydrates agglomerated more readily. PVP performed more efficiently than PVCap in delaying nucleation time but PVCap controlled the growth and delayed agglomeration more effectively. Addition of n‐heptane to the system increased induction time and reduced growth. Unexpectedly, addition of KHIs in the presence of n‐heptane decreased nucleation time but controlled growth effectively. Meanwhile, hydrate particles remained dispersed more efficiently and no agglomeration was detected. These observations confirm that high‐pressure rheology is an additional laboratory assessment tool to evaluate KHIs under ocean field conditions. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 2654–2659, 2014     

天然气水合物抑制技术与方法研究进展

针对目前广泛使用的热力学抑制剂用量大、成本高,并且污染环境的缺点,详细总结了国内外动力学抑制剂、防聚剂及离子液体抑制剂的研究现状。此外,结合天然气水合物浆液管道输送技术的发展趋势,阐述了水合物防治动态控制技术,得出该技术在保证油气管道安全运行的同时利用水合物储气密度较高的特点可增大管道输送量,并且该技术最终将取代其他水合物抑制技术的结论。最后,说明了水合物抑制技术的发展方向,并就水合物抑制技术的研究给出了建议。     

Assessment of commercial hydrate inhibitors using the 3‐in‐1 method

Phase equilibria, kinetics, and morphology studies of gas hydrates require separate pieces of equipment and experimentation times in the order of days. Recently, we designed a reactor that allows for tight control of the crystallization temperature. Coupled with a novel method, this reactor can screen the crystal morphology, phase equilibria, and apparent kinetics of gas hydrates. Compared to traditional multi‐trial methods, the main advantage of this method is that only a single experiment, completed in the order of hours, is required to assess: (a) the change in hydrate growth velocity with respect to temperature, (b) the HLV equilibrium temperature at the experimental pressure, and (c) the change in crystal morphology with respect to driving force. Using this 3‐in‐1 method, methane hydrate growth and dissociation was studied in the presence of four commercial inhibitors. Phase equilibria, kinetics, and morphology were obtained for all hydrate systems with inhibitors. The standard uncertainty for the HLV equilibrium temperature was 0.05 K and for pressure 0.005 MPa. The apparent rates of growth were measured for all systems (standard uncertainty was 0.008 mm · s^?1) and the difference between the inhibited systems and the pure system was very clear. Crystal habits varied considerably among inhibitors and radically with respect to the uninhibited system. Overall, we present an innovative technology to assess the morphology, kinetics, and thermodynamics of hydrate forming systems with a single apparatus. Furthermore, with little time investment, small sample sizes can be used to obtain replicates with minimum temperature and pressure uncertainties.     

Cationic starches as gas hydrate kinetic inhibitors

This work investigated the kinetic inhibiting effect of a number of cationic starches in hydrate formation experiments with methane and methane/ethane and methane/propane gas mixtures. The starches were found to exhibit a very weak inhibiting effect except for tapioca starch which increased the induction time (delay of onset of crystallization) by an order of magnitude. The addition of polyethylene oxide (PEO) was found to further enhance the performance of tapioca starch as well as some of the other starches. Finally, the presence of tapioca starch and PEO was found to suppress the memory effect. The results were interpreted based on a mechanism proposed by Zeng et al. [2006a. Effect of antifreeze protein on nucleation, growth and memory of gas hydrates. A.I.Ch.E. Journal 52(9), 3304-3309; 2006b. Effect of antifreeze proteins on the nucleation, growth and the memory during tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrate formation. Journal of the American Chemical Society 128, 2844-2850] whereby the starches interfere with nucleation through interactions with heterogeneous nucleation sites.     

CO2置换CH4水合物中CH4的实验和动力学

在自行设计的反应装置中考察了2.8 MPa和3.25 MPa压力下，温度271.2、273.2和276.0 K时CO2气体置换十二烷基硫酸钠（SDS）体系CH4水合物中CH4的置换过程。实验数据表明，在反应的前50 h，CH4水合物的分解速率较快，其后分解速率变慢。冰点以上CH4水合物的分解速率较快。基于动力学数据，建立了SDS体系置换反应过程中CH4水合物的分解动力学模型和CO2水合物的生成动力学模型。计算得到CH4-CO2置换反应过程中CH4水合物的分解活化能为28.81 kJ·mol-1，CO2水合物的生成活化能为68.40 kJ·mol-1。数据表明，CH4水合物的分解可能受置换反应过程中水分子的重排控制，而CO2水合物的生成可能受CO2气体在水合物中的扩散控制。     

甲烷水合物声子导热及量子修正

采用平衡分子动力学方法模拟了甲烷水合物的导热,给出了30～150 K甲烷水合物的热导率。采用量子修正对分子模拟结果进行处理,可以得到更接近实验值的结果。当模拟温度低于德拜温度时,量子效应对分子模拟结果的影响较大。通过对热流自相关函数拟合得到了声学声子和光学声子的弛豫时间。结果显示,声子弛豫时间随温度增加逐渐减小,声学声子导热在水合物的导热中比重最大。随着碳氧原子之间相互作用力的增加,碳氧原子之间振动的耦合程度增加,甲烷水合物的热导率增加。