Experimental study of methane hydrate formation and agglomeration in waxy oil-in-water emulsions

Lin Wang, Jiaxin Chen, Tingxia Ma, Jiaqiang Jing, Lijun Lei and Junyu Guo

Energy, 2024, vol. 288, issue C

Abstract: In deep-water multiphase flow pipelines, hydrate and wax agglomeration can cause blockages. To clarify the influence of wax and Tween 80 on hydrate formation and agglomeration in water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions, hydrate generation experiments were conducted in a high-pressure reactor, focusing on W/O emulsions both with and without wax and Tween 80. Additionally, the paper further explored the characteristics of hydrate formation and agglomeration in wax-containing W/O emulsions with Tween 80 under various initial pressure conditions. Results indicated that wax presence curtailed the Tween 80's dual role: inhibiting hydrate nucleation and promoting rapid hydrate growth. The interplay of waxes and Tween 80 had a synergistic impact on hydrate formation, elevating the cumulative gas consumption by 0.74 mol and augmenting the water conversion rate by 9 %. This intensifies the likelihood of hydrate blockages. Under higher initial pressures, a notable multi-step pressure decrease occurred during hydrate formation, attributed to a high water cut, wax/Tween 80 presence, and initial pressure. Torque evaluations indicate that wax-Tween 80 interactions diminish particle agglomeration, enhancing hydrate slurry liquidity.

Keywords: Deepwater multiphase flow lines; Flow assurance; Waxy emulsions; Hydrate blockage; Formation and agglomeration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036054422303339X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:288:y:2024:i:c:s036054422303339x

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.129945

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().