Anti-Agglomeration Effects of Biodegradable Surfactants from Natural Sources on Natural Gas Hydrate Formation

Seong-Pil Kang, Dongwon Lee and Jong-Won Lee
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Seong-Pil Kang: Climate Change Research Division, Korea Institute of Energy Research, 152 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34129, Korea
Dongwon Lee: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kongju National University, 1223-24 Cheonan-daero, Cheonan-si, Chungnam 31080, Korea
Jong-Won Lee: Department of Environmental Engineering, Kongju National University, 1223-24 Cheonan-daero, Cheonan-si, Chungnam 31080, Korea

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 5, 1-11

Abstract: Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHI) and anti-agglomerants (AA) rather than thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors (THI) are often used for flow assurance in pipelines. This is because they require much lower dosages than thermodynamic inhibitors. Although the hydrate-phase equilibria are not affected, KHI and AA prevent the formed hydrate crystals from growing to a bulky state causing pipeline blockage. However, these KHIs might have huge environmental impact due to leakages from the pipelines. In this study, two biodegradable AA candidates from natural sources (that is, lecithin and lanolin) are proposed and their performances are evaluated by comparing them with and without a conventional AA (Span 80, sorbitan monooleate). At 30% and 50% water cut, the addition of AA materials was found to enhance the flow characteristics substantially in pipelines and hardly affected the maximum value of the rotational torque, respectively. Considering the cost-effective and environmental advantages of the suggested AA candidates over a conventional AA such as Span 80, the materials are thought to have potential viability for practical operation of oil and gas pipelines. However, additional investigations will be done to clarify the optimum amounts and the action mechanisms of the suggested AAs.

Keywords: gas hydrates; hydrate inhibitors; anti-agglomerants; lecithin; lanolin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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