Antiagglomerant Hydrate Inhibitors: The Link between Hydrate-Philic Surfactant Behavior and Inhibition Performance

The application of antiagglomerant hydrate inhibitors (AAs) is becoming more important as advancing technology allows access to petroleum reserves with extreme conditions including high pressures, high temperatures, sour reservoirs, and arctic climates. Application of thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors (THIs) is becoming cumbersome and outdated due to high volumes required, especially in offshore applications. High subcooling scenarios and capital costs preclude the use of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) and THIs. Even though AAs are industrially recognized surfactants, they have not been extensively studied with regard to their surfactant properties as related to performance. In this paper, selected AAs have been examined in terms of their surfactant properties. These findings were then related to hydrate inhibition performance in a crude oil system. It is widely known that AAs perform better with increased salinities and decreased water-cuts. This study provides data that shines light on the plausible reasons for these observations.