Fluorine-containing agents for enhancing hydrate inhibitors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113128-B2
Application number	US-201615087237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2016
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to one or more compositions and methods for inhibiting the formation of gas hydrate agglomerates in a fluid using a fluorine-containing agent and an anti-agglomerant. The fluid may be contained, for example, in an oil or gas pipeline or refinery.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for inhibiting gas hydrate agglomeration in a fluid comprising a hydrocarbon and water, the method comprising adding to the fluid an effective amount of a gas hydrate-inhibiting composition, the composition comprising an anti-agglomerant agent and a fluorine-containing agent comprising a fluoroalkyl moiety, the hydrate-inhibiting composition inhibiting gas hydrate agglomeration in the fluid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a perfluoropolyether, a perfluroalkylether, a perfluoropolyalkylether, a partially fluorinated betaine, a partially fluorinated amine oxide, a partially fluorinated non-ionic surfactant, a perfluroalkane, a partially fluorinated polybutylene, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 1 having the structure of:

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 2 having the structure of:

wherein x is an integer from 10 to 60.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 3 having the structure of:

wherein y is an integer from 1 to 275.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 4 having the structure of:

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-agglomerant agent is an oxazolidinium compound; a quaternary ammonium compound with alkyl groups, alkoxylated alkyl groups, and fatty ester groups; tetrapropylene succinic acid-N,N-dibutylamino-N-ethyl ester; a quaternary ammonium compound with alkyl groups having alkoxy, amide, and ester substitution; a quaternary alkyl ammonium compounds; a quaternary ammonium, a quaternary phosphonium, a betaine, an amide, an amino alcohol, an ester, a sulphonium salt, or an amine oxide; an onium compound and amine salt; an amine compound having ether linkages; an alkoxylated diamine; an amine oxide salt; a zwitterionic quaternary ammonium compound; an ammonium or phosphonium alkylated hydrate; an alkylated ammonium, phosphonium, or sulphonium compound; a water-soluble alkoxide-based polymer or copolymer; an amino acid; a nonionic or anionic amphiphilic compound containing a polyol and a substituted or unsubstituted carboxylic acid; a hydroxycarbylamide; an organic amine and organic acid salt; a piperazine derivative; a quaternary ammonium substituted with an alkoxy group; an ion-pair amphiphilic complex; a rhamnolipid biosurfactant; a citric acid ester or citramide derivative; a quaternary amine having an amide group; a quaternary amine having an ester group; an ester quaternary ammonium compound; a reaction product of a polymerized unsaturated oil and an amino alcohol; an alkyl quaternary ammonium or phosphonium having alkoxylation; a quaternary sulphonium, phosphonium, ammonium salt combined with a corrosion inhibitor; an alkyl glycoside; an alkyl aryl sulphonic acid or an alkali metal or ammonium salt; a pyroglutamic acid ester; a tertiary amine salt; a quaternary ammonium polyoxyalkylene ester; a reaction product of a non-halide-containing inorganic acid, organic acid, or organic amine; a quaternary benzylammonium ion; a quaternary alkylammonium ion; a piperazinium amide/ester surfactant; an ammonium amide/ester surfactant; a cyclic ammonium amide/ester surfactant; or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-agglomerant agent is an amide, a quaternary benzylammonium ion, a quaternary alkylammonium ion, piperazinium amide/ester surfactant, an ammonium amide/ester surfactant, a cyclic ammonium amide/ester surfactant, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the anti-agglomerant agent is an amide, an ammonium amide/ester surfactant, a cyclic ammonium amide/ester surfactant, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein an effective amount of the fluorine-containing agent is from about 0.1 to about 2 wt. % based on the total weight of the produced water in the well system.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the effective amount of the fluorine-containing agent is from about 0.5 to about 1.5 wt. %.

12. A method for inhibiting gas hydrate formation in a fluid comprising a hydrocarbon and water, the method comprising adding to the fluid an effective amount of a gas hydrate-inhibiting composition comprising a low dose hydrate inhibitor and a fluorine-containing agent, the gas hydrate-inhibiting composition inhibiting gas hydrate formation in the fluid, wherein the fluorine-containing agent comprises a fluoroalkyl moiety.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a perfluoropolyether, a perfluroalkylether, a perfluoropolyalkylether, a partially fluorinated betaine, a partially fluorinated amine oxide, a partially fluorinated non-ionic surfactant, a perfluroalkane, a partially fluorinated polybutylene, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 1 having the structure of:

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 2 having the structure of:

wherein x is an integer from 10 to 60.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 3 having the structure of:

wherein y is an integer from 1 to 275.

17. The method claim 12 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent is a compound of formula 4 having the structure of:

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent comprises poly(vinylidene fluoride), poly(vinylidene-co-hexafluoro propylene), or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the fluorine-containing agent comprises poly(vinylidene fluoride), poly(vinylidene-co-hexafluoro propylene), or a combination thereof.

Assignees

• Ecolab Usa Inc

Inventors

• Servesko Jeff
• Lucente-Schultz Rebecca Michele

Classifications

• C10L2230/08

  Inhibitors · CPC title

• C10L3/003

  Additives for gaseous fuels · CPC title

• C10L3/107 Primary

  Limiting or prohibiting hydrate formation · CPC title

• C10L2200/0259

  Nitrogen containing compounds · CPC title

• C10L2200/0254

  Oxygen containing compounds · CPC title