AUTHOR=Li Xufeng , Meng Zilong 

TITLE=Experimental Study on the Potential of Polymeric Drilling Fluid Additives as Hydrate Anti-Agglomerants by Using Rocking Cell

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Energy Research

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/energy-research/articles/10.3389/fenrg.2022.884578

DOI=10.3389/fenrg.2022.884578

ISSN=2296-598X

ABSTRACT=Low-dose hydrate inhibitors could be effective in controlling gas hydrate plugging at low concentrations (≤2 wt.%). Polymeric additives frequently used in drilling fluid might have anti-agglomerating effect and could be expected to be used as hydrate inhibitors. In this work, fourteen different types polymers were selected and evaluated for their anti-agglomerating performance on gas hydrate by using the high-pressure rocking cell. Hydrate volume percentage, slider moving range and moving velocity were used as parameters to evaluate the anti-agglomerating performance. The polymers were classified into three levels from best to worst, A, B and C, based on the anti-agglomerating performance. Twelve polymers were found in level C and two polymers in level B (AAP and HAPS). The anti-agglomerating effect of HAPS was better than that of AAP at high hydrate volume, with the total slider moving range of 65.46mm at the end of hydrate formation. No class A polymer was found. The hydrogen bonding capability of the hydrophilic groups, the length of the hydrophobic chains and polymer molecules and the antagonism of the different functional groups might affect the anti-agglomerating performance of polymers.