Exacerbation of Hydrate Agglomeration in the Presence of Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor under High pH Conditions

The performance of Luvicap EG was investigated to verify the efficacy of mixing kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) and monoethylene glycol (MEG) while varying the pH conditions in an aqueous phase. The relative torque changes were relatively stable in an early stage of hydrate formation; however, they started to increase and showed fluctuation when the hydrate fraction was larger than the transition value. Interestingly, the transition value was smaller for the base solution, suggesting that the efficacy of Luvicap deteriorated at high pH conditions. MEG was added to the Luvicap solution to confirm its synergistic effect at low and high pH conditions. The addition of MEG effectively slowed down the growth rate and the relative torques for the acid and the neutral solutions. However, for the base solution, dramatic changes in the growth rate were observed, followed by a severe fluctuation …