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US 6,436,877 B1Granted
Hydrate inhibition
AssigneeBP Exploration Operating Company Limited
InventorsSimon Neil Duncum, Christopher George Osborne, Antony Roland Edwards
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AssigneeBP Exploration Operating Company Limited
InventorsSimon Neil Duncum, Christopher George Osborne, Antony Roland Edwards
Estimating the term…
A method of inhibiting or retarding formation of hydrates from water and a lower alkane, such as methane or ethane, involves adding additives which comprise (i) a corrosion inhibitor and (ii) a salt which is of formula [R1(R2)XR3]+Y−, wherein each of R1, R2 and R3 is bonded directly to X, each of R1 and R2, which may be the same or different is an alkyl group of at least 4 carbons, X is S, NR4 or PR4, wherein each of R3 and R4 which may be the same or different represents hydrogen or an organic group, with the proviso that at least one of R3 and R4 is an organic group of at least 4 carbons, and Y is an anion, the additives being added in an amount effective to inhibit or retard hydrate formation, to a medium susceptible to hydrate formation.
A composition for inhibiting or retarding hydrate formation comprising an effective inhibiting or retarding amount of (a) a corrosion inhibitor and (b) a salt which is of formula [R1(R2)XR3]+Y−, wherein each of R1, R2 and R3 is bonded directly to X, each of R1 and R2, which may be the same of different, is an alkyl group of at least 4 carbons, X is S, NR4 or PR4, wherein each of R3and R4, which may be the same or different, represents hydrogen or an organic group, with the proviso that at least one of R3 and R4 is an organic group of at least 4 carbons, and Y is an anion wherein the corrosion inhibitors of component (a) are different from the components described in (b).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.