Amines useful in inhibiting gas hydrate formation

Abstract

A novel amine is provided with improved water dispersibility which is useful to modify the formation of hydrates in streams containing low-boiling hydrocarbons and water. The amine-has the formula: (RA—O—BT—Q)s—N+(C—C—CN+REkRD)xHv(RB)y(RC)p(RD)zAw wherein RA is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, arylalkyl, arylalkenyl, alkylaryl, and alkenylaryl groups and glycols having from 1 to 24 carbon atoms and optionally contains at least one hetero atom; Q is ethylene, propylene or butylene which may be linear or branched; x is 0 to 4; y and z are each independently 0 to x+1; w is 1 to x+1; v is a number which saturates the nitrogen atom; k and p are independently 0 or 1, with the proviso that k+p is greater than or equal to 1; s is 1, 2 or 3, preferably 1 or 2; T is from 0 to 20; each RE, RB and RC is independently selected from the group consisting of straight and branched chain alkyl groups containing 2 to 6 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted with phenyl, and RE can be further (RA—O—BT—Q); each RD is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and straight and branched chain alkyl groups containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms which may optionally be substituted with phenyl; B is a residual of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide or butylene oxide; and A is an anion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.