Method for inhibiting hydrate formation
US6194622A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 11, 1999 |
| Grant date | Feb 27, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 11, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S585/95
- WIPO fieldOrganic fine chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method for inhibiting the formation of gas hydrates in a petroleum fluid having hydrate-forming constituents is claimed. More specifically, the method can be used to treat a petroleum fluid, such as natural gas conveyed in a pipe, to inhibit the formation of a hydrate flow restriction in the pipe. The hydrate inhibitors used for practicing the method comprise substantially water soluble homopolymers and copolymers of surfactant monomers, wherein the surfactant monomer unit may be represented by the formula: ##STR1## where R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 independently are hydrogen or a methyl group, M is a metal cation, n is a number sufficient to produce a number average molecular weight between 1000 and 6,000,000, and o is a number from 1 to 5.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.