Hydrates and Hydrate Inhibition: What are Your Options?

The best way to prevent hydrate formation (and corrosion) is to keep the pipelines, tubing and equipment free of liquid water. The best approach is to dehydrate the gas in the field if possible. There are occasions, rightly or wrongly, when the decision is made to operate a pipeline or process in which the gas is saturated and contains free water. If this decision is made, and the operating temperature is below the hydrate formation temperature (HFT), inhibition of this water is necessary. Many chemicals may be added to free water to inhibit or depress both the hydrate and freezing temperatures. It is important to understand what the various hydrate inhibition options are when selecting an inhibitor or mixture of inhibitors to minimize the operating costs.

The participant will be refreshed with the requirements to form hydrates and gain practical understanding of inhibitors, how they work and the different types that can be utilized. The primary objective of the webinar is to review the various hydrate inhibitor options and discuss the pro’s and cons of each depending upon what the process application is.

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Webinar Objectives

1. Explain how hydrates are formed and the potential problems they may cause

2. List the hydrate former components and their contributions in a gas mixture

3. List options to estimate hydrate formation temperature (HFT)

4. List the options available to prevent hydrate formation

5. Describe pros and cons of hydrate inhibitors and their mechanisms

6. Equilibrium inhibitors (methanol, MEG and DEG)

7. Low Dosage Hydrate Inhibitors (KHI and AA)

8. Describe how to estimate the inhibitor injection rates depending upon hydrate formation depression temperature requirements

What Will Attendees Learn?

1. The hydrate formers and the key factors influencing the hydrate point

2. List different hydrate inhibition methods that can be used in production processing facilities or gathering system applications

3. Describe how different types of inhibitor work

4. Estimate the inhibitor injection rate based on required hydrate formation temperature depression requirements

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is directed towards Supervisors, Team Leaders and Engineers in Engineering and Production that are responsible for facilities or projects dealing with hydrate formation and its inhibition. The webinar will also benefit anyone who wishes to update themselves on how hydrates form, what problems they may cause and options to prevent their formation.

About the Presenter

DR. MAHMOOD MOSHFEGHIAN is a Senior Technical Advisor and Senior Instructor for PetroSkills. He is the author of most Tips of the Month and develops technical software for PetroSkills. He has 40 years' teaching experience in universities as well as for oil and gas industries. Dr. Moshfeghian joined John M. Campbell & Co. in 1990 as a part time consultant and then as full time instructor/consultant in 2005. Dr. Moshfeghian was Professor of Chemical Engineering at Shiraz University.

Dr. Moshfeghian is a senior member of AIChE and has published more than 125 technical papers on thermodynamic properties and process engineering. Dr. Moshfeghian has presented invited papers at international conferences. He is a member of the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Oil, Gas, and Coal Technology. He holds a BS (74), an MS (75) and a PhD (78) in Chemical Engineering, all from Oklahoma State University.