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Abstract

Large volumes of methanol and glycol are routinely injected into gas transport pipelines to inhibit the formation of gas hydrates. Preliminary studies have indicated that potassium formate could be a more effective thermodynamic gas hydrate inhibitor for use in certain gas transport operations. Potassium lormate is a benign and environmentally-acceptable organic salt which is widely used in the oiffleld industry as a component of drilling and completion fluids. The influence of potassium formate on gas hydrate equilibria has been described in a thermodynamic model which closely fits experimental data generated in a high pressure PVT cell. Economic evaluations suggest that potassium formate is best suited for gas hydrate inhibition applications where inhibitor recovery and regeneration are practised, and where contamination of both the transported hydrocarbon and the local environment must be minimised.

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