天然气水合物抑制剂的制备及抑制性能评价

采用溶液聚合法合成了聚乙烯己内酰胺PVCap及共聚物,利用FT-IR和~1H-NMR表征了它们的结构。将动力学抑制剂PVCap、乙烯基己内酰胺-乙二醇共聚物P(VCL-APEG)、乙烯基己内酰胺一含酯单体共聚物P(VCL-A)、聚乙烯吡咯烷酮PVP分别与甲醇进行复配,通过THF方法,研究不同抑制剂对天然气水合物的抑制性能,探讨了动力学抑制剂添加量、复合抑制剂中甲醇添加量等对抑制性能的影响。实验结果表明,甲醇的加入提高了动力学抑制剂的抑制能力,当1%的PVCap、PVP、P(VCL-APEG)、P(VCL-A)分别与5%甲醇复配时,其诱导时间分别可达887min、639min、420min、3300min。     

天然气水合物抑制剂的分子动力学研究进展

大力开发深海天然气资源是发展清洁能源的一种重要手段,但是天然气水合物的形成会给开采作业带来严重的挑战,水合物动力学抑制剂是一类可以解决深海开采技术问题的高分子化合物。分子动力学(MD)模拟对于研究水合物抑制剂具有很好的理论指导作用,文中综述了近年来利用MD评判抑制剂性能,分析可能发生的抑制方式和机理,研究影响抑制剂效果的因素及开发新型抑制剂的方法,并对今后MD模拟在天然气水合物抑制剂领域的发展方向进行展望。     

用分子动力学模拟水合物储氢

用分子动力学(MD)模拟方法系统研究了结构Ⅰ型(SⅠ)和结构H型(SH)氢气水合物中氢气的占据情况并确定了氢气水合物的稳定结构: SⅠ水合物氢气分子数小胞中为2, 大胞中为3; SH水合物氢气分子数小胞中为2, 中胞中为2, 大胞中为11. 分析了稳定情况下水合物各胞腔内氢气分子之间的径向分布函数(RDF), 得出了氢气分子在各胞腔内的稳定位置. 由稳定位置得到了稳定结构下氢气水合物的储氢质量分数: SⅠ为5.085%, SH为6.467%. 与实验对比得出结论: SH水合物稳定结构下的储氢能力最强.     

天然气水合物抑制剂用高分子研究进展

海底天然气开采过程中,甲烷和水可以形成天然气水合物,阻塞油气管道。本文先简要介绍高分子化合物用于水合物抑制剂的发展过程,从抗冻抑制剂的结构与性能关系,探讨了高分子型的低剂量天然气水合物抑制剂的特性、作用机理和主要影响因素。近年来的研究发现在寒冷地区海洋鱼类和昆虫体内存在一些抗冻蛋白,不仅能够降低水的冰点,而且能抑制天然气水合物的形成,是绿色环保的天然抑制剂,模拟这些具有抗冻性能的蛋白质结构的高分子化合物为今后水合物抑制剂研究提供一个新的发展方向。本文还提出了今后值得开展研究和应用的若干问题。     

过氧化氢水溶液作用下甲烷水合物分解特性的分子动力学模拟研究

采用分子动力学模拟方法研究过氧化氢水(HP)溶液作用下结构I型(SI)甲烷水合物晶体分解特性. 系统分析甲烷水合物在过氧化氢水溶液作用下由晶态向液态转变过程的机理, 对比相同摩尔浓度乙二醇(EG)溶液作用下甲烷水合物分解变化规律, 得出HP与水合物热力学抑制剂EG一样对甲烷水合物分解具有促进作用, 为HP溶液促进甲烷水合物分解实验研究提供参考.     

客体分子所处晶穴结构不同对甲烷水合物稳定性的影响

采用分子动力学方法模拟了SⅠ型甲烷水合物受热分解微观过程,并对水合物分解过程中不同晶穴结构内客体分子对甲烷水合物稳定性的作用进行了研究.通过最终构象、均方位移和势能等性质的变化规律对分别缺失大晶穴和小晶穴中客体分子的2种水合物体系随模拟温度升高稳定性的变化进行了分析.模拟结果显示,随温度的上升,水合物稳定性逐渐下降直至彻底分解;而水合物分解速度与2种晶穴各自部分晶穴占有率相关,不能简单的通过整体晶穴占有率表示.对比相同注热过程中2种水合物体系分解状况,发现位于大晶穴内的客体分子对水合物稳定性影响更大,缺失大晶穴内客体分子的水合物更容易随温度升高而分解.     

南海神狐海域天然气水合物开采数值模拟

实地钻探结果表明我国南海北部神狐海域存在大量天然气水合物,其作为未来我国潜在的可开发能源的调查和资源评价工作正在展开.利用国际上先进的多相多组分沉积物渗流模拟计算软件TOUGH+HYDRATE,以2007年5月国土资源部广州地质调查局在南海北部神狐海域SH2,SH3和SH7站位的钻探、测井数据为基础,建立实际水合物藏分层地质模型,利用不同的开采井设计方式进行单井降压和降压+注热开采模拟.结果表明,开采过程中水合物分解区域主要集中在开采井周边区域、水合物层与含水层界面处以及水合物层顶部靠近上盖层的区域.由于水合物分解吸热,水合物层的温度降低,使得热量从上盖层向水合物层传递,形成地温梯度的逆转,促进水合物层顶部逐渐产生分解界面.降压开采进行到后期开采井周围会形成渗透率很低的"二次水合物",影响开采的进行,所以利用降压+注热开采方法消除"二次水合物",使开采过程顺利进行.     

甲烷水合物分解及自保护效应的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学(MD)方法, 在温度T = 240, 260, 280和300 K的条件下模拟了Ⅰ型甲烷水合物晶体的分解过程. 研究发现,水合物分解后将在相界面上形成一层“准液膜”,准液膜中水分子的结构性质、空间取向和动力学性质均出现由“似晶”到“似液”的渐变过程. 在水合物分解过程中, 准液膜的存在对水分子和甲烷分子的扩散形成传质阻力. 由于甲烷分子必须穿过准液膜才能进入气相, 准液膜的传质阻力抑制了甲烷分子向气相的扩散过程, 致使水合物的分解速率随之降低, 从而产生自保护效应. 当温度低于水的冰点时, 准液膜中水分子的“似晶”程度较高, 准液膜的传质阻力较大, 自保护效应较明显. 当温度高于水的冰点时, 准液膜中水分子的“似液”程度较高, 准液膜的传质阻力显著下降, 水合物的自保护效应明显减弱.     

聚乙烯唑啉作用下甲烷水合物分解的分子动力学模拟

利用分子动力学模拟系统研究了不同质量浓度下(1.25%、2.50%、6.06%)聚乙烯唑啉(PEtO)对甲烷水合物的分解作用. 模拟体系为甲烷水合物2′2′2的超胞和聚合物对接体系. 模拟发现水分子间氢键构架的水合物笼型结构在PEtO的作用下出现扭曲, 最终导致水合物笼型结构完全坍塌. 通过氧原子径向分布函数、均方位移以及扩散系数比较不同浓度PEtO的作用, 证实在一定浓度范围内, PEtO的浓度越高, 其水合物分解作用越强. 此外, PEtO 具有一定的可生物降解性. PEtO 对水合物的作用为: PEtO 吸附在水合物表面, 其中的酰胺基(N―C＝O)与成笼的水分子形成氢键, 破坏邻近的笼形结构, 令水合物分解; PEtO不断分解表面的水合物, 直到水合物笼完全分解.     

热力学抑制剂作用下甲烷水合物分解过程的分子动力学模拟

采用正则系综(NVT)分子动力学方法模拟研究277.0 K、11.45 mol·L-1的热力学抑制剂乙二醇(EG)溶液作用下甲烷水合物分解微观过程. 模拟显示甲烷水合物的分解从甲烷水合物固体表面开始, 逐渐向内部推移, 固态水合物在分解过程中逐渐缩小, 直至消失. 固态水合物的分解从晶格扭曲变形开始, 之后笼形框架结构破裂, 最后形成笼形结构碎片. 同时已经分解的甲烷水合物在外层形成水膜, 包裹里层正在分解的甲烷水合物, 增大里层甲烷水合物分解传质阻力.     

Properties of inhibitors of methane hydrate formation via molecular dynamics simulations

Within the framework of a proposed two-step mechanism for hydrate inhibition, the energy of binding of four inhibitor molecules (PEO, PVP, PVCap, and VIMA) to a hydrate surface is estimated with molecular dynamic simulations. One key feature of this proposed mechanism is that the binding of an inhibitor molecule to the surface of an ensuing hydrate crystal disrupts growth and therein crystallization. It is found through the molecular dynamic simulations that inhibitor molecules that experimentally exhibit better inhibition strength also have higher free energies of binding, an indirect confirmation of our proposed mechanism. Inhibitors increasing in effectiveness, PEO < PVP < PVCap < VIMA, have increasingly negative (exothermic) binding energies of -0.2 < -20.6 < -37.5 < -45.8 kcal/mol and binding free energies of increasing favorability (+0.4 approximately = +0.5 < -9.4 < -15.1 kcal/mol). Furthermore, the effect of an inhibitor molecule on the local liquid water structure under hydrate-forming conditions was examined and correlated to the experimental effectiveness of the inhibitors. Two molecular characteristics that lead to strongly binding inhibitors were found: (1) a charge distribution on the edge of the inhibitor that mimics the charge separation in the water molecules on the surface of the hydrate and (2) the congruence of the size of the inhibitor with respect to the available space at the hydrate-surface binding site. Equipped with this molecular-level understanding of the process of hydrate inhibition via low-dosage kinetic hydrate inhibitors we can design new, more effective inhibitor molecules.     

Kinetic inhibitor of hydrate crystallization

We present the results of a combined theoretical/experimental study into a new class of kinetic inhibitor of gas hydrate formation. The inhibitors are based on quaternary ammonium zwitterions, and were identified from a computational screen. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to characterize the effect of the inhibitor on the interface between a type II hydrate and natural gas. These simulations show that the inhibitor is bifunctional, with the hydrophobic end being compatible with the water structure present at the hydrate interface, while the negatively charged functional group promotes a long ranged water structure that is inconsistent with the hydrate phase; the sulfonate-induced structure was found to propagate strongly over several solvation shells. The compound was subsequently synthesized and used in an experimental study of both THF and ethane hydrate formation, and was shown to have an activity that was comparable with an existing commercial kinetic inhibitor: PVP.     

Intensification of the performance of kinetic inhibitors in the presence of polyethylene oxide and polypropylene oxide for simple gas hydrate formation in a flow mini-loop apparatus

The main objective of the present work is enhancement of the performance of gas hydrate kinetic inhibitors in the presence of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polypropylene oxide (PPO) for simple gas hydrate formation in a flow mini-loop apparatus. PEO and PPO are high molecular weight polymers that are not kinetic inhibitors by their self. For this investigation, a laboratory flow mini-loop apparatus was set up to measure the induction time and rate of gas hydrate formation when a hydrate-forming substance (such as C1, C3, CO₂ and i-C4) is contacted with water containing dissolved inhibitor in presence or absence of PEO or PPO under suitable temperature and pressure conditions. In each experiment, water containing inhibitors blend saturated with pure gas is circulated up to a required pressure. Pressure is maintained at a constant value during experimental runs by means of required gas make-up. The effect of PEO and PPO on induction time and gas consumption during hydrate formation is investigated in the presence or absence of PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone) and l-tyrosine as kinetic inhibitors. Results were shown that the induction time is prolonged in the presence of PEO or PPO compared to the inhibitor only. Inclusion of PPO into a kinetic hydrate inhibitor solution shows a higher enhancement in its inhibiting performance compare to PEO. Thus, the induction time for simple gas hydrate formation in presence of kinetic hydrate inhibitor with PPO is higher, compare to kinetic hydrate inhibitor with PEO.     

Kinetic hydrate inhibitor performance of new copolymer poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-2-vinyl pyridine)s with TBAB

In oil and gas field, the application of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) independently has remained problematic in high subcooling and high water-cut situation. One feasible method to resolve this problem is the combined use of KHIs and some synergists, which would enhance KHIs’ inhibitory effect on both hydrate nucleation and hydrate crystal growth. In this study, a novel kind of KHI copolymer poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-co-2-vinyl pyridine)s (HGs) is used in conjunction with TBAB to show its high performance on hydrate inhibition. The performance of HGs with different monomer ratios in structure II tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate is investigated using kinetic hydrate inhibitor evaluation apparatus by step-cooling method and isothermal cooling method. With the combined gas hydrate inhibitor at the concentration of 1.0 wt%, the induction time of 19 wt% THF solution could be prolonged to 8.5 h at a high subcooling of 6℃. Finally, the mechanism of HGs inhibiting the formation of gas hydrate is proposed.     

Structures of hydrocarbon hydrates during formation with and without inhibitors

The formation of hydrates from a methane-ethane-propane mixture is more complex than with single gases. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-pressure powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), we have investigated the structural properties of natural gas hydrates crystallized in the presence of kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs), two commercial inhibitors and two biological ice inhibitors, or antifreeze proteins (AFPs). NMR analyses indicated that hydrate cage occupancy was at near saturation for controls and most inhibitor types. Some exceptions were found in systems containing a new commercial KHI (HIW85281) and a recombinant plant AFP, suggesting that these two inhibitors could impact the kinetics of cavity formation. NMR analysis confirmed that the hydrate composition varies during crystal growth by kinetic effects. Strikingly, the coexistence of both structures I (sI) and II (sII) were observed in NMR spectra and PXRD profiles. It is suggested that sI phases may form more readily from liquid water. Real time PXRD monitoring showed that sI hydrates were less stable than sII crystals, and there was a conversion to the stable phase over time. Both commercial KHIs and AFPs had an impact on hydrate metastability, but transient sI PXRD intensity profiles indicated significantly different modes of interaction with the various inhibitors and the natural gas hydrate system.     

Impact of Low-Dosage Inhibitors on Clathrate Hydrate Stability

Summary: Development of more capable low-dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHI) is of crucial importance to oil and gas industry. Those efforts have been severely hindered so far by lack of clear understanding of molecular-level mechanisms, both thermodynamic and kinetic, which make certain chemical compounds into efficient inhibitors. An accurate representation of intermolecular potentials between polymeric low dosage inhibitors and hydrate-water-gas surfaces is essential for modelling systems containing these components. A two-stage computational study was undertaken of two proven LDHIs, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinylcaprolactam (PVCap), in aqueous solutions under various conditions. We have first carried out ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations for PVP and PVCap polymers with molecular weight spanning from monomers to polymeric chains. Molecular dynamics were then employed to investigate thermodynamic and kinetic processes that affect hydrate nucleation and growth. Comparison with experiments has also shown that calculated potential is able to mimic the characteristic behaviour of methane hydrate and PVP complexes.     

Effect of antifreeze proteins on the nucleation, growth, and the memory effect during tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrate formation

The inhibition activities of two antifreeze proteins (AFPs) on the formation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) clathrate hydrate have been tested. AFPs from fish (wfAFP) and insect (CfAFP) changed the morphology of growing THF hydrate crystals. Also, both AFPs showed higher activities in inhibiting the formation THF hydrate than a commercial kinetic inhibitor, poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). Strikingly, both AFPs also showed the ability to eliminate the "memory effect" in which the crystallization of hydrate occurs more quickly after the initial formation. This is the first report of molecules that can inhibit the memory effect. Since the homogeneous nucleation temperature for THF hydrate was measured to be 237 K, close to that observed for ice itself, the action of kinetic inhibitors must involve heterogeneous nucleation. On the basis of our results, we postulate a mechanism for heterogeneous nucleation, the memory effect and its elimination by antifreeze proteins.     

The effect of biological and polymeric inhibitors on methane gas hydrate growth kinetics

Kinetic experiments were performed on a methane-water system in the presence of Type-I Antifreeze Proteins (AFPs) in order to elucidate their effectiveness as kinetic hydrate inhibitors, specifically their effect on the hydrate growth period. The results were compared to experiments done with a classical polymeric kinetic hydrate inhibitor, N-vinylpryrrolidone-co-N-vinylcaprolactam [poly(VP/VC)] at the same pressure, temperature and weight percent conditions. As well, a series of experiments was conducted on poly(VP/VC) to examine the effect of concentration on hydrate growth inhibition. Experiments were performed at temperatures between 275.15 and 279.15 K and pressures between 5800 and 7200 kPa. The effect of the polymer on the hydrate growth profile was examined as well as the effect of temperature and pressure on the performance of the polymer and the protein.     

Experimental study of hydrogen sulfide hydrate formation: Induction time in the presence and absence of kinetic inhibitor

In this paper, the effect of adding different concentrations of kinetic inhibitors on the induction time of hydrogen sulfide hydrate formation in a reactor equipped with automatic adjustable temperature controller is studied. A novel method namely “sudden cooling” is used for performing the relevant measurements, in which the induction time of H₂S hydrate in the presence/absence of PVP and L-tyrosine with different concentrations (100, 500, and 1000 ppm) is determined. As a result, PVP with the concentration of 1000 ppm in aqueous solution is detected as a more suitable material for increasing the induction time of H₂S hydrate formation among the investigated kinetic hydrate inhibitors.