ABSTRACT
Natural gas hydrate formation in offshore and onshore pipelines is a major problem in oil and gas production systems. The formation and possible deposition of hydrates usually occur at high pressures and low temperatures when water lattice with cavities trap gas molecules such as methane. Formation of hydrates may give rise to operational problems such as heat exchanger tube blocking, instrumentation plugging or pipeline blocking, and internal corrosion; hence, the conditions suitable for their formation should be avoided whenever possible. Natural gas hydrates potentially lead to serious operational and safety problems.
The author explains the structure and mechanism of gas hydrate formation and the prediction of hydrate formation temperature and provides a summary of various gas hydrate prevention and mitigation technologies used in the upstream and downstream petroleum industry. The chapter discusses hydrate inhibition methods used in the industry, such as chemical injection of hydrate inhibitors, depressurization, dehydration, and mechanical removal. In addition, the prevention of hydrate formation in pipelines and spool pieces during commissioning is also addressed.
