Progress of hydrate Anti-Agglomerants

Compared with the traditional method of hydrate prevention and control in the field of multiphase gathering and transportation in deep water, the method of adding low-dose hydrate inhibitor has significant advantages. It is favored in academic and industrial fields at home and abroad. Anti-Agglomerant (AA) is one type of the low-dose hydrate inhibitors that can still have good performance under more severe high undercooling conditions, which can ensure that the generated hydrate in multiphase flows can mix with the transport fluid as slurry. In this work, the indexes for evaluating the performance of anti-agglomerants and the key influence factors are summarized. The macro and micro characteristics of hydrate formation and the flow features of hydrate slurry in the presence of anti-agglomerants in the system are reviewed. In general, the performance of AA is affected by its dosage, water cut, mineralization degree and pH of the fluid, the emulsification state and subcooling degree under the application conditions. The more stable and moderate the hydrate formation amount is, the better is the fluidity of the hydrate slurry with AA addition and the lower the risk of hydrate blockage occurring in the multiphase flow with higher reliability of ensuring its flow safety. Based on all the research, the mechanisms of AA are summarized. Finally, suggestions for further research on anti-agglomerants in the future are given.