Hydrate Inhibitors, Low Dose

Hydrate formation in oil and gas operations has been a multi-billion dollar problem for many years. Traditional thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors such as methanol and ethylene glycol have been utilized to prevent hydrate formation, but more challenging production conditions such as deepwater pipelines and subsea tie-backs have required new hydrate inhibitor technology to be developed. Nalco has been a pioneer in the development of Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors since the mid-1990s starting with the introduction of its first Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors in 1998. Since their debut in deepwater production, operators have used Nalco Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors products in more than 100 projects worldwide.Nalco’s Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors offer dramatic advantages over their traditional counterparts, methanol and ethylene glycol in operation costs, safety and well life. Unlike commodity inhibitors, typical dose rates of Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors are one to two percent based on water production. One of the major advantages of Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors is that they substantially reduce hydrate inhibitor chemical consumption. Lower dose rates also equate to fewer deliveries and smaller pump and storage requirements offshore, which can lead to millions of dollars in savings each year.Nalco’s Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors products have a substantially improved environmental profile when compared to methanol or glycols. While methanol and ethylene glycol are toxic, difficult to handle and store offshore and are potentially hazardous, using Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitors products virtually eliminates those concerns for operators. These products also extend well life because they can be applied beyond the treatment range for traditional commodity chemicals. Methanol and ethylene glycol reach their maximum pumping capacity down umbilicals when water cuts reach 20-30 percent, but Low Dose Hydrate Inhibitor products can increase well life by working up to 50-60 percent and beyond, depending on the Nalco chemistry used.