Inhibition of gas hydrate formation, useful in transport in petroleum and natural gas industry and in drilling mud, uses copolymer with vinyl alcohol, olefinic comonomer and optionally vinyl or allyl ester units

摘要

Use of 0.01-2 wt.% copolymers (I) as gas hydrate inhibitor is claimed, in which (I) have a number average molecular weight Mn of 1000-1000000 g/mole and consist of (a) 1-99 mole-% vinyl alcohol units, (b) 0-99 mole-% vinyl or allyl ester units and (c) 1-99 mole-% units derived from olefinically unsaturated, 2-18 carbon (C) compounds, which may contain 1-100 alkoxy groups and/or nitrogen (N) or sulfur (S) atoms. Use of 0.01-2 wt.% copolymers (I) as gas hydrate inhibitor is claimed, in which (I) have a number average molecular weight Mn of 1000-1000000 g/mole and consist of (a) 1-99 mole-% vinyl alcohol units of formula (1), (b) 0-99 mole-% vinyl or allyl ester units of formula (2) and (c) 1-99 mole-% units derived from olefinically unsaturated, 2-18 carbon (C) compounds, which may contain 1-100 alkoxy groups and/or nitrogen (N) or sulfur (S) atoms: R1 = 1-6 C alkyl; R2 = H or methyl . Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) Gas hydrate inhibitor containing (I); (2) Inhibition of gas hydrate formation by adding (I) to an aqueous phase in contact with a gaseous, liquid or solid organic phase.