Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor Removal via Liquid-Liquid Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) used in hydrocarbon production facilities can degrade or precipitate, leading to sludge formation and fouling in water processing systems, which hampers fluid flow and requires costly and environmentally impactful removal processes.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a treatment chemical immiscible with water, with a high affinity for KHI components, is mixed with the aqueous phase to form a two-phase mixture, where the KHI is extracted into the treatment chemical phase, reducing the KHI concentration in the water phase and allowing for its separation and potential reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If kinetic hydrate inhibitors are added to fluid streams to prevent hydrate formation, then hydrate inhibition is improved, but sludge formation and fouling worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts KHI from the aqueous phase using a treatment chemical that forms a separate phase. The treatment chemical has high affinity for KHI, causing it to partition into the treatment chemical phase, which is then separated. This removes the harmful KHI from the water stream while preserving the benefit of hydrate inhibition during production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter by heating the aqueous phase to a target temperature before mixing with the treatment chemical. This temperature change optimizes the partitioning behavior of KHI between phases and improves the efficiency of KHI removal while minimizing sludge formation.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If KHI concentration in water streams is reduced to prevent fouling, then sludge formation is reduced, but hydrate inhibition effectiveness worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into two distinct phases: an aqueous phase that maintains sufficient KHI concentration for hydrate inhibition, and a treatment chemical phase that selectively removes excess or degraded KHI. This segmentation allows simultaneous achievement of fouling prevention and hydrate inhibition by maintaining appropriate KHI levels in the water phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment chemical acts as an intermediary that selectively binds to and removes KHI from the aqueous phase. It mediates between the need to maintain KHI for hydrate inhibition and the need to remove KHI to prevent fouling, allowing controlled reduction of KHI concentration without compromising hydrate protection.
3Loss of substance
If conventional methods are used to remove KHI from water streams, then KHI removal is achieved, but environmental impact and costs worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers KHI from the treatment chemical phase after separation, allowing it to be reused in the hydrate inhibition process. This recovery approach eliminates the need for continuous KHI disposal, reducing environmental impact and operational costs while maintaining effective KHI removal from water streams.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively reduces sludge formation and deposition, enables the reuse of KHI, and decreases environmental impact and costs associated with hydrate removal and processing.
Implementation Method 1
flowing the water stream through a heat exchanger to heat the water stream to a target temperature
Implementation Method 2
mixing the heated water stream with a treatment chemical to form a two-phase mixture, the treatment chemical having an affinity for the KHI; flowing the two-phase mixture into a separator; and physically separating the two-phase mixture into a first phase and a second phase, the first phase including water and having a second concentration of the KHI less than the first concentration
Implementation Method 3
physically separating the two-phase mixture into a first phase and a second phase, the density of the second phase being less than the density of the first phase
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving a water stream from a hydrocarbon production facility, the water stream having a first concentration of a kinetic hydrate inhibitor (KHI); flowing the water stream through a heat exchanger to heat the water stream to a target temperature; mixing the heated water stream with a treatment chemical to form a two-phase mixture, the treatment chemical having an affinity for the KHI; flowing the two-phase mixture into a separator; and physically separating the two-phase mixture into a first phase and a second phase, the first phase including water and having a second concentration of the KHI less than the first concentration, and the second phase including the KHI and the treatment chemical, the density of the second phase being less than the density of the first phase.