Gas hydrate plug formation in partially-dispersed water–oil systems

Abstract The formation of gas hydrate plugs in deep water oil and gas flowlines poses severe operational and safety hazards. Previous work has established a mechanism able to describe plug formation in oil-continuous systems, which relies on the assumption that all the water remains emulsified in the oil phase. However, light hydrocarbon fluids, including condensates, may not stabilize water-in-oil emulsions, and the current mechanistic model cannot reliably assess the risk of plug formation in this scenario. This study presents a comprehensive set of experiments conducted in a high-pressure sapphire autoclave apparatus using 10 to 70 vol% water in partially-dispersing mineral oil at three fixed rotational speeds: 300, 500 and 900 RPM. Pressure and temperature were monitored continuously in the autoclave, providing direct estimates of hydrate growth rate, alongside measurements of the motor torque required to maintain constant mixing speed. A new conceptual mechanism for plug formation has been developed based on the visual observations made during these experiments, where a small hydrate fraction (2–6 vol%) in the oil phase was observed to disrupt the stratified water–oil interface and help disperse the water into the oil. This disruption was followed by an increase in the hydrate growth rate and particle agglomeration in the oil phase. In the final stages of hydrate growth for systems with low turbulence and high watercut, hydrate particles in the visual autoclave were observed to form a moving bed followed by full dispersion of water and oil, rapid hydrate growth and deposition on the wall. These rapid hydrate growth and deposition mechanisms significantly increased the maximum resistance-to-flow for partially-dispersing systems in comparison with mixtures that are fully dispersed under similar conditions.