Kinetic hydrate inhibitors for controlling gas hydrate formation in wet gas systems

1. A method for inhibiting hydrate formation in a fluid comprising water and a gas, the method comprising contacting the fluid with an effective amount of a hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 20 to about 55 wt. % of a nonpolar solvent; from about 1 to about 15 wt. % of a polar solvent; and from about 0.1 to about 50 wt. % of a polymer, an oligomer, a dendrimer, or an acid or salt thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer, oligomer, or dendrimer is a kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer, oligomer, or dendrimer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the fluid is substantially free of a liquid hydrocarbon before contacting the hydrate inhibitor composition.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymer or oligomer comprises repeat units derived from a first monomer, a second monomer, or a combination thereof; the first monomer comprising an acrylamide monomer, acrylate monomer, N-vinyl amide monomer, N-vinyl caprolactam monomer, N-vinyl amine monomer, anhydride monomer, dicarboxylic acid monomer, diester monomer, diol monomer, amine monomer, diamine monomer, dihydroxy acid monomer, dihydroxy ester monomer, hydroxy ester monomer, hydroxy acid monomer, or a combination thereof; and the second monomer comprising methacrylamidopropyltrimethylammonium chloride (MAPTAC), 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylamide, 3-(acryloylamino)propyl]trimethyl ammonium chloride (APTAC), 2-acryloyloxyethyltrim ethyl ammonium chloride (AETAC), 2-methacryloyloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (METAC), diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride (DADMAC), acryloyloxyethyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (AEDBAC), or methacryloyloxyethyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (MEDBAC), or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the polymer or oligomer is a copolymer or cooligomer comprising repeat units derived from N-isopropyl methacrylamide, methacrylamidopropyltrimethylammonium chloride, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylamide, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the polymer or oligomer is a copolymer or cooligomer comprising repeat units derived from isopropyl methacrylamide and methacrylamidopropyltrimethylammonium chloride.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the weight average molecular weight of the polymer is from about 500 Daltons to about 25,000 Daltons.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the nonpolar solvent comprises an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent, an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, a cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon solvent, or a combination thereof, and the polar solvent comprises an alcohol having a molecular weight less than 300 Daltons.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nonpolar solvent comprises heavy aromatic naphtha, toluene, a xylene, a hexane, a diesel, kerosene, a heptane, an octane, iso-octane, or a combination thereof, and the polar solvent comprises 2-ethyl hexanol, n-butanol, t-butanol, pentanol, hexanol, octanol, decanol, dodecanol, tetradecanol, hexadecanol, octadecanol, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the nonpolar solvent comprises heavy aromatic naphtha, and the polar solvent comprises 2-ethyl hexanol.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 30 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of heavy aromatic naphtha; from about 4 to about 15 wt. % of 2-ethyl hexanol; and from about 15 to about 20 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polymer has a weight average molecular weight of from about 500 Daltons to about 25,000 Daltons.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein the effective amount of a hydrate inhibitor composition is from about 0.1 volume % to about 10 volume % based on the total volume of produced water in the fluid comprising gas and water.

14. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 20 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of the nonpolar solvent; from about 2 to about 15 wt. % of the polar solvent; and from about 15 to about 50 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.

15. The method of claim 4 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 20 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of the nonpolar solvent; from about 2 to about 15 wt. % of the polar solvent; and from about 15 to about 50 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.

16. The method of claim 5 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 20 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of the nonpolar solvent; from about 2 to about 15 wt. % of the polar solvent; and from about 15 to about 50 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.

17. The method of claim 6 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 20 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of the nonpolar solvent; from about 2 to about 15 wt. % of the polar solvent; and from about 15 to about 50 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.

18. The method of claim 4 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 30 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of heavy aromatic naphtha; from about 4 to about 15 wt. % of 2-ethyl hexanol; and from about 15 to about 20 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.

19. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 30 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of the nonpolar solvent; from about 4 to about 15 wt. % of the polar solvent; and from about 15 to about 50 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.

20. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hydrate inhibitor composition comprising from about 30 wt. % to about 45 wt. % of the nonpolar solvent; from about 4 to about 15 wt. % of the polar solvent; and from about 15 to about 50 wt. % of the kinetic hydrate inhibiting polymer.