The passive effect of clay particles on natural gas hydrate kinetic inhibitors

Among deep-sea oil and gas transportation, kinetic inhibitors of gas hydrates are widely added in transportation pipelines to prevent gas hydrates from clogging pipelines. Unfortunately, the micro-and nano-sized clay particles will enter the wellbore to adsorb the practical components of the inhibitors, thereby weakening the inhibitory effect of the inhibitors on hydrates. This work shows that 1:1-type layered silicates can only adsorb inhibitors through the surface, while 2:1-type layered silicates can adsorb inhibitors through both surface and intercalation. The clay particles with adsorbed inhibitors tend to be aggregated and settled because the surface charge density and the potential energy between the particles are reduced. Meanwhile, the inhibitors adsorbed on the surface of the clay lose their inhibitory effect on gas hydrates. Therefore, the suppression effect of layered silicate minerals on inhibitors should be considered in clay-rich oil and gas transportation pipelines.