Shell Oil Comapny

Rene Reijnhart

Ulfert Cornelis Klomp

Vitold R Kruka

Anton Jacobus Weisenborn

A method for inhibiting the plugging of a conduit, the conduit containing a flowing mixture comprising an amount of hydrocarbons having from one to eight carbon atoms and an amount of water wherein the amounts of hydrocarbons and water could form hydrates at conduit temperatures and pressures, the method comprising the steps of:

Method for inhibiting the plugging of conduits by gas hydrates

The plugging of conduits containing a mixture of low-boiling hydrocarbons and water in inhibited by adding to the mixture an effective amount of at least one alkylated compound of the general formula formula ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 each are independently chosen from normal or branched alkyls containing a chain of at least 4 carbon atoms, R.sub.5 is an organic moiety containing a chain of at least 4 atoms, X is S, N--R.sub.4 or P--R.sub.4, R.sub.4 is H or an organic substituent, suitably an alkyl or alkenyl group having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms, and Y-- is an anion.

A method is provided for inhibiting the formation of hydrates in streams containing low-boiling hydrocarbons and water. The method includes adding to the stream a component of the formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, and R.sub.3 are independently chosen from the group consisting of normal and branched alkyls having at least 4 carbon atoms,

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Amsterdam, Netherlands

Rene Reijnhart