Hydrate Inhibitors Market - Global Industry Insights, Trends, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2018-2025
Hydrate Inhibitors are used to prevent or reduce gas hydrate formation. Gas Hydrates are formed in offshore production systems under low temperature and high pressure conditions. The hydrates block the pipelines, drill strings, BOP’s, by forming plugs and cause flow assurance issues. Hydrate inhibitors are used where mechanical methods such as insulated flow line and active heating are not feasible options. Request For Sample Copy of this Research Report : https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/555 Subsea equipment such as pipelines, risers, Christmas trees, jumpers and manifolds are exposed to low temperatures at the seabed. For example, North Sea seabed temperatures are 32-40OF which are ideal for hydrate formation. Remediation measures such as pigging, depressurization of pipelines, jetting, solvent addition, heating are expensive and leads to increase in non-productive time. Hence, technical and economic advantages over other inhibition methods have resulted in a booming hydrate inhibitor market. Thermodynamic inhibitors on addition shift the thermodynamic equilibrium and disrupting hydrate formation. Methanol and MEG are most commonly used. MEG can be regenerated and is more cost effective. Methanol though cheaper on volume basis cannot be regenerated and is not environment friendly as well. Low Dosage Hydrate Inhibitors are used when large concentrations of thermodynamic inhibitors are required, making their use uneconomical. They do not disturb thermodynamic equilibrium, instead affect the hydrate growth. Anti-Agglomeration Agents prevent the agglomeration of hydrate crystals by disrupting hydrate growth process and transportable slurry is formed. These inhibitors are typically used below a 50% water cut level. Kinetic Inhibitors prevent nucleation, so the produced fluid is transported further to downstream before hydrate formation. Hydrate Inhibitors Market Outlook North America is the largest market for hydrate inhibitors. This is primarily due to extreme high pressures and 40OF temperature in the Gulf of Mexico which is a large oil producing zone. Wells in Alaska also require the use of hydrate inhibitors. Kaikias deep-water in the Gulf of Mexico is currently in Appraisal Phase and will be commissioned by 2020. Middle East and Africa is also showing a significant growth in hydrate inhibitors market due to the substantial number of hydrate threatened wells. Saudi Arabia controls the world’s largest offshore oil field and Qatar is the largest producer of LNG in the world. The largest gas field in the world is also present in this region.