Wayne, NJ USA 30 March 2010 – At the Offshore West Africa conference in Accra, Ghana, ISP presented its findings on a new polymeric composite proven to degrade 60% or more within 28 days. The patent-pending technology is a synthesis of vinyl caprolactam (Vcap) polymer and select monomer technology, engineered for use as a biodegradable technology in offshore oil and gas operations. The new polymeric composite may be used to prevent gas hydrates from forming in the flow lines, valves, wellheads and pipelines located in deep water, where high sub cooling conditions often pose a threat to the integrity of oil and gas production systems. The novel technology allows production system engineers to inhibit gas hydrates virtually at par with benchmark Kinetic Gas Hydrate Inhibitors (KHIs) currently in use, such as PVcap polymers, and at the same time, meet biodegradation targets established by regulatory agencies governing the North Sea and other protected bodies of water around the world.

In a paper presented at the conference last week, titled ‘Advances in Kinetic Gas Hydrate Inhibitors,’ Dr. Osama Musa said, that in synthesizing polymers for high sub-cooling performance, ISP created a KHI technology that performs efficiently at low use levels. “Using only 0.3% active of this polymeric composite at a delta temperature of 10.5°C provided more than 2880 minutes of gas hydrate inhibition,” he said. “This very high level of performance demonstrates that oilfield service companies may now switch from PVcap polymers to a high performing biodegradable polymeric composite without altering production operations to accommodate the biodegradability requirements imposed by government agencies,” he added.

Biodegradability profile of Inhibex® BIO 800
Called Inhibex BIO 800, the new kinetic gas hydrate inhibitor is synthesized to biodegrade at a higher rate than technologies based on PVCap polymers. In a test conducted by an independent laboratory, Inhibex BIO 800 biodegraded 76% within 28 days in seawater containing 3.5% salinity. Following the OECD guideline 306 for closed bottle testing, Inhibex BIO 800 was tested alongside a control group containing sodium benzoate.

Biodegradability of Inhibex BIO 800 vs. control


Mechanism of Kinetic Gas Hydrate Inhibitor Technology
Kinetic gas hydrate inhibitors such as Inhibex BIO 800 retard gas hydrate formation by functioning as “anti-nucleates.” Specifically, KHIs work by interacting with crystal growth sites to delay hydrate nucleation. This delay effectively increases the induction time for hydrate formation. Judicious application of KHIs such as Inhibex BIO 800 affords sufficient time for produced fluids or gas to pass beyond the stable hydrate formation zone. For more information about ISP’s new KHI technology, visit ispenergy.com