The present disclosure provides a method for separating a feed stream in a distillation tower. The method includes operating a controlled freeze zone section in a distillation tower that separates a feed stream at a temperature and pressure at which the feed stream forms a solid in the controlled freeze zone section, wherein the feed stream includes a first contaminant; maintaining a melt tray assembly in the controlled freeze zone section; introducing the feed stream to the controlled freeze zone section; and accumulating a liquid in the melt tray assembly until the liquid is at a predetermined liquid level in the controlled freeze zone section, by: feeding a second contaminant to the controlled freeze zone section; and adding the second contaminant to the melt tray assembly, wherein the liquid comprises the second contaminant.

The present invention generally relates to methods and hydrate inhibitor compositions for inhibiting the formation of hydrates in a fluid comprising gas and water. More specifically, the method comprises contacting a hydrate inhibitor composition to a fluid. The hydrate inhibitor composition comprises a nonpolar solvent; a polar solvent; and a polymer, an oligomer, a dendrimer, or an acid or salt thereof.

The present invention generally relates to methods and hydrate inhibitor compositions for inhibiting the formation of hydrates in a fluid comprising gas and water. More specifically, the method comprises contacting a hydrate inhibitor composition to a fluid. The hydrate inhibitor composition comprises a nonpolar solvent; a polar solvent; and a polymer, an oligomer, a dendrimer, or an acid or salt thereof.

A system and method for removing acetic acid and other short chain fatty acids described as organic acid from a rich mono-ethylene glycol (“MEG”) solution does so by stripping the organic acid from the rich MEG solution by contacting the solution with a gas, the gas being nitrogen or a fuel gas such as methane; and stripping the organic acid from the gas by contacting the gas with a caustic solution such as a dilute sodium hydroxide solution. The stripping takes place in respective stripping columns. A portion of the gas exiting the gas/organic acid stripping column can be recycled to the MEG/organic acid stripping column to reduce total gas usage. A portion of the waste stream exiting the gas/organic acid stripping column can be recycled back to the gas/organic acid stripping column to reduce the amount of caustic solution used as well as the amount of waste.

The methods apparatuses described herein involve recovering of glycol from an aqueous phase to form a stream of recovered glycol and a glycol recovery system. The aqueous phase is fed to the top of a lower theoretical stage in a distillation column. An overhead vapor stream is drawn from the distillation column overhead of an upper theoretical stage, and a bottom stream comprising a stream of regenerated glycol is drawn from the distillation column via a bottom outlet configured below the lower theoretical stage. The stream of recovered glycol comprises the regenerated glycol. In addition, a first middle theoretical stage is situated within the distillation column gravitationally above the lower theoretical stage and below the upper theoretical stage. A side stream of liquid water is drawn from the bottom of the upper theoretical stage in the distillation column.

Copolymers having General Formula (I):

##STR00001##

in which R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 are chosen from divalent C.sub.4-C.sub.7 aliphatic groups and divalent C.sub.4-C.sub.7 heteroaliphatic groups, optionally substituted with one or more C.sub.1-C.sub.6 aliphatic groups, heteroatoms independently chosen from O, N, and S, or combination thereof, where the divalent C.sub.4-C.sub.7 heteroaliphatic groups of R.sup.1 and R.sup.3 include one or two heteroatoms independently chosen from O, N, and S, and the maximum number of heteroatoms in R.sup.1 or R.sup.3 is two, R.sup.2 is chosen from Q.sup.1 and Q.sup.2, x is a molar fraction range chosen from 0.1 to 0.9, y is a molar fraction range chosen from 0.1 to 0.9, and z is a molar fraction range chosen from 0 to 0.8, where the summation of x, y, and z equals 1. Methods for inhibiting formation of clathrate hydrates include contacting a fluid with at least one copolymer of General Formula (I).

Copolymers having General Formula (I):

##STR00001##

in which R.sup.1 is chosen from divalent C.sub.4-C.sub.7 aliphatic groups and divalent C.sub.4-C.sub.7 heteroaliphatic groups, optionally substituted with one or more C.sub.1-C.sub.6 aliphatic groups, heteroatoms independently chosen from O, N, and S, or combinations thereof, where: the divalent C.sub.4-C.sub.7 heteroaliphatic groups include one or two heteroatoms independently chosen from O, N, and S, and the maximum number of heteroatoms in R.sup.1 is two; x is a molar fraction range chosen from 0.05 to 0.95; and y is a molar fraction range chosen from 0.05 to 0.95, where the summation of x and y equals 1. Methods for inhibiting formation of clathrate hydrates in a fluid capable of forming the clathrate hydrates. The methods include contacting the fluid with at least one copolymer of General Formula (I) under conditions suitable for forming the clathrate hydrates.

The present disclosure provides an experimental loop system for fluidization exploitation of solid-state marine gas hydrate, comprising: four modules, namely a gas hydrate sample large-amount and rapid preparation module, a gas hydrate multi-scale smashing and slurry fidelity transfer module, a gas hydrate slurry pipeline conveying characteristic experiment module, and a data collection and monitoring and safety control module. The gas hydrate experimental loop device provided by the present disclosure may be used for researching the synthesis, decomposition, gas storage rate and phase equilibrium of gas hydrate, and researching the pipeline conveying flow resistance and heat transfer characteristics, and is significant for solving the blockage problem in the gas pipeline conveying process, storage and conveying of the gas hydrate, solid-state fluidization exploitation of the marine gas hydrate and pipeline conveying experimental simulation thereof.

The present techniques are directed to a system and method for generating power and recovering methane from methane hydrates. The system includes a low emissions power plant configured to generate power, wherein an exhaust gas from the low emissions power plant provides a gas mixture including nitrogen and carbon dioxide. The system also includes a methane recovery system configured to recover methane from methane hydrates by injecting the nitrogen and the carbon dioxide from the gas mixture into the methane hydrates.

A low dosage hydrate inhibitor blend and a method of treating a well fluid are provided. The low dosage inhibitor blend, which s used in the method, comprises a first cationic surfactant and a second cationic surfactant. For example, the combination of the first and second cationic surfactants in the low dosage inhibitor blend achieves a synergistic effect on the ability of the inhibitor blend to mitigate problems caused by the formation of gas hydrates in a well fluid.