Inhibition Performance of Cocamidopropyl Betaine on Hydrate Formation and Agglomeration and Its Synergistic Effect with Pectin

The formation and aggregation of natural gas hydrates during subsea oil and gas mixed transportation can easily cause pipeline blockages, posing a serious threat to the system’s safety and stability. This study employed a high-pressure sapphire reactor to systematically investigate the effects of inhibitor concentration, water content, and shear rate on hydrate formation and aggregation in water-in-oil systems containing single antiagglomerants (AAs) and combined inhibitors. The results indicated that higher water content, inhibitor concentration, and shear rate shorten the induction time and increase gas consumption but simultaneously exacerbate particle aggregation. AAs can significantly inhibit aggregation and form uniform small particles, shortening the induction time and improving the system’s fluidity; combined inhibitors further extend the induction period, but due to competitive adsorption weakening the dispersion ability of AAs, particles tend to aggregate into clumps under high inhibitor concentration and high water content conditions while maintaining good inhibitory performance under low inhibitor concentration and low water content conditions. This study innovatively proposes research on the flow characteristics of coconut oil amide propyl betaine hydrate slurry and the competitive adsorption mechanism in composite systems, providing experimental support and a theoretical basis for optimizing the ratio of hydrate inhibitors.