Застосування енергії надвисокочастотного електромагнітного випромінювання для підвищення ефективності процесів підготовки газу в умовах гідратоутворення

The effective operation of modern gas systems requires new approaches to combat hydrate plugs, which limit the flow and cause emergency shutdowns. The object of research is the process of formation and destruction of gas hydrates in industrial pipelines under the influence of microwave radiation. The research is aimed at solving the problem of excessive use of methanol to combat hydrates. This reagent is very toxic and expensive, and its real costs in the fields of Ukraine are often 15–20% higher than the norm due to outdated dosing methods. The results of the work are based on modeling the technological processes of the Machukhske field (Ukraine) in the Aspen HYSYS program. The most dangerous zone of hydrate formation was identified in a 20-meter section immediately after the throttle when the gas temperature drops to –30.11°C. To protect this unit, a new design of a removable insert with a magnetron has been developed, which provides thermodynamic decomposition of crystal hydrates by directly transferring the energy of the microwave field to water molecules in the flow volume. A distinctive feature of the development is the creation of a resonant zone between the choke and the diaphragm, which allows concentrating the field and accelerating the dissociation of hydrates by 1.5–3 times compared to thermal heating. The optimized geometry of the diaphragm provides high wave reflection without a significant increase in the hydrodynamic resistance of the gas flow. The practical value of the work lies in the possibility of integrating the developed design of the ultrahigh-frequency electromagnetic radiation device into low-temperature gas separation units and hydrocarbon collection systems with a complex temperature regime. The introduction of the device allows maintaining a stable hydrate-free mode of pipeline operation, reducing the consumption of chemical reagents and increasing the environmental safety of gas production in Ukrainian fields by minimizing the use of toxic methanol.