ADDITIVE FOR PRESERVING THE FLUIDITY OF FLUIDS CONTAINING GAS HYDRATES

THE PRESENT INVENTION RELATES TO THE USE OF A SPECIFIC GROUP OF ALKOXYLATED AND/OR ACYLATED NON-QUATERNARY NITROGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS AS ANTI-AGGLOMERANTS FOR GAY HYDRATES. THE ANTI-AGGLOMERANTS ARE SURFACE-ACTIVE NON-QUATERNARY NITROGEN-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS WITH 1-5 NITROGEN ATOMS, WHICH COMPOUNDS HAVE AT LEAST ONE HYDROPHOBIC GROUP WITH 6-24 CARBON ATOMS, AND WHERE THE HYDROPHOBIC GROUP IS CONNECTED TO THE REMAINDER OF THE MOLECULE BY AN AMINE MOIETY, AN ETHER MOIETY OR AN AMIDE MOIETY, PROVIDED THAT WHEN THE HYDROPHOBIC GROUP IS CONNECTED BY MEANS OF AN AMIDE MOIETY TO THE REMAINDER OF THE MOLECULE, THE COMPOUNDS MUST CONTAIN A TOTAL OF AT LEAST TWO NITROGEN ATOMS, AND OPTIONALLY CONTAIN 1-12 -CH2CH2O- GROUPS AND/OR 1-6 HYDROXYALKYL GROUPS WITH 3-4 CARBON ATOMS; AND WHICH COMPOUNDS HAVE AT LAST ONE C2-C3 ACYL GROUP AND/OR AT LEAST ONE HYDROXYALKYL GROUP WITH 3-4 CARBON ATOMS; OR A SALT THEREOF. THE INVENTION ALSO RELATES TO A METHOD FOR INHIBITING THE AGGLOMERATION OF GAS HYDRATES IN A CONDUIT, AND COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING THE GAS HYDRATE ANTI-AGGLOMERANT, A CORROSION INHIBITOR AND/OR A PARAFFIN DEPOSITION INHIBITOR.