Carboxylic Acids in the Synthesis of Chemicals for Addressing Flow Assurance Challenges in Offshore Petroleum Production

Abstract

Flow assurance encompasses the technical challenges of transporting hydrocarbon mixtures from the reservoir to the platform and refineries. Challenges in flow assurance include gas hydrate plugs, deposition of paraffin wax, asphaltenes, naphthenates, scale, and corrosion. Managing these deposits incurs high costs due to production interruptions and remediation operations like pigging, solvent injection, acid dissolutions, and thermal treatments. Therefore, prevention methods, such as the use of chemicals that inhibit deposit formation, are preferred. This review consolidates scientific works highlighting the role of carboxylic acids in the synthesis of chemicals for addressing flow assurance challenges as starting materials or final products for direct use. These organic compounds are already employed for the mild remediation of scale and naphthenate deposits and inhibiting gas hydrate, paraffin wax, asphaltene, scale deposits, and corrosion. Moreover, they play a crucial role in developing green flow assurance challenges inhibitors, given that some, like fatty acids, amino acids, and aromatic carboxylic acids, can be derived from natural sources. The presence of the carboxylic acid group in polymers and biopolymers is also essential for the effectiveness of these products as inhibitors. The literature further suggests that carboxylic acids will play a key role in the future development of simultaneous gas hydrate, corrosion, and scale inhibitors.