Mechanisms of synergistic inhibition of hydrophilic amino acids with kinetic inhibitors on hydrate formation

The effects of hydrophilic amino acids on hydrate formation are a global hot spot of research, and yet the mechanisms behind such effects need to be further investigated. The mechanism of synergism between hydrophilic amino acids and hydrate kinetic inhibitors has not been clarified. Given the aforementioned, this research analyzes the effects of L-arginine, glycine, and their combination with PVP K90 and VC-713 on the formation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrates, and manages to systematically reveal the relevant mechanisms by integrating various experimental methods. It is shown that L-arginine and glycine can disturb water molecules and reduce their activity, and thus they present both kinetic and thermodynamic inhibition effects. The combinations of 0.5 wt%-5.0 wt% L-arginine and glycine with 0.5 wt%-1.0 wt% kinetic inhibitors are found with synergistic inhibition effects on hydrate formation, and the combination of 4.0 wt% glycine with 1.0 wt% VC-713 is associated with the best synergistic inhibition performance.