Effect of an amide inhibitor on hydrate dissociation in water‐dominated systems: Molecular dynamics and microscopic study

The controlled dissociation of natural gas hydrates (NGHs) poses a significant challenge in gas production from hydrate‐bearing sediments and in mitigating hydrate blockages in petroleum pipelines. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and experimental measurements of hydrate particle interactions are combined to elucidate the effect of cocamidopropyl dimethylamine (CDA) on the dissociation kinetics of methane hydrate and on the interparticle behavior during carbon dioxide hydrate dissociation. The dissociation rate in the CDA system exhibits a nonlinear relationship with concentration. Upon heating, the dissociation rate increases exponentially with temperature, following Arrhenius' law. During depressurization, inhibitor solubility decreases at low pressures, leading to reduced dissociation efficiency. For convenience, CO 2 hydrate was used in the experiments. Microscopic observations confirmed the concentration effect of CDA, but at high concentrations, formation of an interfacial film inhibited dissociation. This study provides microscopic insight into the concentration‐dependent role of CDA in hydrate dissociation under heating and depressurization.