Testing antifreeze protein from the longhorn beetle Rhagium mordax

Low dosage kinetic hydrate inhibitors are employed as alternatives to expensive thermodynamic inhibitors to manage the risk of hydrate formation inside oil and gas pipelines. These chemicals need to be tested at appropriate conditions in the laboratory before deployment in the field. A high pressure micro differential scanning calorimeter HP-mu DSC VII (Setaram Inc.) containing two 50 cc high pressure cells (maximum operating pressure 40 MPa; temperature range -40 to 120 degrees C) was employed to observe methane hydrate formation and decomposition in the presence of hyperactive antifreeze protein from Rhagium mordax (RmAFP) and biodegradable synthetic kinetic inhibitor Luvicap Bio. A systematic capillary dispersion method was used, and this method enhanced the ability to detect the effect of various inhibitors on hydrate formation with small quantities. The presence of RmAFP and Luvicap Bio influence (inhibit) the hydrate formation phenomena significantly. Luvicap Bio (relative strength compared to buffer: 13.3 degrees C) is stronger than RmAFP (9.8 degrees C) as a nucleation inhibitor. However, the presence RmAFP not only delays hydrate nucleation but also reduces the amount of hydrate formed (20%-30%) after nucleation significantly. Unlike RmAFP, Luvicap Bio promoted the amount of hydrate formed after nucleation. The superior hydrate growth inhibition capability and predictable hydrate melting behavior compared to complex, heterogeneous hydrate melting with Luvicap Bio shows that RmAFP can be a potential natural green kinetic inhibitor for hydrate formation in pipelines

Inhibition of Gas Hydrate Nucleation and Growth: Efficacy of an Antifreeze Protein from the Longhorn BeetleRhagium mordax

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are characterized by their ability to protect organisms from subfreezing temperatures by preventing tiny ice crystals in solution from growing as the solution is cooled below its freezing temperature. This inhibition of ice growth is called antifreeze activity, and in particular, certain insect AFPs show very high antifreeze activity. Recent studies have shown AFPs to be promising candidates as green and environmentally benign inhibitors for gas hydrate formation. Here we show that an insect antifreeze protein from the longhorn beetle, Rhagium mordax (RmAFP1), the most potent protein yet found for freezing inhibition, can inhibit methane hydrates as effectively as the synthetic polymeric inhibitor polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). In high pressure rocking cell experiments, onset hydrate nucleation temperatures and growth profiles showed repeatable results. RmAFP1 clearly showed inhibition of hydrates compared to amino acids (l-valine and l-threonine) and the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). This indicates that proteins or amino acids do not generally inhibit hydrate formation. The promising performance of RmAFP1 as a new green kinetic hydrate inhibitor could further the development and increased production of green hydrate inhibitors