LAUSR

Abstract The formation and accumulation of clathrate hydrates in oil/gas pipelines are responsible for flow blockages. How to effectively prevent the blockage of hydrate in the pipeline? Pipeline coating, as a potential new technology, is expected to solve this problem. In the present work, a biomimetic flower like CeO2/pDA@X80 coating was first fabricated using static self-assembly method. The coating exhibited excellent super-hydrophobicity both in air and oil conditions with contact angles of 154.7°, 155.5° and sliding angles of 3°, 2°, respectively. The coating possesses good mechanical stability, which was able to maintain its super-hydrophobicity during 2 h sand abrasion test. The adhesive ability of the CeO2/pDA@X80 coating was satisfied with the requirements of Grade 2, that standing for good adhesion between the coating and substrate. In addition, the hydrate adhesive forces were measured between CeO2/pDA@X80 coating and cyclopentane hydrate by a micromechanical force method. The results suggested that the hydrate adhesion force of CeO2/pDA@X80 coating was about 98.9% below compared with X80. More importantly, the coating can still achieve ultralow hydrate adhesion after 2 h sand abrasion tests. When a liquid water droplet was hanged on the X80 surfaces, the hydrate can be firmly connected with the substrate and failed to be separated, however, the coating can effectively avoid this condition, because the water droplet can easily detach from the superhydrophobic surface. The coating method can provide an alternative choice for preventing hydrate blockages and play a supplementary role in preventing hydrate plugging.