Patent ID: 7414162

Claim:
A method of reducing or inhibiting fouling and deposit formation during hydrocarbon processing comprising the step of administering to a hydrocarbon stream at or upstream of a location where said fouling and/or said deposit formation may occur an effective amount of a first polymerization inhibitor composition comprising one or more water-soluble compounds of the following formula: wherein at least one of R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 is R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from H, C 1 -C 18 alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, —O—R 6 , —S—R 6 , —N—(R 7 )(R 8 ), aryl, and R 5 is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, —O—R 6 , —S—R 6 , —N—(R 7 )(R 8 ), and aryl; Z comprises one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, heterocyclo, —CN, —NO 2 , —O—R 6 , —S—R 6 , and —N(R 7 )(R 8 ); R 6 , R 7 and R 8 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl and heterocyclo; and wherein said composition is water-soluble.