Patent ID: 7893009

Claim:
A process for inhibiting gas hydrate formation in an aqueous phase which is in contact with a gaseous, liquid or solid organic phase, said process comprising adding to the aqueous phase from 0.01 to 2% by weight a polymer having a number-average molecular weight of from 500 to 500 000 g/mol, obtained by a) reacting a compound of formula 1 in which n is 0, 1 or 2 and A is an optionally substituted C 1 -C 40 radical with a compound of formula 2 B(OH) m (2) in which m is from 2 to 10 and B is an optionally substituted C 2 -C 40 radical to provide a polyester, and b) subsequently reacting the product thus obtained with a nitrogen-containing carboxylic acid which comprises from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, where the molar ratio between the number of free OH groups of the polyester obtained in step a and the nitrogen-containing carboxylic acid is between 1:0.1 and 1:1.