Process for preventing the formation of a solid phase from hydrocarbons in a fluid

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention aims to propose a more simple and more economical means to prevent the formation of a solid phase in an oil and/or gas effluent, this solid phase can consist of hydrates and/or paraffins and/or asphaltenes.
It has been discovered, that it is possible to prevent the formation of crystals that can appear in a fluid comprising several phases, by subjecting the fluid to a physical disturbance that prevents a well-ordered arrangement of the water molecules from being established in the fluid, that can lead to the formation of crystalline bonds at least partly responsible for the formation of crystals.
It is thus possible to control and to inhibit the formation of crystalline bonds by means of an appropriate selection of the parameters of the physical disturbance in the fluid, of its form and of its emission sequence.
In fact, by sending out a physical disturbance such as a wave having an appropriate frequency, form and/or emission sequence, to a fluid likely to form hydrates, such as a mixture of water and gas, the water molecules are vibrated so as to prevent the formation of hydrogen bonds.
By hindering or by preventing the organization of the water molecules in a crystal lattice that can trap hydrocarbons and form hydrates, the formation of hydrates in a fluid can be prevented.
The present invention relates to a process preventing the formation of a solid phase from hydrocarbons present in a fluid by subjecting the fluid to a physical disturbance so as to induce a disturbance in the fluid in order to vibrate the molecules and to prevent their organization and the formation of crystalline bonds.
The physical disturbance can be provided intermittently in time, in the form of pulses and/or of wave trains.
According to an embodiment of the process, an amplitude-modulated wave can be provided.
The presence of a solid phase in the fluid can be detected and the parameters of the physical disturbance can be determined from these measurements and/or its emissions can be determined and the emission of the physical disturbance can be regulated