Institut Francais Du Pe'trole

Universite Claude Bernard – Lyon1

Jacques Jose

Emmanuel Behar

Michel Robin

Honggang Zhou

Marc Durandeau

David Vellut

Daniel Broseta

Veronique Pauchon

Ilham Mokbel

The invention concerns a method whereby a fluid sample is brought ( ) at constant pressure Pe and temperature maintaining the heavy fractions, in particular asphaltenes, in dissolved state and/or in stable colloidal state, at the intake ( ) of a capillary passage with high pressure drop. Said sample is forced to flow through the capillary conduit, at an increasing flow rate. The method consists in measuring ( ) the fluid pressure Ps and the fluid flow rate D ( ) at the outlet ( ) of the capillary conduit and in representing the variation curve of the quantity &Dgr;P&equals;Pe&minus;Ps or the quantity D as a function of the other quantity or as a function of time. The deposit pressure, characteristic of the threshold of deposit of heavy fractions, is defined as the value of pressure Ps, which corresponds to a change of the slope in the variation curve of the quantity &Dgr;P or the quantity D.

Method and device for determining the threshold of heavy fraction deposit contained in a liquid hydrocarbon fluid

An ebulliometric device measures with high precision a physical parameter of a liquid substance. It includes an ebulliometer having an elongate vessel into which a liquid substance is fed, a sensor for measuring the boiling-point temperature arranged in the upper part of the vessel, a pump allowing to spray substance in the form of liquid and vapor in the upper part of the vessel, and an assembly external to the vessel for condensing the vapor allowing to recycle the condensed vapor to the base of the vessel and at least one thermostat-controlled enclosure. The device also includes a first finger tube extending in the elongate vessel from an upper part of the same for protecting the sensor, an element in close contact with the first finger tube for increasing a time of contact of liquid and vapor with the finger tube, a second tube delimiting a containment space around the first tube and the element, this space communicating with the pump through a duct, and gas injecting means at an lower part of the elongate vessel for controlling the boiling temperature.

Ebulliometric device for measuring with high precision a physical parameter of liquid substances

A system for measuring the solubility of various solid organic compounds in supercritical fluids such as methane or carbon dioxide for example, and for studying the equilibrium between the solid phase and the supercritical phase in a wide pressure and temperature range is disclosed. The system comprises four functional units E1, E2, E3, E4. Unit E1 delivers a supercritical fluid (methane, CO.sub.2, etc.), unit E2 comprises a sampling cell containing the compound to be solubilized, where the pressurized gas from unit E1 saturates on contact therewith, unit E3 is intended for sampling and bringing the sample into solution, and unit E4 is intended to receive the saturated fluid and to analyze it. The system allows dynamic solubilization to be performed with on-line or off-line analysis of the sample. The system can be applied for production of very pure compounds isolated from mixtures of heavy hydrocarbons for example or from alloys, or in the agribusiness for isolation of flavors.

System for measuring the solubility of solid compounds in supercritical

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Villette de Vienne, France

Jacques Jose