Statoil Asa

Leif Aaberge

Keijo J Kinnari

Catherine Labes-Carrier

Knud Lunde

The present invention provides a method of inhibiting formation of solid hydrates in a conduit used to contain a flowing, water-containing hydrocarbon, which method comprises introducing into said hydrocarbon in said conduit a gas which raises the pressure threshold for hydrate formation for said water-containing hydrocarbon, said gas being introduced in a manner which causes it to travel along at least part of said conduit in the direction of hydrocarbon flow.

Method of inhibiting hydrate formation

A method of protecting a hydrocarbon conduit during a period of reduced hydrocarbon flow is disclosed, where nitrogen is introduced into the conduit at a pressure of 1 to 350 bar g and at a rate of (1.5 to 35)A kg/sec (where A is the internal cross sectional area of the conduit in square meters) for a period of t hours where t=(p&#xd7;d)/n where d is the length in km of the conduit from the nitrogen introduction location and n is 10 to 400.

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Stavanger, Norway

Leif Aaberge