Method and device for determining the stability of a water-hydrocarbon emulsion

• Main Authors: YAN FAURE, JEAN-MARIE LETOFFE, PHILIPPE SCHULZ
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 18.09.1998
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; PHYSICS; TESTING

PCT No. PCT/FR98/00373 Sec. 371 Date Mar. 16, 1999 Sec. 102(e) Date Mar. 16, 1999 PCT Filed Feb. 26, 1998 PCT Pub. No. WO98/38488 PCT Pub. Date Sep. 3, 1998The invention concerns a method for determining the temperature stability of a hydrocarbon mixture capable of phase separation by monitoring the weight variations of a gravimetric sensor part of which is immersed in said mixture. The method consists in: a first step of accelerated cooling of said mixture to a predetermined temperature; and a second step during which said mixture is maintained at this temperature, the time-dependent variation curve of said weight enabling the determination of the resulting solid mass and the separation speed of the two phases by determining the slope of this curve, the stability of said mixture being obtained by comparison with hydrocarbon mixtures of which the stability in time at low temperature between 0 and -30 DEG C. has been controlled.