Patent ID: 7261810

Claim:
Method for transporting a flow of fluid hydrocarbons containing wax and/or asphaltenes, through a treatment and transportation system including a pipeline, which comprises introducing a first fluid flow comprising said hydrocarbons into a reactor, where it is mixed with a second fluid flow having a temperature below a crystallization temperature for said wax and/or asphaltenes, and containing particles or crystals acting as nucleating and/or growth cores for said wax and/or asphaltenes, the second fluid flow providing sub-cooling of the hydrocarbon flow to 20-60° C. to cause precipitation of the wax and/or asphaltenes from the first fluid flow, and conveying the effluent flow of hydrocarbons from the reactor to a pipeline for transportation, wherein said second fluid flow is provided from a recycled fluid flow of said effluent flow.