Importance

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Abstract

Method and apparatus for assisting the flow of production fluid from a hydrocarbon well to a remote location in conditions in which gelling or solidification is a problem. The method involves adding dilution fluid (60) such as water, to production fluid from a wellhead (4) in a first sub-system (8) close to the wellhead (4), conveying the mixture to a second sub-system (14) where the dilution fluid (60) is separated from the mixture in a separator chamber (38) as a consequence of their different specific gravities, recirculating the separated dilution fluid back to the first sub-system (8) and adding it to further production fluid from the wellhead (4). The requirements for pipeline heating, chemical injection and conveying large volumes of dilution fluid to a host facility can be avoided by the invention.

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First Claim