Apparatus to directly detect solids formation

An apparatus for directly detecting a solid formation in a fluid under known pressure and temperature conditions, the apparatus comprising:

• a vessel to receive the fluid, the vessel defining an electromagnetic resonant cavity, operating at frequencies up to and including microwave frequencies, with resonant properties sensitive to a presence of a solid phase;
• a heat exchanger and/or a thermoelectric cooler to vary a temperature of the vessel and the fluid therein;
• one or more probes for exciting and monitoring an electromagnetic resonance of the cavity;
• a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor for sensing the pressure and temperature respectively of fluid in the cavity;
• and
• a signal processor operatively connected to said pressure and temperature sensors and said one or more probes to directly detect the solid formation in the fluid within the cavity in response to detected changes to dielectric permittivity (Δε) of the fluid therein;
• wherein changes to the dielectric permittivity of the fluid (Δε) are calculated according to:
• Δε=εmeas−εcalc, (1)
• wherein, for the known temperature and pressure, Scale is a theoretical dielectric permittivity of a bulk fluid, and εmeas is calculated according to:
• εmeas=(fvacuum/fmeas)2 (2)
• wherein, for the known temperature and pressure, fvacuum is the electromagnetic resonance frequency of the cavity under vacuum and fmeas is the electromagnetic resonance frequency of the cavity in the presence of the fluid;
• wherein the electromagnetic resonant cavity is defined by:
• an upper portion and a lower portion of the vessel having a gap defined therebetween, the gap having resonant properties sensitive to the presence of the solid phase, wherein the upper portion or the lower portion is provided with a passage extending therethrough in fluid communication with an inlet to allow ingress of a stream of fluid to the gap and thereby purge the solid formation from the cavity subsequent to the detection of the solid formation.