Method and device for detecting accumulations of solid material

1. A method of detecting an accumulation of a solid material inside a vessel that contains at least one fluid phase, comprising:

positioning an electric conductor element in a region inside the vessel where the accumulation is likely to occur, the electric resistance of the conductor element being a function of the temperature thereof,

supplying electric power to the conductor element,

repeatedly measuring the resistance of the conductor element, and

comparing the measurements.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein there are two or more conductor elements extending through said region at a given distance from each other and wherein the resistance of each conductor element is measured repeatedly.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of the two or more conductor elements are arranged in a pattern covering a substantial region in which detection is to be performed.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the effect of the electric power is chosen such that the temperature of at least one of the at least two conductor elements is substantially higher than the temperature of the fluid phase in said region of the vessel.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the fluid phase is intermittently being measured by applying substantially lower electric power to the conductor element than during measurement for detection of solid materials accumulation, and wherein the measurement of the temperature of the fluid phase is performed between measurements for detection of accumulations of solid materials.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vessel is supplied with a mixture of oil, water and sand from an oil well, and that said solid particles comprises sand, some of which follows the flow of water and accumulate on the bottom of said vessel by gravitational settling.

7. A device for detecting an accumulation of a solid material in a vessel that contains at least one fluid phase, comprising:

an electric conductor element that is positioned in a region inside the vessel where the accumulation is likely to occur, the electric resistance of the conductor element being a function of the temperature thereof,

means for providing electrical power to the conductor element, and

means for repeatedly measuring the electrical resistance of the conductor element and comparing the measurements.

8. The device according to claim 7 , wherein it comprises two or more conductor elements extending through said region at a given distance from each other and wherein it comprises means for providing each conductor element with electrical power and means for measuring the resistance of each conductor element.

9. The device according to claim 7 , wherein it comprises a plurality of conductor elements that are arranged in a pattern covering a substantial region in which detection is to be performed and means for providing each conductor element with electrical power and means for measuring the resistance of each conductor element.

10. The device according to claim 7 , wherein it comprises a means for measuring the temperature of the fluid phase in or adjacent to said region.

11. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the conductor element is arranged to be in direct contact with the surrounding medium that comprises said fluid phase or the accumulation of solid material.

12. The device according to claim 7 , wherein the vessel is a gravity separator, the fluid phase comprises oil and water from an oil well, and wherein the solid material comprises solid particles, mainly sand.