Fire and ice?

No, this isn’t ice, but hydrates, ice-like crystals that are capable of burning, because they consist largely of natural gas. Hydrates can form when oil, gas and water are being transported in the same pipeline, and they are a serious problem for the petroleum sector. By transforming them into a sort of dry ”snow” instead of slush, SINTEF scientists can prevent hydrates from forming plugs, and they are simply carried along with the oil.