# US 10,119,929 B2 · Method for identifying and measuring volume fraction constituents of a fluid > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,119,929 B2 - Document ID: US10119929B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/173,317 - Filed: 2016-06-03 - Published: 2017-12-07 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-06-03 - Assignees: Mohr and Associates - Applicants: Mohr and Associates - Inventors: Charles L. Mohr; Brandt C. Mohr; Benno Mohr; Michael Stordahl; James Van Corbach; Erik Von Reis; Christopher Mulkey; Ryan Sams; David Hurley; Gordon Anderson; Daniel Kenney; William Rausch; Edgar Gilbert - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119929B2 ## CPC - G01N 27/221: {by investigating the dielectric properties (using microwaves G01N22/00; measuring loss factors or dielectric constants per se G01R27/26)} - E21B 47/10: Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements - E21B 49/08: Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells - G01F 1/74: Devices for measuring flow of a fluid or flow of a fluent solid material in suspension in another fluid - G01N 27/026: {Dielectric impedance spectroscopy (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for measuring corrosion G01N17/02)} - G01N 33/24: Earth materials (G01N33/42 takes precedence) - G01N 33/2823: {Raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures} - G01R 23/16: Spectrum analysis; Fourier analysis - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract A method for identifying and measuring volume fraction constituents of a fluid using time domain analysis and frequency domain analysis to identify individual volume fraction constituents within a pipe on a real time basis and to measure the volume of the individual volume fraction constituents flowing through the pipe on a real time basis. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for identifying and measuring volume fraction constituents of a fluid, comprising: providing a source of fluid, the fluid having a volume fraction constituent, and wherein the volume fraction constituent has a previously determined and known dielectric constant, and a previously determined and known resonance point; providing a database having accessible stored information about the previously determined and known dielectric constant of the volume fraction constituent and accessible and stored information about the previously determined and known resonance point of the volume fraction constituent and resonance points of concentrations of the volume fraction constituents; providing a probe exposed, at least in part, to the fluid, and wherein the probe has a known length; providing an electrical pulse emitter which electronically generates an electrical pulse which is delivered to the probe, and which further travels the known length of the probe and which generates an electrical pulse reflection; providing an electrical pulse sampler electronically coupled with the probe and which further receives and senses the electrical pulse reflection generated by electrical pulse within the probe; providing a computer electronically coupled with the probe, the electrical pulse emitter, the electrical pulse sampler, and the database, and wherein the computer determines a time period between the electrical pulse emission into the probe, and the receipt of the sensed electrical pulse reflection from the probe, and wherein a resonance point of the volume fraction constituent is calculated by the computer from the determined time period, and wherein the computer further correlates the determined time period to the previously determined and known dielectric constant and correlates the calculated resonance point to the previously determined and known resonance point of the volume fraction as provided in the database so as to identify the volume fraction constituent in the fluid and the volume of the volume fraction constituent in the fluid; and providing a user interface electronically coupled with the computer, and which further generates a user perceivable output which identifies the volume fraction constituent of the fluid and the volume of the volume fraction constituent in the fluid. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: applying a Fast Fourier Transform to the determined time period to determine a resonant frequency and determine resonance points of the volume fraction constituent. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2 further comprising: applying a Power Spectral Density (PSD) calculation to the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) frequency to determine amplitude and strength of the resonance point. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the volume fraction constituent is selected from the group consisting of oil, petroleum, water, natural gas and drilling fluids and drilling muds. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein the volume fraction constituent is a multiplicity of volume fraction constituents. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 wherein the multiplicity of volume fraction constituents includes a liquid and a gas. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing a pipe with a known interior diameter communicating with the source of the fluid so that the fluid moves through the pipe at a velocity; providing a second probe exposed at least in part to the fluid moving through the pipe a known distance downstream from the first probe; generating a first output by the first probe when a volume fraction constituent is sensed by the first probe and generating a second output by the second probe when the same volume fraction constituent is subsequently sensed by the second probe, and communicating the first and second probe outputs to the computer; and determining a volume of the volume fraction constituent moving through the pipe by calculating a time difference between the first probe output and the second probe output to determine the velocity of fluid moving through the pipe. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: maintaining fluid pressure about the probe at a pressure at least equal to the pressure of the source of the fluid to prevent boiling within the pipe. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing a backpressure regulator communicating with the pipe downstream of the probe. ### Claim 10 A method for identifying and measuring a volume fraction constituent of a fluid comprising: providing a pipe communicating with a source of fluid, the pipe defining a medial channel with a known interior diameter so that the fluid moves therethrough, the fluid having a volume fraction constituent and wherein the volume fraction constituent has a previously determined and known dielectric constant and previously determined and known resonance points; providing a database having stored accessible information about the previously determined and known dielectric constant of the volume fraction constituent and stored accessible information about the previously determined and known resonance points of the volume fraction constituent and resonance points of concentrations of the volume fraction constituents; providing a first probe exposed, at least in part, to the fluid moving through the pipe, the first probe having a known length; providing a second probe exposed, at least in part, to the fluid moving through the pipe downstream a known distance from the first probe, the second probe having a known length; providing a backpressure regulator to maintain fluid pressure about the first and second probes at a pressure at least equal to the pressure of the source of the fluid to prevent boiling within the pipe; providing an electrical pulse emitter that electronically generates an electrical pulse which is delivered to the first probe and which further travels the length of the first probe and which generates an electrical pulse reflection; providing an electrical pulse sampler electronically coupled with the first probe and which further receives and senses the electrical pulse reflection generated by electrical pulse within the first probe; providing an electrical pulse emitter that electronically generates an electrical pulse which is delivered to the second probe and which further travels the length of the second probe and which generates an electrical pulse reflection; providing an electrical pulse sampler electronically coupled with the second probe and which further receives and senses the electrical pulse reflection generated by electrical pulse within the second probe; providing a computer electronically coupled with the first probe, the electrical pulse emitter, the electrical pulse sampler, and the database, and wherein the computer determines a time period between the electrical pulse emission into the first probe, and the receipt of the sensed electrical pulse reflection from the first probe, and wherein a resonance point of the volume fraction constituent is calculated by the computer from the determined time period by applying a Fast Fourier Transform to the determined time period, and wherein the computer further correlates the determined time period to the previously determined and known dielectric constant and to the previously determined and known resonance points of the volume fraction constituent as provided in the database to identify the volume fraction constituent in the fluid; providing a computer electronically coupled with the second probe, the electrical pulse emitter, the electrical pulse sampler, and the database, and wherein the computer determines a time period between the electrical pulse emission into the second probe, and the receipt of the sensed electrical pulse reflection from the second probe and wherein a resonance point of the volume fraction constituent is calculated by the computer from the determined time period by applying a Fast Fourier Transform to the determined time period, and wherein the computer further correlates the determined time period to the previously determined and known dielectric constant and to the previously determined and known resonance point of the volume fraction constituent as provided in the database so as to identify the volume fraction constituent in the fluid; generating a first output from the first probe when a volume fraction constituent is sensed by the first probe and generating a second output from the second probe when the same volume fraction constituent is sensed by the second probe, and communicating the first and second probe outputs to the computer; determining the volume of the volume fraction constituent sensed by the first probe by determining a velocity of the volume fraction constituent moving through the pipe by calculating a time difference between the first probe output and the second probe output and correlating the calculated time with the known total volume of fluid flowing through the pipe; and providing a user interface electronically coupled with the computer and which receives the identification of the volume fraction constituent and the first probe output and the second probe output, and which further generates a user perceivable output which identifies the volume fraction constituent in the fluid and the volume thereof moving through the pipe. ### Claim 11 A method for identifying and measuring a volume fraction constituent of a fluid comprising: determining a dielectric constant of a volume fraction constituent moving through a pipe by determining a time delay between an electrical pulse emission into a probe exposed, at least in part, to the fluid and a reflection of the electrical pulse emission from the probe; correlating the determined time delay to a database of known dielectric constants of known volume fraction constituents to identify the volume fraction constituent; applying a Fast Fourier Transform to the determined time delay to generate frequency resonance points of the volume fraction constituent; correlating the generated resonance points of the volume fraction constituent to a database of known resonance points of known volume fraction constituents and known concentrations of volume fraction constituents to identify the volume fraction constituent; and providing a user interface which generates a user perceivable output which identifies the volume fraction constituent in the fluid and the volume of the volume fraction constituent in a user perceivable form. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising: providing a pipe having a known interior diameter that communicates with the source of the fluid so that a volume of the fluid moves through the pipe at a velocity; providing a second probe exposed at least in part to the fluid moving through the pipe a known distance downstream from the first probe; generating a first output by the first probe when a volume fraction constituent is sensed by the first probe and generating a second output by the second probe when the same volume fraction constituent is sensed by the second probe, and communicating the first and second probe outputs to the computer; determining a volume of the volume fraction constituent moving through the pipe by unit of time by calculating a time difference between the first probe output and the second probe output to determine the velocity of the fluid moving through the pipe; and correlating the determined resonance points of the volume fraction constituent with the database of known resonance points of concentrations of volume fraction constituents to determine the volume of the volume fraction constituent moving through the pipe.