Viscosity sensor
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsJames Masino, Li Gao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid is received into a sample tube. A processor causes an energy to be applied to the sample tube to induce vibration in the sample tube at a resonant frequency of the sample tube containing the fluid. The processor stops the supply of energy to the sample tube. The processor monitors an amplitude of the vibration of the sample tube as the amplitude of the vibrations diminish over a period of time. The processor uses the monitored amplitude to calculate an RF of the sample tube containing the fluid. The processor uses the calculated RF to calculate the viscosity of the fluid.
Claims14
A method comprising:
- determining a resonant amplitude of vibration of a sample tube through which a fluid is flowing when the sample tube through which the fluid is flowing vibrates at a resonant frequency fresonant;
- determining a half-bandwidth frequency, fhalf-BW, such that, when energy at the half-bandwidth frequency is applied to the sample tube through which the fluid is flowing, the sample tube through which the fluid is flowing vibrates at an amplitude substantially
- 2
- 2
- times the resonant amplitude;
- calculating a Q that is based on the resonant frequency and the half-bandwidth frequency;
- calculating a friction resistance, RF, using the Q;
- and
- calculating a viscosity of the fluid flowing through the sample tube, u, using RF.
One or more non-transitory machine-readable media comprising program code executable by a processor to cause the processor to:
- determine a resonant amplitude of vibration of a sample tube through which a fluid is flowing when the sample tube through which the fluid is flowing vibrates at a resonant frequency fresonant;
- determine a half-bandwidth frequency, fhalf-BW, such that, when energy at the half-bandwidth frequency is applied to the sample tube through which the fluid is flowing, the sample tube through which the fluid is flowing vibrates at an amplitude substantially
- 2
- 2
- times the resonant amplitude;
- calculate a Q based on a ratio of the resonant frequency and the bandwidth;
- calculate a friction resistance, RF, using the Q;
- and
- calculate a viscosity of the fluid flowing through the sample tube, u, using RF.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.