Digital retort measurement systems and methods
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsJonathan Mitchell, Colin Stewart, Adam Colbourne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Tools and methods are used to determine the oil, water, and solids volume fractions in a drilling fluid at the rig site. The volume fractions can be determined in-line with returned drilling fluid by using an NMR magnet and a flow line or sample chamber that receives a fluid sample and loads it into the NMR magnet. Using an RF probe, spectrometer, and computing device, data processing and interpretation of NMR data from the spectrometer is performed, while also raising a flag when iron contamination exceeds a predefined threshold.
Claims20
A method for determining volume fractions in a drilling fluid, the method comprising:
- flowing a drilling fluid sample through a flow line of a digital retort tool disposed at a surface, wherein the drilling fluid sample is from a drilling fluid at the surface that is entering a wellbore;
- upon the digital retort tool receiving a trigger signal, applying a magnetic field to the drilling fluid sample while the drilling fluid sample is flowing through the flow line of the digital retort tool disposed at the surface;
- acquiring, with the digital retort tool, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data from the drilling fluid sample while the drilling fluid sample flows through the flow line;
- determining volume fractions of at least one liquid phase and at least one solid phase present in the drilling fluid sample from the NMR data with the digital retort tool;
- and
- reporting the volume fractions to a user.
An apparatus for determining volume fractions in a drilling fluid at a rig site, comprising:
- a housing comprising an inlet and an outlet;
- a flow line disposed in the housing and extending from the inlet to the outlet;
- a nuclear resonance magnet (NMR) magnet disposed in the housing and disposed around the flow line, the NMR magnet configured to apply a magnetic field to a drilling fluid sample while the drilling fluid sample flows through the flow line;
- a radio frequency probe disposed in the housing;
- a spectrometer disposed in the housing;
- a computing device disposed in the housing configured to perform data processing and interpretation of NMR data from the spectrometer, wherein the computing device is configured to raise a flag when iron contamination exceeds a specified threshold;
- and
- a user interface disposed on the housing, wherein the user interface is configured to display the flag to a user.
An apparatus to determine volume fractions in a drilling fluid at a rig site, comprising:
- a housing comprising an inlet and an outlet;
- a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) magnet, radio frequency probe, and compact spectrometer for detection of 1 H resonant nuclei disposed in the housing;
- a heater and heater control to regulate a temperature of the magnet disposed in the housing;
- a radio frequency power amplifier disposed in the housing;
- a flow line disposed in the housing and extending from the inlet to the outlet;
- a computer for data processing and interpretation disposed in the housing, the computer being configured to:
- correlate measurement of nuclear spin relaxation times T1 and T2;
- extract NMR signal amplitudes corresponding to continuous and discontinuous liquid-phases in a fluid sample based on an amplitude of relaxation time components while the fluid sample flows through the flow line;
- apply calibration constants and hydrogen indices to convert NMR signal amplitudes to liquid volumes;
- apply a calibration volume of a sample chamber of the flow line and determine solids volume fraction in the fluid sample based on an absence of an NMR signal;
- and
- calculate the oil, water, and solids volume fractions from the NMR signal amplitudes;
- and
- a user interface disposed on the housing, wherein the user interface is configured to display the calculated volume fractions from the computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.