Real time flow rate and rheology measurement
AssigneeWeatherford Technology Holdings, LLC
InventorsPaul R. Northam, Pravin Sadashiv Naphade, Kedar M. Deshpande
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow measurement apparatus can include a main flow passage, a bypass flow passage having an inlet and an outlet connected with the main flow passage, a mass flowmeter connected in the bypass flow passage between the inlet and the outlet, and a flow restrictor connected in the bypass flow passage between the inlet and the outlet. A method can include connecting the flow measurement apparatus, so that a fluid flow in the well also flows through the flow measurement apparatus, and determining at least one rheological parameter of a non-Newtonian fluid, based on an output of the flow measurement apparatus.
Claims17
A flow measurement apparatus, comprising:
- a main flow passage;
- a bypass flow passage connected in parallel with the main flow passage, the bypass flow passage having a first flow restrictor, a mass flowmeter, and at least one first sensor which measures a first pressure differential across the mass flowmeter;
- a control system configured to determine at least one rheological parameter of a non-Newtonian fluid based on outputs of the at least one first sensor and the mass flowmeter;
- a second flow restrictor located in the main flow passage;
- and
- at least one second sensor which measures a second pressure differential across the second flow restrictor,
- wherein the control system is further configured to determine a total flow rate through the main flow passage and the bypass flow passage based on the rheological parameter and the outputs of the at least one first sensor, the at least one second sensor, and the mass flowmeter.
A method for measuring a rheological fluid property of a non-Newtonian fluid, comprising:
- measuring a first differential pressure across a mass flowmeter in a bypass flow passage;
- measuring a mass flow rate through the bypass flow passage;
- determining the rheological fluid property of the non-Newtonian fluid from the first differential pressure and the mass flow rate through the bypass flow passage;
- connecting a flow measurement apparatus between an outlet of a pump and an inlet of a tubular string extending into a well, the flow measurement apparatus comprising a main flow passage, the bypass flow passage being connected in parallel with the main flow passage and having a first flow restrictor and at least one first sensor which measures the first pressure differential across the mass flowmeter, and the main flow passage having a second flow restrictor and at least one second sensor which measures a second pressure differential across the second flow restrictor;
- and
- determining a total rate of fluid flowing into the tubular string based on an output of the mass flowmeter and the determined rheological fluid property.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.