US 12,320,723 B2Granted

Apparatus for measurement of capillary pressure in a porous sample

AssigneeAmetek, Inc.

InventorsPhillip Naegele, William J. Willems, Tom Hicks

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Abstract

A capillary pressure measurement device includes a centrifuge having a rotating apparatus adapted to hold porous media samples and to test the samples under centrifugal motion during rotation of the rotating apparatus. A fluid capture device disposed adjacent to each porous media sample receives fluid displaced from the sample due to centrifugal motion applied to the sample during rotation. A measurement system measures an amount of fluid displaced from the porous media samples by taking an image of a fluid meniscus in the fluid capture device. A position sensor determines a position of the fluid capture device and triggers a camera to take the image of the fluid meniscus when the fluid meniscus is in a field of view of the camera. The image of the fluid meniscus is processed to determine a fluid volume correlated to capillary pressure of the corresponding porous media sample.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A capillary pressure measurement device, comprising:

a centrifuge comprising a rotating apparatus adapted to hold a plurality of porous media samples and configured to test the porous media samples under centrifugal motion during rotation of the rotating apparatus;
a fluid capture device disposed adjacent to each of the porous media samples during rotation for receiving fluid displaced from the respective porous media samples due to centrifugal motion applied to the respective porous media samples by rotation of the rotating apparatus, the fluid capture device including one or more solid spacers to reduce a volume of the fluid capture device for different porous media sample configurations;
a measurement system that measures an amount of fluid displaced from each of the porous media samples, the measurement system including a camera that takes an image of a fluid meniscus in the respective fluid capture devices and a position sensor that determines a position of the respective fluid capture devices and triggers the camera to take the image of each fluid meniscus when the fluid meniscus is in a field of view of the camera,
wherein each fluid meniscus represents a fluid volume that is correlated to capillary pressure of a corresponding porous media sample.

1 more element

A capillary pressure measurement method, comprising:

placing a plurality of porous media samples of variable sizes and configurations in a rotating apparatus of a centrifuge, wherein the rotating apparatus is configured to test the respective porous media samples under centrifugal motion during rotation of the rotating apparatus;
receiving, in a fluid capture device disposed adjacent to each of the porous media samples during rotation, fluid displaced from each porous media sample due to centrifugal motion applied to the respective porous media samples by rotation of the rotating apparatus, wherein a volume of the fluid capture device for different porous media sample configurations is reduced by adding one or more solid spacers to the fluid capture device for the different porous media sample configurations;
determining a position of the respective fluid capture devices using a position sensor;
triggering a camera to take an image of a fluid meniscus in the respective fluid capture devices when each fluid meniscus is in a field of view of the camera;
and
determining an amount of fluid displaced from each of the porous media samples from the images of each respective fluid meniscus, wherein each respective fluid meniscus represents a fluid volume that is correlated to capillary pressure of the respective porous media samples.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.