Apparatus and method for fluid rheology measurements
OwnerSteven W. Daleinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for automated fluid rheology measurement includes a probe, a torque tube engaging an inner cylinder of the probe, a motor that drives the inner cylinder, and a circuit board programmed to drive the motor at variable shear rates in a time-dependent manner. A method of continual automated fluid rheology measurement uses an automated viscometer for measuring fluid rheology at differing shear rates. The method involves (1) obtaining and storing data at the differing shear rates, (2) calculating fluid rheology values, and repeating these steps until a user-determined endpoint.
Claims27
An apparatus for automated fluid rheology measurement comprising:
- a viscometer probe;
- a torque tube engaging an inner cylinder of the viscometer probe;
- a motor;
- wherein the motor drives the inner cylinder;
- and
- a means for driving the motor at variable speeds in a time-dependent and automated manner.
A method of continual automated fluid rheology measurement comprising:
- (a) providing an automated viscometer for measuring fluid rheology at differing shear rates;
- (b) obtaining and storing data at the differing shear rates;
- (c) calculating fluid rheology values;
- and
- (d) repeating steps (b) and (c) until a user-determined endpoint.
A data collection system for fluid rheology measurements of drilling fluids comprising a data collection logic device configured to collect information pertaining to said rheology measurements, said measurements are transmitted by an electronic signal generated from a torque sensing system coupled to a probe;
- wherein in said probe is driven in a time-dependent manner by a stepper motor controlled by said data collection logic device.
A method in a computer data collection system for measuring fluid rheology of drilling fluid comprising detecting viscosity from a probe placed in a drilling fluid;
- wherein said probe is driven by a stepper motor.
A method for analyzing viscosity measurements of drilling fluids comprising:
- collecting a plurality of torque sensitive measurements of viscosity at differing shear rates in a time-dependent manner;
- and
- calculating plastic viscosity and yield point from said measurements of viscosity at said differing shear rates.
In an apparatus for measuring drilling fluid composition having a viscometer probe, a torque tube engaging an inner cylinder of the viscometer probe, and a motor, wherein the motor drives the inner cylinder, the improvement comprising a means for driving the motor at variable speeds in a time-dependent and automated manner to produce a series of plastic viscosity and yield point measurements useful in determining whether adjustment is required in the composition of the drilling fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.