# US 2017/0284196 A1 · Emulsion detection using optical computing devices

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- Number: US 2017/0284196 A1
- Document ID: US20170284196A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/623,321
- Filed: 2017-06-14
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Earliest claimed: 2015-07-10
- Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Inventors: Robert Paul FREESE; Tian HE; Christopher Michael JONES
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170284196A1

## CPC

- E21B 49/08: Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells
- E21B 47/00: Survey of boreholes or wells (monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid E21B21/08)
- G01J 3/00: Spectrometry; Spectrophotometry; Monochromators; Measuring colours
- G01N 21/31: Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry {(G01N21/72 takes precedence)}
- G01N 21/84: Systems specially adapted for particular applications
- G01N 21/85: Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
- G01V 8/00: Prospecting or detecting by optical means
- G01V 8/10: Detecting, e.g. by using light barriers (by reflection from the object G01S17/00)
- E21B 49/0875: {determining specific fluid parameters}
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- G01J: MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT, POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRARED, VISIBLE OR ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT; COLORIMETRY; RADIATION PYROMETRY (light sources F21, H01J, H01K, H05B; investigating properties of materials by optical means G01N)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- G01V: GEOPHYSICS; GRAVITATIONAL MEASUREMENTS; DETECTING MASSES OR OBJECTS; TAGS (means for indicating the location of accidentally buried, e.g. snow-buried, persons A63B29/02)

## Abstract

Disclosed is the detection of emulsions and microdispersions with an optical computing device. One disclosed method includes emitting electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic radiation source, optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation with a fluid and thereby generating fluid interacted radiation, detecting a portion of the fluid interacted radiation with a reference detector arranged within an optical channel of an optical computing device, generating a reference signal with the reference detector, and determining an emulsive state of the fluid based on the reference signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
emitting electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic radiation source;
optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation with a fluid and thereby generating fluid interacted radiation;
detecting a portion of the fluid interacted radiation with a reference detector arranged within an optical channel on an optical computing device, wherein the optical channel is a reference channel defined within the optical computing device;
optically interacting the fluid interacted radiation with an integrated computational element (ICE) arranged within a primary channel of the optical computing device and thereby generating modified electromagnetic radiation;
receiving the modified electromagnetic radiation from the ICE with a primary detector;
generating a primary signal with the primary detector;
generating a reference signal with the reference detector;
normalizing an output signal of the primary detector based on the reference signal;
monitoring the reference signal over time;
detecting a change in the monitored reference signal; and
determining an emulsive state of the fluid based on the detected change.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation with the fluid comprises at least one of transmitting the electromagnetic radiation through the fluid and reflecting the electromagnetic radiation off the fluid.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining a sample of the fluid at a time determined based on the reference signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the monitored reference signal comprises a change in oscillations of the monitored reference signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the monitored reference signal comprises a rapid decrease in an intensity of the monitored reference signal, or a slow increase in the intensity of the monitored reference signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, wherein the change in the monitored reference signal is the slow increase in the intensity, the method further comprising obtaining a sample of the fluid when the slow increase asymptotically stabilizes.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the asymptotic stabilization indicates that an emulsion or microdispersion of the fluid has broken or destabilized.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the optical computing device includes a beam splitter, and wherein detecting the portion of the fluid interacted radiation with the reference detector comprises:
receiving the fluid interacted radiation with the beam splitter;
splitting the fluid interacted radiation to generate the portion of the fluid interacted radiation; and
directing the portion of the fluid interacted radiation toward the reference detector with the beam splitter.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating an output signal with the primary detector corresponding to a characteristic of the fluid.

### Claim 10

A method, comprising:
pumping a formation fluid from a subterranean formation into a sampling tool;
monitoring the formation fluid with at least one optical computing device as it flows through the sampling tool, wherein monitoring the formation fluid includes:
optically interacting electromagnetic radiation with the formation fluid and thereby generating fluid interacted radiation;
detecting a portion of the fluid interacted radiation with a reference detector arranged within an optical channel of the at least one optical computing device, wherein the optical channel is a reference channel defined within the optical computing device;
optically interacting the fluid interacted radiation with an integrated computational element (ICE) arranged within a primary channel of the optical computing device and thereby generating modified electromagnetic radiation;
receiving the modified electromagnetic radiation from the ICE with a primary detector;
generating a primary signal with the primary detector;
generating a reference signal with the reference detector;
normalizing an output signal of the primary detector based on the reference signal;
monitoring the reference signal over time;
detecting a change in the monitored reference signal; and
determining an emulsive state of the fluid based on the detected change; and
altering one or more pump parameters of the sampling tool based on the emulsive state of the formation fluid.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining a sample of the formation fluid at a time determined based on the reference signal.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the change in the monitored reference signal comprises a change in oscillations of the monitored reference signal.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the change in the monitored reference signal comprises a rapid decrease in an intensity of the monitored reference signal, or a slow increase in the intensity of the monitored reference signal.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the change in the monitored reference signal is the slow increase in the intensity, the method further comprising obtaining a sample of the formation fluid when the slow increase asymptotically stabilizes.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the asymptotic stabilization indicates that an emulsion or microdispersion of the formation fluid has broken or destabilized.

### Claim 16 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
monitoring the formation fluid with a densitometer arranged within the sampling tool;
generating a densitometer signal with the densitometer; and
obtaining a sample of the formation fluid based on the reference signal and the densitometer signal.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, further comprising:
graphically displaying the reference signal and the densitometer signal on a graphical user interface.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein altering the one or more pump parameters of the sampling tool comprises:
increasing or decreasing a speed of the pump; and
obtaining a sample of the formation fluid when the reference signal asymptotically stabilizes or indicates that an emulsion or microdispersion of the formation fluid has broken.

### Claim 19 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation with the formation fluid comprises:
emitting electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic radiation source; and
transmitting the electromagnetic radiation through the formation fluid to generate the fluid interacted radiation.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The method of claim 19, further comprising generating an output signal with the primary detector corresponding to a characteristic of the formation fluid.