Oven mixing system and method for phase behavior tests
AssigneesCNPC USA Corporation, Beijing Huamei, Inc., China National Petroleum Corporation
InventorsNancy Zhou, Meng Lu, Steven Vaughan, Angel Vincent Feliciano, Jianshen Li, Qing Liu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An oven mixing apparatus includes an oven capable of generating heat, a pipette tray positioned inside the oven, and a motor. The pipette tray of the oven mixing apparatus includes pipette clamps attached to the pipette tray via fasteners, one or more arms, and a pipette tray axle. The motor of the oven mixing apparatus includes a portion of the motor inside the oven, a portion of the motor outside of the oven, a shaft rotatable via a rotor of the motor, and a controller capable of controlling rotational speed of the shaft.
Claims20
An oven mixing apparatus, comprising:
- an oven comprising an oven interior and an oven exterior, the oven capable of generating heat;
- a pipette tray positioned in the oven interior, the pipette tray comprising:
- one or more pipette clamps attached to the pipette tray via one or more fasteners;
- one or more arms;
- and
- a pipette tray axle;
- and
- a motor, comprising:
- an internal motor portion positioned in the oven interior;
- an external motor portion positioned in the oven exterior;
- a rotor
- a shaft, the shaft being rotatable via the rotor;
- and
- a controller capable of controlling rotational speed of the shaft;
- wherein the pipette tray axle is securable to the shaft of the motor, and wherein rotation of the shaft induces rotation of the pipette tray.
A method for performing a phase behavior test, comprising:
- preparing one or more surfactant formulations;
- mixing the one or more surfactant formulations with an oil sample to create one or more test mixtures;
- placing the one or more test mixtures in one or more containers;
- securing the one or more containers to a tray;
- placing the one or more containers and the tray in an apparatus comprising a motor, wherein the motor comprises a rotor, and wherein a shaft of the rotor is attachable to the tray;
- rotating the one or more containers via power supplied to the motor;
- generating heat within the apparatus to increase temperature of the one or more test mixtures;
- analyzing the one or more containers to determine whether the one or more containers comprise microemulsions;
- and
- analyzing phase separations in the one or more containers.
A method of using an oven mixing apparatus, comprising:
- preparing one or more surfactant formulations;
- combining the one or more surfactant formulations with an oil sample to create one or more test mixtures;
- placing the one or more test mixtures in one or more pipettes;
- placing the one or more pipettes in the oven mixing apparatus, wherein the oven mixing apparatus comprises:
- an oven comprising an oven interior and an oven exterior;
- a pipette tray positioned in the oven interior, the pipette tray comprising one or more pipette clamps attached to the pipette tray, wherein the one or more pipettes are secured to the one or more pipette clamps;
- and
- a motor comprising an internal motor portion positioned in the oven interior and an external motor portion positioned in the oven exterior;
- increasing ambient temperature of the oven interior;
- and
- rotating the pipette tray via a rotor of the motor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.