# US 7,465,426 B2 · System for degassing muds and for analysing the gases contained in the muds

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- Number: US 7,465,426 B2
- Document ID: US7465426B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/846,653
- Filed: 2004-05-17
- Published: 2004-12-30
- Granted: 2008-12-16
- Earliest claimed: 2003-06-27
- Assignees: Geolog S.r.l.
- Inventors: Joseph Kerherve; Nicolas Lhermet
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7465426B2

## CPC

- B01D 19/0005: {with one or more auxiliary substances}
- E21B 21/067: {Separating gases from drilling fluids}
- G01N 1/2247: {Sampling from a flowing stream of gas}
- G01N 33/2823: {Raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures}
- G01N 2001/1025: {Liquid suspensions; Slurries; Mud; Sludge}
- G01N 2001/2267: {separating gas from liquid, e.g. bubbles}
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- 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)

## Abstract

A tank is fed with mud via a first inlet and the mud is removed via a first outlet. An ultrasonic electroacoustic transducer generates an acoustic energy field in the mud contained in the tank so as to extract the gases from the mud. A carrier gas is injected via a second inlet of the tank and a physico-chemical analysis apparatus of the extracted gases is connected to a second outlet of the tank designed for the carrier gas and the extracted gases. The flow rate of mud fed to the tank is regulated to a constant value and the volume of mud in the tank is constant. The mud can be constituted by oil prospecting drilling mud, the gases to be extracted then being oil revealing gases. The mud feed and injection of carrier gas can be synchronized so as to enable continuous analysis or batch analysis.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system for degassing muds and for analysing the gases contained in the muds, the system comprising:
a tank comprising a first inlet and a first outlet for the mud;
feed means of the mud, connected to the first inlet of the tank;
means for extracting the gases from the mud contained in the tank;
means for injecting a carrier gas, connected to a second inlet of the tank;
means for physico-chemical analysis of the extracted gases, connected to a second outlet of the tank, designed for the carrier gas and the extracted gases;
synchronization means of flow rate regulating means;
carrier gas injection means; and
physico-chemical analaysis means,
wherein the extraction means comprise an ultrasonic electroacoustic transducer, and the feed means for feeding mud to the tank comprise volume and the flow rate regulating means enabling a preset constant volume of mud to be guaranteed in the tank and enabling the flow rate to be adjusted to a preset constant value.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the muds are oil drilling muds able to contain solid particles of millimetric size, and the gases to be extracted are oil revealing gases.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic electroacoustic transducer is a piezoelectric transducer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The system according to claim 3, wherein the transducer comprises a sonotrode arranged, at least partially, inside the tank.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The system according to claim 4, wherein the first inlet and first outlet of the mud are arranged so that the mud passes along the sonotrode.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, wherein the regulating means comprise a peristaltic pump.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system according to claim 6, wherein the regulating means comprise a suction unit and filtering means, upstream from the peristaltic pump.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, comprising a regulated gas pump, upstream from the carrier gas inlet.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, comprising heating means for heating the mud.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The system according to claim 9, wherein the heating means for heating the mud are arranged upstream from the first inlet of the tank.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, comprising heating means for heating the carrier gas and the extracted gases, downstream from the second outlet of the tank.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, comprising synchronization means of the regulating means, carrier gas injection means and physico-chemical analysis means, enabling continuous analysis.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system according to claim 1, comprising control means of the regulating means, carrier gas injection means and physico-chemical analysis means, enabling batch analysis.