Determining shear rate and/or shear stress from sonar based velocity profiles and differential pressure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10216204-B2
Application number	US-201013255416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2010
Priority date	Mar 11, 2009
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

The present invention provides a new method and apparatus for receiving signals containing information about a plurality of velocity profiles of a flow in a pipe and about a pressure gradient of the flow over a length of the pipe; and determining information about an injection of a chemical into the flow in the pipe based at least partly on the information contained in the signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling an injection of a chemical into the flow of a slurry in a pipe in a mining operation, comprising:
a data gathering module having a velocity profile meter configured to respond to a flow in a pipe and provide signals containing information about a zeta profile of a shear rate related to one or more velocity profiles of the flow of a slurry having mature fine tailing (MFT) in the pipe, and also having a differential pressure module configured to respond to the flow in the pipe and provide associated signaling containing information about a Tau profile of a shear stress related to a pressure gradient of the flow over a length of the pipe; and
a signal processor comprising one or more modules configured to receive the signals containing information about the zeta profile of the shear rate and the associated signaling containing information about the Tau profile of the shear stress, determine corresponding signaling containing information about an injection of flocculation chemicals into the flow of the slurry having MFT in the pipe that depends on a ratio between the Tau profile of the shear stress and the zeta profile of the shear rate of the flow in the pipe, based at least partly on the signals and associated signaling received, and provide the corresponding signaling as control signaling to control the injection of the flocculation chemicals into the flow of the slurry having MFT in the pipe in the mining operation.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more modules is configured to determine the zeta profile for the shear rate based at least partly on the information about the one or more velocity profiles of the flow in the pipe.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more modules is configured to determine the Tau profile for the shear stress based at least partly on the information about the pressure gradient of the flow over the length of the pipe.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more velocity profiles of the flow in the pipe includes velocities measured by a velocity profile meter, including a SONAR-based velocity profile meter.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the slurry is from an oil/sands mining operation.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a chemical injector configured to receive the control signaling, and inject the flocculation chemicals into the flow in the pipe.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the chemical injector is configured to receive the control signaling, and inject surfactant chemicals into the flow in the pipe.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more modules is configured to:
determine the zeta profile for the shear rate based at least partly on the information about the one or more velocity profiles of the flow in the pipe; and
determine the Tau profile for the shear stress based at least partly on the information about the pressure gradient of the flow over the length of the pipe.

9. A system according to claim 8 , wherein the one or more modules is configured to determine a viscosity or viscosity profile of the flow in the pipe based at least partly on the ratio of the Tau profile for the shear stress in relation to the zeta profile for the shear rate.

10. A system according to claim 9 , wherein the one or more modules is configured to control or regulate the injection of the flocculation chemicals into the flow in the pipe based at least partly on the viscosity or viscosity profile.

11. A system according to claim 1 , wherein each velocity profile is measured in a vertical plane through an axis of the pipe.

12. A system according to claim 11 , wherein at least one velocity profile is based on a Chebyshev interpolation.

13. A system according to claim 12 , wherein the one or more modules is configured to use an nth order Chebyshev polynomial, where n is greater than 2, and to invoke a no slip condition, so that the flow velocity at the top and the bottom of the pipe is zero, and the signals includes information about n-2 velocity values sampled at points distributed along a vertical axis between the top and bottom.

14. A method for controlling an injection of a chemical into the flow of a slurry in a pipe in a mining operation, comprising:
receiving with a signal processor signals containing information about a zeta profile of the shear rate related to one or more velocity profiles of a flow of a slurry having mature fine tailings (MFT) in a pipe and about a Tau profile of the shear stress related to a pressure gradient of the flow over a length of the pipe;
determining with the signal processor corresponding signaling containing information about an injection of flocculation chemicals into the flow in the pipe that depends on a ratio between the Tau profile of the shear stress and the zeta profile of the shear rate of the flow in the pipe, based at least partly on the signals received; and
providing the corresponding signaling as control signaling to control the injection of the flocculation chemicals into the flow of the slurry having MFT in the pipe.

15. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the method comprises determining with the signal processor the zeta profile for the shear rate based at least partly on the information about the one or more velocity profiles of the flow in the pipe.

16. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the method comprises determining with the signal processor the Tau profile for the shear stress based at least partly on the information about the pressure gradient of the flow over the length of the pipe.

17. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the slurry is from an oil/sands mining operation.

18. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the method comprises arranging in the system a chemical injector configured to receive the control signaling, and inject the flocculation chemicals into the flow in the pipe.

19. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the method comprises determining with the signal processor the zeta profile for the shear rate based at least partly on the information about the one or more velocity profiles of the flow in the pipe; and determining the Tau profile for a shear stress based at least partly on the information about the pressure gradient of the flow over the length of the pipe.

20. A method according to claim 19 , wherein the method comprises determining with the signal processor a viscosity or viscosity profile of the flow in the pipe based at least partly on the ratio of the Tau profile for the shear stress in relation to the zeta profile for the shear rate.

21. A method according to claim 20 , wherein the method comprises controlling or regulating with the signal processor the injection of the chemical into the flow in the pipe based at least partly on the viscosity or viscosity profile.

Assignees

• Van Der Spek Alex
• Revington Adrian
• Cidra Corporate Services Inc

Inventors

• Van Der Spek Alex
• Revington Adrian

Classifications

• G01F1/663

  by measuring Doppler frequency shift · CPC title

• G05D11/12

  by sensing viscosity of mixture · CPC title

• Y10T137/0318

  Processes · CPC title

• G05D24/00

  Control of viscosity · CPC title

• Y10T137/87571

  Multiple inlet with single outlet · CPC title