Determining the rheological properties of a fluid through a non-linear response

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12072270-B2
Application number	US-202318334898-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2023
Priority date	Jan 6, 2020
Publication date	Aug 27, 2024
Grant date	Aug 27, 2024

Abstract

Techniques for determining rheological properties of a fluid include actuating a resonator disposed in a volume that contains a fluid sample to operate the resonator in the fluid sample at a predetermined actuation scheme; measuring at least one characteristic of the resonator based on the operation of the resonator in the fluid sample; comparing the at least one measured characteristic to a rheological model that associates characteristics of the fluid sample to one or more rheological properties; and based on the comparison, determining one or more rheological properties of the fluid sample.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rheological property measurement system, comprising:
a container that comprises a volume that encloses a fluid sample;
a resonator disposed within the volume and in contact with the fluid sample;
a detector positioned to measure at least one characteristic of the resonator based on an operation of the resonator in the fluid sample; and
a control system communicably coupled to at least the resonator and the detector, the control system configured to perform operations comprising:
actuating a resonator disposed in a volume that contains a fluid sample to operate the resonator in the fluid sample at a predetermined actuation scheme;
actuating the resonator with an actuation protocol that actuates the resonator in at least one of a steady state motion or a time-dependent motion, wherein the actuation comprises inducing a measurable change on a motion of the resonator based at least in part due to one or more deformations in the fluid sample;
measuring, with a photodetector positioned to receive a portion of a reflected laser beam that originates with a laser beam source toward a beam splitter and reflects from the operating resonator, at least one characteristic of the resonator based on the operation of the resonator in the fluid sample;
comparing the at least one measured characteristic to a rheological model that associates characteristics of the fluid sample to one or more rheological properties; and
based on the comparison, determining one or more rheological properties of the fluid sample.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the resonator comprises a mechanical oscillator.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the mechanical oscillator comprises a piezoelectric crystal, a cantilever beam, a MEMS device, a torsional spring, a vibrating wire, or a tuning fork.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of actuating the resonator with an actuation protocol that actuates the resonator in at least one of the steady state motion or the time-dependent motion comprises actuating the motion on the resonator through one or more signals to induce harmonic or anharmonic motion.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more signals comprises one or more capacitive, piezoelectric, magnetic, or optical signals.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the time-dependent motion comprises at least one sequence of displacements of the resonator with at least one of a plurality of amplitudes or frequencies.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of measuring at least one characteristic of the resonator comprises measuring at least one characteristic in a transduction domain that provides a measurable signal from the operation of the resonator.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one characteristic comprises at least one of a capacitive, a piezoelectric, a magnetic, or an optical characteristic.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of measuring at least one characteristic of the resonator comprises measuring at least one of a velocity or a displacement of amplitude or phase of the resonator in at least one of a time domain or a frequency domain.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of comparing the at least one measured characteristic to a rheological model comprises comparing at least one motion characteristic of the resonator to at least one of a mathematical model or a computational model.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one of the mathematical model or the computational model relates a change in the at least one motion characteristic to at least one of a deformation amplitude or a deformation rate induced in the fluid sample.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of actuating the resonator disposed in the volume that contains the fluid sample to operate the resonator in the fluid sample at the predetermined actuation scheme comprises actuating a mechanical oscillator disposed in the volume that contains the fluid sample to vibrate the mechanical oscillator in the fluid sample at a predetermined vibration protocol.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the operation of measuring the at least one characteristic of the resonator based on the operation of the resonator in the fluid sample comprises measuring at least one motion characteristic of the mechanical oscillator based on a non-linear response of the mechanical oscillator in the fluid sample.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operation of comparing the at least one measured characteristic to a rheological model that associates characteristics of the fluid sample to one or more rheological properties comprises comparing the at least one measured motion characteristic to the rheological model that associates motion characteristics of the fluid sample to one or more rheological properties.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the operation of measuring the at least one motion characteristic of the mechanical oscillator comprises measuring the at least one motion characteristic with the photodetector positioned to receive the reflected laser beam that originates with the laser beam source and reflects from the vibrating mechanical oscillator.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to perform operations further comprising controlling a pump to circulate the fluid sample into the volume during actuation of the resonator.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the operation of determining one or more rheological properties of the fluid sample comprises iteratively determining the one or more rheological properties of the fluid sample with a numerical inversion or optimization protocol.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more rheological properties comprises at least one of a complex viscosity, a storage modulus, a loss modulus, an apparent viscosity, a flow index, or a consistency factor of the fluid sample.

19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rheological model comprises at least one of a Bingham Plastic model, a power law model, a Hershel-Bulkley model, or a Carreau model.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fluid sample comprises a non-Newtonian liquid.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the non-Newtonian liquid comprises a hydrocarbon liquid, a completion liquid, or a petroleum-derived liquid.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Gonzalez Miguel
• Deffenbaugh Max
• Baek Hyongsu

Classifications

• G01N2011/004

  Stress relaxation time · CPC title

• G01N2011/0033

  Yield stress; Residual stress at zero shear rate · CPC title

• G01N33/28

  Oils {, i.e. hydrocarbon liquids} (edible oils or edible fats G01N33/03) · CPC title

• G01N11/162

  Oscillations being torsional, e.g. produced by rotating bodies · CPC title

• G01N2011/0026

  Investigating specific flow properties of non-Newtonian fluids · CPC title