Measurement of fluid properties

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9513201-B2
Application number	US-201314103668-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2013
Priority date	Dec 12, 2012
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for measuring physical properties of non-Newtonian fluids, such as fluids containing dispersed solid particulate material and having a yield stress. A fluid resistance member is moved through the non-Newtonian fluid sufficiently slowly that viscous drag on the member is negligible and fluid resistance is essentially due to the yield stress of the fluid. The torque required to maintain the movement of the member through the fluid is measured, and at least one physical property, other than apparent viscosity of the fluid, is determined by employing a known relationship between the measured torque and the physical property of interest.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of measuring physical properties of a fluid containing dispersed solid particulate material and having a yield stress, the method comprising:
holding a quantity of the fluid within a chamber;
allowing solid particulate material in the fluid to undergo downward sedimentation while the fluid remains in the chamber;
moving a fluid resistance member through the fluid at a plurality of different heights within the vessel or at a plurality of different times, with the movement being sufficiently slow that viscous drag on the member is negligible and fluid resistance is essentially due to the yield stress of the fluid;
at each of the different heights or different times measuring the torque required to maintain the movement of the member through the fluid; and
deriving at least one physical property, other than apparent viscosity of the fluid, at each of the different heights or different times by employing a known relationship between the measured torque and the at least one physical property and thereby observing a gradient of the at least one physical property with respect to height or with respect to time.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the physical property comprises a yield stress of the fluid.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the yield stress is further employed to calculate a solids volume fraction of the fluid in the region of the measurement of yield stress.

4. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the yield stress is determined from the measured torque and a geometry parameter of the fluid resistance member.

5. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the fluid resistance member comprises a T-bar and the yield stress is determined from a relation between the measured torque and the yield stress given by:
M Y =α R DL 2 τ Y /4.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the movement of the fluid resistance member is rotational.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the method involves the movement of the fluid resistance member and taking measurements of the at least one physical property at a plurality of different heights in the fluid and thereby observing a gradient of the at least one physical property with respect to height.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the fluid resistance member has a vertical height of less than 10 mm.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid resistance member is a T-bar.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the shear rate of the fluid resistance member through the fluid is less than 0.01 s −1 .

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein the fluid resistance member has a vertical height of less than 5 mm.

12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the shear rate of the fluid resistance member through the fluid is less than 0.001 s −1 .

13. An apparatus for measuring physical properties of a fluid containing dispersed solid particulate material and having a yield stress, the apparatus comprising:
a chamber to hold a quantity of the fluid configured so that solid particulate material in the fluid is able to undergo downward sedimentation within the vessel;
a fluid resistance member extending into the chamber;
a driver configured to drive the fluid resistance member to rotate through the fluid within the chamber;
means to vary the vertical position of the fluid resistance member relative to the chamber;
a sensor for measuring the torque required to maintain the movement of the member through the fluid; and
a processor configured to process a yield stress of the fluid from the measured torque.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the fluid resistance member comprises a T-bar.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the yield stress is processed from the measured torque and a geometry parameter of the fluid resistance member.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the yield stress is processed from a relation between the measured torque and the yield stress given by:
M Y =α R DL 2 τ Y /4.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the fluid resistance member comprises a T-bar.

18. An apparatus for measuring the dynamic sag of a fluid comprising dispersed solid particulate material and having a yield stress, the apparatus comprising:
a chamber to hold a quantity of the fluid and comprising a shearing region wherein the fluid is subjected to a controlled shear environment;
a fluid resistance member;
a driver configured to drive the fluid resistance member to move through the fluid; and
a sensor to measure the torque required to maintain said movement, wherein the fluid resistance member is positioned beneath the shearing region.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the chamber is cylindrical and the controlled shear region is provided by a cylindrical wall coaxially located within the cylindrical chamber.

20. A method of measuring dynamic sag of a fluid containing dispersed solid particulate material and having a yield stress, the method comprising:
holding a quantity of the fluid within a chamber;
subjecting the fluid in a region of the container to controlled shear
moving a fluid resistance member through the fluid at a position below the said region, and
measuring the torque required to maintain the movement of the member through the fluid.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Anderson Valerie
• Meeten Gerald Henry

Classifications

• G01N11/10 Primary

  by moving a body within the material · CPC title

• G01N2011/0033

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