Vibrating wire viscometers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9568409-B2
Application number	US-201213353339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 19, 2012
Priority date	Jan 19, 2012
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

Vibrating wire viscometers are disclosed herein. An example viscometer includes a housing defining a chamber and a wire holder disposed in the chamber. The wire holder has an elongated, electrically insulating body and a channel extending along a length of the body. A wire is at least partially disposed in the channel and coupled to the wire holder at opposing ends of the wire holder to tension the wire and electrically isolate the wire from the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A viscometer, comprising:
a housing defining a chamber;
a wire holder disposed in the chamber, the wire holder having an elongated electrically insulating body and a grooved channel on an outer surface of the body extending along a length of the body;
a wire at least partially disposed in the grooved channel and directly coupled to the wire holder at opposing ends of the wire holder to tension the wire and electrically isolate the wire from the housing; and
electrical connections passing through the housing to electrically connect to the ends of the wire, the electrical connections being partially disposed in the chamber.

2. The viscometer of claim 1 , wherein the grooved channel is sized to hold a volume of between about 1 micro-liter and 50 micro-liters of a sample fluid.

3. The viscometer of claim 2 , wherein a dead volume within the viscometer is between about 1 micro-liter and 50 micro-liters.

4. The viscometer of claim 1 , wherein the wire holder includes a groove at each of the ends of the wire holder, the grooves to substantially center the wire relative to a width of the grooved channel.

5. The viscometer of claim 4 , wherein the wire is fixed to the wire holder via welding, brazing or press fitting adjacent the ends of the wire holder.

6. The viscometer of claim 1 , wherein the wire holder comprises a ceramic material.

7. The viscometer of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a grooved mount at each end of the body.

8. The viscometer of claim 7 , wherein the grooved mounts electrically insulate the wire from the housing.

9. The viscometer of claim 1 , wherein the electrical connections include metal pins and insulators to electrically insulate the pins from the housing.

10. A viscometer, comprising:
a wire to vibrate in a fluid sample within the viscometer; and
a wire holder to tension the wire that is directly coupled to the wire holder and to electrically insulate the wire from electrically conductive portions of the viscometer, the wire holder including an elongated body and a grooved channel on an outer surface of the body extending along a length of the body, the viscometer defining a space in the grooved channel around the wire to hold the fluid sample in the space.

11. The viscometer of claim 10 , wherein the grooved channel is sized to hold a volume of between about 1 micro-liter and 50 micro-liters of a sample fluid.

12. The viscometer of claim 10 , wherein the wire is at least partially disposed in the grooved channel.

13. The viscometer of claim 10 , wherein a dead volume within the viscometer is between about 1 micro-liter and 50 micro-liters.

14. The viscometer of claim 10 , wherein the wire holder includes a groove at each of the ends of the wire holder, the grooves to substantially center the wire relative to a width of the grooved channel.

15. The viscometer of claim 14 , wherein the wire is fixed to the wire holder via welding, brazing or press fitting adjacent the ends of the wire holder.

16. The viscometer of claim 10 , wherein the wire holder comprises a ceramic material.

17. The viscometer of claim 10 , wherein the body includes a grooved mount at each end of the body.

18. The viscometer of claim 17 , wherein the grooved mounts electrically insulate the wire from a housing.

19. The viscometer of claim 18 , wherein the housing includes electrical connections passing through the housing to electrically connect to the ends of the wire, the electrical connections including metal pins and insulators to electrically insulate the pins from the housing.

Assignees

• Harrison Christopher
• Sullivan Matthew T
• Jundt Jacques
• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Harrison Christopher
• Sullivan Matthew T
• Jundt Jacques

Classifications

• G01N11/16 Primary

  by measuring damping effect upon oscillatory body · CPC title

• E21B49/10

  using side-wall fluid samplers or testers · CPC title

• E21B49/081

  with down-hole means for trapping a fluid sample (E21B49/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B47/011

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B47/017

  Protecting measuring instruments · CPC title