Viscometer and methods of use thereof
Disclosed herein is a method for viscosity measurement of non-Newtonian fluid for in-line measurement and process control. The process involves mixing additives to a base fluid to form the non-Newtonian fluid. The non-Newtonian fluid is fed to an in-line viscosity measurement device to obtain a rheological measurement. The addition of the additives to the base fluid is then adjusted based on the rheological measurement. A system for accomplishing the same is also disclosed.
1. A method for viscosity measurement of non-Newtonian fluid for in-line measurement and process control comprising:
adding one or more additives to a base fluid at a mixer to form the non-Newtonian fluid;
feeding the entirety of the non-Newtonian fluid to an in-line viscosity measurement device;
measuring the viscosity of the non-Newtonian fluid to obtain a rheological measurement and a measured effluent;
adjusting the addition of the one or more additives to the base fluid, in real-time, based on the rheological measurement;
feeding at least a portion of the measured effluent to a pump; and
pumping the measured effluent to one or more downstream systems.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising recycling a second portion of the measured effluent to the mixer to dilute the measured effluent.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment of the additive is either an increase or decrease in the amount of additive being added to the base fluid.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising feeding the base fluid to the mixer from a base fluid source or supply tank.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base fluid is fed to the mixer at a selected rate.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-Newtonian fluid is shear-thinning.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the non-Newtonian fluid is in the range of between 1-10,000 cP.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a shear rate in the viscosity measurement device is maintained at a rate of 150-600 s −1 .
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a temperature of the fluid in the viscosity measurement device is maintained in a range of 40-120° F.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein feeding comprises feeding the entirety of the non-Newtonian fluid directly to the in-line viscosity measurement device.
11. A system used to prepare a slurry comprising an additive and a base fluid, the system comprising:
a base fluid supply;
an additive supply feeder;
a mixer that blends additive supplied by the additive supply unit and base fluid supplied by the base fluid supply to form a slurry;
an in-line viscosity measurement device for measuring the viscosity of the slurry during operation of the system by measuring a pressure differential created across a shear characterization device of the in-line viscosity measurement device;
a control system configured to adjust a rate of the additive addition, during operation of the system, in response to the measured viscosity of the slurry; and
a pump for pumping the measured slurry to downstream systems, wherein the in-line viscosity measurement device is located intermediate the mixer and the pump.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the slurry exiting the in-line viscosity measurement device is recycled to the mixer.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the viscosity of the slurry is in the range of between 1-10,000 cP.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the shear rate in the viscosity measurement device is maintained at a rate of 150-600 s −1 .
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein a temperature of the fluid in the viscosity measurement device is maintained in the range of 40-120° F.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the slurry is a non-Newtonian fluid.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the slurry is shear thinning.
18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the residence time of the mixer is sufficient to allow for an adjustment of the viscosity of the slurry based on the measurement obtained from the in-line viscosity measurement device.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the adjustment of the viscosity of the slurry is based on at least a performance curve generated by the control system.
20. An apparatus used to prepare and characterize a wellbore fluid, the apparatus comprising:
a base fluid supply unit configured for supplying a base fluid;
an additive supply feeder configured for supplying an additive;
a mixer configured for mixing the additive and the base fluid and forming a wellbore fluid;
a pump configured for pumping the wellbore fluid to a location down the wellbore; and
an in-line viscosity measurement apparatus configured for measuring the viscosity of the wellbore fluid during operation of the apparatus, the in-line viscosity measurement apparatus being located intermediate the mixer and the pump, the in-line viscosity measurement apparatus comprising:
a shear characterization device configured for creating a pressure differential upstream and downstream of the shear characterization device; and
a plurality of pressure transducers configured for measuring the pressure differential of the shear characterization device.