Claims
- 1. A method of testing a fluid containing particulate, comprising the steps of:
placing a sample of the fluid containing the particulate in a slurry cup having at least two inward projections extending inward from an inside surface of the slurry cup; connecting the slurry cup in a viscometer having an axial support from which at least two outward projections extend outward; creating continuous relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support such that the inward and outward projections impart a stirring force in the fluid containing the particulate; generating a measurement signal in response to a characteristic of the viscometer occurring by creating the relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support; and analyzing the measurement signal to determine an onset of particulate settling.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating the measurement signal comprises the step of generating an electrical signal in response to torque related to creating the relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support.
- 3. The method of claim 2 wherein elastic particulate transport occurs during a period of time before the onset of particulate settling, and viscous settling occurs during a period of time after the onset of particulate settling.
- 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of analyzing the measurement signal to determine the onset of particulate settling comprises the step of analyzing the electrical signal to detect an increase in the torque.
- 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the increase in the torque is characterized by an upward inflection in a graph of the torque versus time.
- 6. The method of claim 4 wherein the period of elastic particulate transport occurring near the onset of particulate settling is characterized by a substantially constant torque.
- 7. The method of claim 4 wherein the fluid is basegel and the particulate is sand.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein substantially all the sand remains suspended in the basegel during the period of elastic particulate transport, and substantially all the sand settles out of the basegel during the period of viscous settling.
- 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of analyzing the measurement signal to determine a crosslinking time for the basegel.
- 10. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of:
increasing pressure in the connected slurry cup such that pressure on the basegel and the sand in the slurry cup is greater than atmospheric pressure; and heating the basegel and the sand in the slurry cup to a temperature greater than ambient temperature.
- 11. A method of testing a fluid containing particulate, comprising the steps of:
placing a sample of the fluid containing the particulate in a slurry cup having at least two inward projections extending inward from an inside surface of the slurry cup; connecting the slurry cup in a viscometer having an axial support from which at least two outward projections extend outward; creating continuous relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support such that the inward and outward projections impart a stirring force in the fluid containing the particulate; generating a measurement signal in response to a characteristic of the viscometer occurring by creating the relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support; and analyzing the measurement signal to determine a crosslinking time of the fluid.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of generating the measurement signal comprises the step of generating an electrical signal in response to torque related to creating the relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support.
- 13. The method of claim 12 wherein elastic particulate transport and viscous settling occur subsequent to the crosslinking of the fluid.
- 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of analyzing the electrical signal to determine an onset of particulate settling by detecting an increase in the torque, wherein the elastic particulate transport occurs during a period of time before the onset of particulate settling, and the viscous settling occurs during a period of time after the onset of particulate settling.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the increase in the torque is characterized by an upward inflection in a graph of the torque versus time.
- 16. The method of claim 14 wherein the period of elastic particulate transport occurring near the onset of particulate settling is characterized by a substantially constant torque.
- 17. The method of claim 14 wherein the fluid is basegel and the particulate is sand.
- 18. The method of claim 17 wherein substantially all the sand remains suspended in the basegel during the period of elastic particulate transport, and substantially all the sand settles out of the basegel during the period of viscous settling.
- 19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of:
increasing pressure in the connected slurry cup such that pressure on the basegel and the sand in the slurry cup is greater than atmospheric pressure; and heating the basegel and the sand in the slurry cup to a temperature greater than ambient temperature.
- 20. A method of testing a fluid containing particulate, comprising the steps of:
placing a sample of the fluid containing the particulate in a slurry cup having at least two inward projections extending inward from an inside surface of the slurry cup; connecting the slurry cup in a viscometer having an axial support from which at least two outward projections extend outward; increasing pressure in the connected slurry cup such that pressure on the fluid containing the particulate in the slurry cup is greater than atmospheric pressure; heating the fluid containing the particulate in the slurry cup to a temperature greater than ambient temperature; creating continuous relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support such that the inward and outward projections impart a stirring force in the fluid containing the particulate; measuring torque related to creating the relative movement between the slurry cup and the axial support; and analyzing the measured torque to detect an increase in the torque indicative of the onset of particulate settling; wherein elastic particulate transport occurs during a period of time before the onset of particulate settling, substantially all the particulate remains suspended in the fluid during the period of elastic particulate transport, viscous settling occurs during a period of time after the onset of particulate settling, and substantially all the particulate settles out of the fluid during the period of viscous settling.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a divisional of co-pending application Ser. No. 09/499,827 filed Feb. 8, 2000.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09499827 |
Feb 2000 |
US |
Child |
10342173 |
Jan 2003 |
US |