US 12,072,270 B2
Determining the rheological properties of a fluid through a non-linear response
Miguel Gonzalez, Houston, TX (US); Max Deffenbaugh, Fulshear, TX (US); and Hyongsu Baek, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Jun. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/334,898.
Application 18/334,898 is a division of application No. 17/142,691, filed on Jan. 6, 2021, granted, now 11,709,119.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/957,556, filed on Jan. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0324272 A1, Oct. 12, 2023
Int. Cl. G01N 11/10 (2006.01); G01N 11/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/28 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 11/10 (2013.01) [G01N 33/28 (2013.01); G01N 2011/0033 (2013.01); G01N 2011/004 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
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.