Methods and systems are provided for measuring the zeta potential of macroscopic solid surfaces including and not limited to: porous samples, flat substrates, coarse particles, and granular samples. Methods include: subjecting the sample to an injection of a first aqueous solution at an initial pressure with an initial ion concentration; measuring a first electrical conductivity and a first temperature of the first aqueous solution; measuring a first pH and a second pH of the first aqueous solution immediately before and after passing the first aqueous solution through the sample; measuring a first ion concentration and a second ion concentration of the first aqueous solution immediately before and after passing the first aqueous solution through the sample; and processing the measured data to derive a first zeta potential from the first electrical conductivity and the first temperature.

Various embodiments provide methods and systems for providing fluid lighteners for use in downhole wells. The fluid lighteners may include one or more viscosifiers, one or more aphron generators, and a location-specific non-emulsifying surfactant.

A gas extraction assembly includes an agitator gas trap and a nipple apparatus. The nipple apparatus is coupled to a flowline containing a mud mixture. The agitator gas trap is also in communication with the mud mixture. An inline detector is in the nipple apparatus and configured to help separate the mud mixture from a gas. A tube passes between the nipple apparatus and the agitator gas trap to transport the gas from the inline detector to a gas detection and logging unit for sample recording.

This specification describes a leaf cell resonator sensor based on a geometry of Rhodonea conformal contours joined circumferentially in an eight-fold symmetry by central spoke electrode members. The resonator sensor may provide simultaneous and congruent measurement of fluid density and sound speed based on interaction of the leaf cell dynamics with self-formed Helmholtz cavity dilatational response of the fluid, and the associated changes in electrical admittance spectra in the sensor resulting from changes in fluid acoustic properties. A leaf cell resonator sensor may be capable of retrieving a density and sound speed measurement from fluid independent of the method of deployment, resulting from the principle of the self-formed Helmholtz resonant cavity feature that develops a standing acoustic wave pattern in the fluid without extraneous reflecting structure/hardware.

An interventionless system and method: of detecting a downhole activation device are provided. The system includes a first detector disposed downhole in a fluid pathway and; a second detector disposed downhole of the first detector in the fluid pathway. In one exemplary embodiment, the detectors include a pair of ultrasonic transducers that generate signals indicative of fluid pathway flow. Differences in the signals between the detectors are indicative of the presence of the downhole activation device within the fluid pathway. The system also includes a deployment port disposed above the second detector from which the downhole activation device may be deployed into the fluid pathway.

Methods and apparatus for managing fluid flow in pipes. An exemplary method includes initializing models of at least two fluid pads and one or more pipe elements, the models of the fluid pads comprising material points; for each of the material points, determining: an integration weight; and a material state; (a) for each of the fluid pads, discretizing governing fluid flow equations on a numerical grid, wherein the numerical grid is constrained within the pipe elements; (b) solving the discretized equations to generate nodal solutions; (c) constructing material point solutions from the nodal solutions; and until end criteria are met: updating the models of the fluid pads with the material point solutions; and repeating (a)-(c). An exemplary fluid flow data analysis system includes a processor and a display configured to display graphical representations of a fluid flow model, wherein the system is configured to manage fluid flow in pipes.

The method includes gathering field data of a formation, preparing samples of brine consistent with the composition of the formation brine and the injection brine, dead crude oil, and live crude oil, and characterizing the properties of crude oil samples. The method includes preparing samples of reservoir rock and characterizing the properties of the rock samples of the formation. The method includes measuring the contact angle of surfactant/formation brine/formation rock/formation crude oil samples at ambient and reservoir conditions and measuring the interfacial tension of the sample. The method includes characterizing the HLD properties of each surfactant. In addition, the method includes performing formulation targeting HLD=0 for a mixture of surfactants, performing laboratory evaluation of the HLD=0 formulation of the mixture of the surfactants to obtain values of oil recovery number, and testing the HLD=0 formulation of the mixture of the first and second selected surfactants in the formation.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for closed-loop control of a system using one or more electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) sensors located on-site. With such EPR sensors, a change can be applied to the system, the EPR sensors can measure the effect(s) of the change, and then adjustments can be made in real-time. This feedback process may be repeated continuously to control the system.

A method of monitoring a subterranean operation includes sampling fluid from a borehole during the operation, and estimating, in near real time, a concentration of one or more gases in the sampled fluid and an isotope composition of the sampled fluid. The method also includes identifying an operational inefficiency in the operation based on the isotope composition associated with the one or more gases, and performing, during the operation, at least one of: alerting an operator and adjusting an operational parameter of the operation, based on identifying the operational inefficiency.

A system can identify a type of contamination for drilling fluid based on measured fluid properties of the drilling fluid and fluid properties of a reference drilling fluid. A system can measure a first plurality of fluid properties for a drilling fluid sample contaminated from a wellbore drilling operation. A system can select a predicted model in relation to one or more types of contamination by comparing the first plurality of fluid properties and a second plurality of fluid properties measured from a reference fluid sample. A system can analyze the first plurality of fluid properties and a third plurality of fluid properties generated from the predicted model to determine a first type of contamination in the drilling fluid sample.