The invention relates to the measurement of the rheology of drilling fluid down a hydrocarbon well in real time during operations. A sensor device comprising a pipe rheometer with multiple diameters is installed in a bottom hole assembly tool, such that a portion of the total flow of drilling fluid passes through it. In this way the rheological properties of the drilling fluid can be determined under the high pressures and elevated temperatures encountered downhole.

Methods are provided for predicting the properties of an asphalt emulsion, such as an asphalt emulsion that contains an asphalt fraction derived from a plurality of crude oils. Corresponding tools are provided to allow for visualization of the predicted asphalt emulsion properties. The properties of the asphalt components in an asphalt fraction for forming an emulsion can be represented based on using a simplified functional form to represent each emulsion property of each asphalt component. The emulsion properties of an asphalt fraction, composed of a plurality of asphalt components, can be modeled based on a linear combination of the emulsion properties of the asphalt components.

This disclosure relates to cold cranking simulator viscosity (CCSV) boosting base stocks that allow flexibility for engine oil formulations to meet both high and low temperature viscosity requirements while maximizing fuel efficiency. The CCSV-boosting base stocks can include C28-C60 hydrocarbon materials, linear esters, tertiary amides, dialkyl carbonates, aromatic alcohols, and aromatic ethers. This disclosure also relates to lubricating oil formulations containing the CCSV-boosting base stocks, and a method for determining the CCSV-boosting efficacy of a base stock.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for determining a fluid characteristic of a fluid flowing within a flow region.

A fast response fluid monitoring system (300) used for fast evaluations and predictions of the properties of a drilling fluid or a fracturing fluid (204) onsite of an oilfield operation, by measuring the fluid properties under two shear rates at current temperature, predicting the fluid properties under other shear rates and under an elevated standard testing temperature, and comparing and updating results of the test to the predicted results to optimize next-time predicting practice.

The present disclosure provides a low-cost and accurate rheometer system and method capable of determining melt flow rheological properties of polymers, such as from Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) polymeric materials. The device can include a filament feeding system, liquefier for filament melting, force transducer for measuring filament feeding force, and a temperature control system for controlling polymer melt temperatures. An electronic control system can capture data and manage operations. The system can measure a filament velocity and filament force required to extrude the FFF filament for printing. The filament velocity and force data can be used to compute data sets of melt volumetric flow relative to pressure drop across a FFF nozzle. An inverse analysis process transforms the computed data sets through nonlinear curve fitting to determine rheological parameters, independent of the customary calculation of apparent viscosity from shear stress and strain rate, that can assist in controlling the filament deposition.

A model of the viscoplastic boundary layer of a yield stress fluid is described and, based on which, there is provided a method of estimating the yield stress of a flowing yield stress fluid using one or more vibratory transducers having a vibratory surface in contact with the yield stress fluid, the method comprising: vibrating a vibratory surface of a vibratory transducer to transmit a wave from a vibrating surface into a viscoplastic boundary layer of the flowing yield stress fluid, the wave propagating a distance into the viscoplastic boundary layer; making, using the vibrations of the vibratory transducer, one or more measurements of the degree of damping of vibration; and estimating the yield stress of the flowing yield stress fluid based on the one or more measurements of the degree of damping of vibration. There are disclosed single-frequency, dual-frequency and triple-frequency modes of operation.

A method for checking an oil as a lubricant for an internal combustion engine includes: performing a laboratory test in which, independently of the internal combustion engine, a three-dimensional temperature-viscosity-shear rate characteristic field which characterizes the oil is determined, which includes a plurality of viscosities, shear rates and temperatures of the oil determined experimentally by the laboratory test and in each case associates shear rates and viscosities with the temperatures; checking whether the temperature-viscosity-shear rate characteristic field meets at least one predeterminable first criterion; and if the temperature-viscosity-shear rate characteristic field meets the first criterion: performing at least one test bench trial in which, via the internal combustion engine, it is checked whether the oil meets at least one predeterminable second criterion.

A method is provided for monitoring a flow behavior of mixed components without requiring additional instrumentation or sampling. The method is carried out by determining ratios of the power required to rotate a mixing impeller at different rotational speeds and then comparing the ratios. Characteristics about the mixed components are determined based on differences between the ratios.

A model of the viscoplastic boundary layer of a yield stress fluid is described and, based on which, there is provided a method comprises the steps of: vibrating a vibratory transducer at resonance at a first resonant mode in a yield stress fluid and making a first measurement of the resonant frequency; providing a vibration to liquefy at least a portion of the yield stress fluid around the one or more vibratory transducers; while said portion of the yield stress material is liquefied, vibrating a vibratory transducer at resonance at the first resonant mode in the yield stress fluid and making a second measurement of the resonant frequency; and estimating the yield stress of the yield stress fluid based on the first and second measurements. The vibration to liquefy yield stress fluid around the one or more transducers may be provided by the making of the second measurement at an increased amplitude of vibration relative to the first measurement.