Systems and methods for determining the composition of a drilling fluid using electro-rheology may be provided. A method for drilling a wellbore may include circulating a drilling fluid in a wellbore. The method may include extending the wellbore into one or more subterranean formations. The method may include measuring one or more rheological properties of at least a portion of the drilling fluid while applying an electric field to the drilling fluid to obtain an electro-rheological profile of the portion of the drilling fluid. The method may include determining an estimate of a concentration of at least one additive of the drilling fluid based on the electro-rheological profile.

An electric measurement method and apparatus for detecting a mass by an electric capacity (permittivity) or a material's dielectric constant, or alternatively, electric inductance (permeability). The mass may be any phase or combination of phases. The mass may be stationary or flowing. It may comprise discrete particles such as grain, or manufactured products such as ball bearings or threaded fasteners, etc. The mass may be a flow element in a rotameter or similar flow measurement device. The sensor comprises a volume which may be completely full or only partially full of the material. The material may be discrete components or a continuum. Sensor signals may be received by existing planter monitoring systems. In some embodiments the flow sensors are positioned external to the application port. In some embodiments sensors may be utilized which are responsive to the refractive index variation of specific chemicals.

A rheometer has rotary rheometer and a linear DM(T)A analysis unit. A measuring shaft of the rotary rheometer carries a measuring part that faces a measuring part carried on an adjusting rod of the linear analysis unit. The sample under test is placed in a measuring gap between the measuring parts. The DM(T)A analysis unit has a linear motor, in particular magnetically operated, with a stator and a slider, and a magnetically-operated gravitational compensation unit, by way of which it is possible to compensate for the weight force of the adjusting rod, the measuring part on the adjusting rod, the slider, and any optional the components fastened to the slider.

A droplet-based microfluidic rheometer system and method of use for real-time viscosity monitoring of blood coagulation is disclosed. Droplets of blood samples are generated in a microfluidic rheometer, and the size of the droplets is highly correlated to the sample viscosity. The size of the droplets can be determined optically using an inverted light microscope and a camera or using electrodes. The microfluidic rheometer systems provides viscosity measurements in less than a second and consumes less than 1 l blood or plasma over an hour period. The viscosity measurements may be displayed and transmitted to the Internet or cloud storage.

In one example in accordance with the present disclosure, a fluid analysis system is described. The fluid analysis system includes a fluidic die. The fluidic die includes a fluid chamber to hold a volume of fluid to be analyzed and an impedance sensor disposed within the fluid chamber. The impedance sensor measures an impedance of the fluid in the fluid chamber. The fluid analysis system also includes an evaluator device electrically coupled to the impedance sensor. The evaluator device determines at least one property of the fluid based on the impedance.

An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring the viscosity, the density and/or a predetermined filling level, having an excitation/receiving unit which excites a mechanically vibratable unit to vibrate, wherein a control/evaluation unit which is connected to the excitation/receiving unit and has a measuring branch and a checking branch separate from the latter is provided. The checking branch is configured to apply an excitation signal to the excitation/receiving unit, to receive the vibrations of the mechanically vibratable unit and to determine at least a first malfunction and a second different malfunction of the mechanically vibratable unit and/or of the excitation/receiving unit from the received vibrations, wherein the excitation signal of the checking branch has a continuous changing frequency which is described by a frequency/time function and passes through a plurality of modes of the mechanically vibratable unit.

A droplet-based microfluidic rheometer system and method of use for real-time viscosity monitoring of blood coagulation is disclosed. Droplets of blood samples are generated in a microfluidic rheometer, and the size of the droplets is highly correlated to the sample viscosity. The size of the droplets can be determined optically using an inverted light microscope and a camera or using electrodes. The microfluidic rheometer systems provides viscosity measurements in less than a second and consumes less than 1{umlaut over (.Math.)} blood or plasma over an hour period. The viscosity measurements may be displayed and transmitted to the Internet or cloud storage.

An electric measurement method and apparatus for detecting a mass by an electric capacity (permittivity) or a material's dielectric constant, or alternatively, electric inductance (permeability). The mass may be any phase or combination of phases. The mass may be stationary or flowing. It may comprise discrete particles such as grain, or manufactured products such as ball bearings or threaded fasteners, etc. The mass may be a flow element in a rotameter or similar flow measurement device. The sensor comprises a volume which may be completely full or only partially full of the material. The material may be discrete components or a continuum. Sensor signals may be received by existing planter monitoring systems. In some embodiments the flow sensors are positioned external to the application port. In some embodiments sensors may be utilized which are responsive to the refractive index variation of specific chemicals.

A computer for a manufacturer includes: a storage device storing amount-of-change determination values specified for respective amount-of-change indexes indicative of tendencies of temporal changes in pieces of sensor data A, B, and C, about a plurality of oil properties including a viscosity, a density, and a dielectric constant of oil; an abnormality determining section determining abnormality of the oil on the basis of the pieces of sensor data A, B, and C about the plurality of oil properties and abnormality determination values SAh, SAI, SBh, and SCh prescribed for the respective pieces of sensor data A, B, and C about the plurality of oil properties; a cause identifying section identifying, when the abnormality determining section determines the oil to be abnormal, the cause of the abnormality on the basis of the type of the oil property determined to be abnormal and the amount-of-change determination value of the oil property.

An electric measurement method and apparatus for detecting a mass by an electric capacity (permittivity) or a material's dielectric constant, or alternatively, electric inductance (permeability). The mass may be any phase or combination of phases. The mass may be stationary or flowing. It may comprise discrete particles such as grain, or manufactured products such as ball bearings or threaded fasteners, etc. The mass may be a flow element in a rotameter or similar flow measurement device. The sensor comprises a volume which may be completely full or only partially full of the material. The material may be discrete components or a continuum. Sensor signals may be received by existing planter monitoring systems. In some embodiments the flow sensors are positioned external to the application port. In some embodiments sensors may be utilized which are responsive to the refractive index variation of specific chemicals.