Viscosity and other properties are determined at desired temperatures in drilling mud and other fluids by using a versatile cavitation device which, operating in the cavitation mode, mixes and heats the fluid to a specified temperature, and, operating in the shear mode, acts as a spindle for application of Couette principles to determine viscosity as a function of shear stress and shear rate. The invention obviates the practice of adjusting rheology of a drilling fluid by passing it through the drill bit. Drilling fluid may be managed by a straight-through method to the well, or by placing the cavitation device in a loop which isolates an aliquot of known volume and circulating the fluid through the loop including the cavitation device. A controller may be programmed to manage the viscosity and other properties at various temperatures by controlling the power input and angular rotation of the spindle (which has cavities on its cylindrical surface), and feeding viscosity-adjusting agents and other additives to the fluid. Data may be collected from the loop and used in the straight-through mode until it is determined that conditions require a new set of data, or the loop may be used continuously. The system may be used with a supplemental viscometer, density meter, and other instruments.

A static mixer for desalting a fluid is disclosed. A static mixer can include a housing, a reduction cone disposed concentrically within the housing; and an expansion cone disposed concentrically within the housing; wherein the static mixer is configured to direct fluid flow through the reduction cone onto the expansion cone, thereby mixing the fluid.

Viscosity and other properties are determined at desired temperatures in drilling mud and other fluids by using a versatile cavitation device which, operating in the cavitation mode, mixes and heats the fluid to a specified temperature, and, operating in the shear mode, acts as a spindle for application of Couette principles to determine viscosity as a function of shear stress and shear rate. The invention obviates the practice of adjusting rheology of a drilling fluid by passing it through the drill bit. Drilling fluid may be managed by a straight-through method to the well, or by placing the cavitation device in a loop which isolates an aliquot of known volume and circulating the fluid through the loop including the cavitation device. A controller may be programmed to manage the viscosity and other properties at various temperatures by controlling the power input and angular rotation of the spindle (which has cavities on its cylindrical surface), and feeding viscosity-adjusting agents and other additives to the fluid. Data may be collected from the loop and used in the straight-through mode until it is determined that conditions require a new set of data, or the loop may be used continuously. The system may be used with a supplemental viscometer, density meter, and other instruments.

A containment apparatus is provided having a container body enclosing an inner cavity for containing fluids. The container body has a mouth and a metering aperture each passing through the container body permitting fluidic communication from the inner cavity to outside the container body. A flexible inert barrier is provided within the inner cavity and fluidically separating the mouth and the metering aperture, the flexible inert barrier forming a protective liner along the surface of the inner cavity when filled with a harsh fluid introduced from the mouth, and collapsible toward the mouth upon a greater differential pressure experienced from a benign fluid introduced from the metering aperture whereby the harsh fluid is forced out of the mouth, a portion of the surface of the inner cavity being exposed to the benign fluid upon collapse of the flexible inert barrier.

A portable conveying apparatus for use in a hydraulic fracturing operation to transfer proppant from one or more storage containers storing said proppant to a blender where the proppant is prepared for subsequent delivery to a hydraulic fracturing wellbore comprises a frame, a conveyor supported on the frame and operable to transfer the proppant from a conveyor intake communicated with a storage container to a conveyor discharge communicated with the blender, a control system which is operatively coupled to the conveyor for controlling the conveyor to transfer the proppant therealong, and an operator cab mounted on the frame so as to be portable therewith for housing an operator using the control system to operate the conveyor. The operator cab is arranged to restrict passage of outside air into the operator cab and also so that an interior of the blender is visible to the operator when located therein.

A slurry injection system includes low and high pressure clear fluid manifolds. Low pressure clear fluid is pressurized and communicated to high pressure manifold. A blender unit communicates slurry through a sensor system that generates a flow rate signal and a density signal of the low pressure slurry. The slurry pressurizer is in fluid communication with the high pressure clear fluid manifold through a bypass pump, a mixer, the blender unit and the low pressure clear fluid manifold. The slurry pressurizer forms high pressure slurry that is communicated to the mixer and communicates fluid to the low pressure clear fluid manifold. The mixer mixes the high pressure slurry and high pressure clear fluid from the high pressure clear fluid manifold to form a mixture that is communicated to a slurry injection site. A controller controls the bypass pump using the flow rate and density to control a density of slurry.

A method of preparing a concrete composition for downhole injection includes utilizing a controller to control a process including circulating process water in a process water supply loop for a predetermined period while monitoring and controlling the temperature and flow rate of the process water, circulating aqueous-based air entrainment solution in an aqueous-based air entrainment solution supply loop for the predetermined period and controlling the flow rate of the aqueous-based air entrainment solution and after the predetermined period of time in which the flow of process water and aqueous-based air entrainment solution have stabilized, simultaneously actuating valves to divert and mix the process water, the aqueous-based air entrainment solution and compressed air to produce an air-entrained foam and mixing the foam with a concrete composition to be deployed downhole.

The present invention provides a method and system for providing on-site electrical power to a fracturing operation, and an electrically powered fracturing system. Natural gas can be used to drive a turbine generator in the production of electrical power. A scalable, electrically powered fracturing fleet is provided to pump fluids for the fracturing operation, obviating the need for a constant supply of diesel fuel to the site and reducing the site footprint and infrastructure required for the fracturing operation, when compared with conventional systems.

Apparatuses and systems and methods implementing the apparatuses and systems include a blender base unit having an rpm sensor and the methods determines a minimum rpm value that is converted to a shear rate, a fluid velocity rate, and an estimated maximum fracture width.

Embodiments of a mixing device power system generally include a power control module, an AC motor, and a variable frequency drive, wherein upon application of AC power to the system, electrical power is provided to the power control module which transmits electrical power to the AC motor, whereby rotation of a mixing spindle is initiated. After the spindle has begun rotating, transmission of electrical power from the power control module to the AC motor is ceased, and substantially simultaneously electrical power transmission is commenced from the power control module to the variable frequency drive which transmits electrical power to the AC motor, whereby rotation of the mixing spindle is continued. A method of using the mixing device power system to mix a fluid sample is also provided.