A downhole tool may comprise a mandrel, wherein the mandrel is a structural support for the downhole tool; one or more arms, wherein the one or more arms are attached to the mandrel; and a pad, wherein the pad is connected to the one or more arms. The pad may comprise a material, where the material expands or contracts from an external electromagnetic field; an insulator, wherein the insulator is connected at a first end to the material; and an electrode, wherein the electrode is connected to the insulator. A method may comprise applying a time varying biasing voltage to a material, wherein the material exhibits mechanical strain; taking a first measurement and a second measurement with at least one operating frequency with an electrode; calculating a mud property based at least in part on the first measurement and the second measurement; and applying a mud effect removal algorithm to the mud property.

Methods are provided for determining the residence age of petroleum fluids in subsurface reservoirs. The methods facilitate the determination of the geological timing of the emplacement of a petroleum fluid in a porous reservoir, as distinct from the timing of petroleum generation in, and expulsion from, a source rock.

A composition sensor for measuring composition of fluid mixtures is presented. The composition sensor includes a plurality of high-brightness emission sources having respective spectrally narrow wavelength emission bands in the infrared region. The wavelength emission bands overlap absorption wavelength bands of the composition. The wavelength emission bands are wavelength multiplexed and time multiplexed prior to emission through a fluid mixture. A single optical detector senses the emitted light. The composition sensor includes arms that can rotate to measure composition at different angular position of a pipe in a lateral section of an oil well. Rotation of the arms is provided by rotation of an element of a mobile vessel to which the arm is rigidly coupled. The rotation of the arms is provided by a rotation of a nose of the mobile vessel that rotates independently from a main body of the mobile vessel.

A process for producing liquid transportation fuels in a petroleum refinery while avoiding the usage of crude oil feed stock that characterized by a fouling thermal resistance having the potential to foul refinery processes and equipment. Spectral data selected from NIR, NMR or both is obtained and converted to wavelets coefficients data. A genetic algorithm (or support vector machines) is then trained to recognize subtle features in the wavelet coefficients data to allow classification of crude samples into one of two groups based on fouling potential. Rapid classification of a potential crude oil feed stock according to its fouling potential prevents the utilization of feed stocks characterized by increased fouling potential in a petroleum refinery to produce liquid transportation fuels.

A system and a method for determining one or more distillation temperatures for one or more given distillation weight percentages of a crude oil sample are provided, which can be used to produce a simulated distillation curve. Simulated distillation temperatures of crude oil samples are assigned as a function of density and data derived from direct near infrared spectroscopy measurement of the crude oil samples.

A system and method for rheology measurement of a drilling fluid. The system may comprise an ultrasound transmitter positioned to direct ultrasound pulses into the drilling fluid; an ultrasound receiver positioned to receive sound waves reflected from the drilling fluid; and a computer system configured to determine a velocity profile of the drilling fluid based at least in part on the reflected sound waves. The method may comprise flowing at least a portion of the drilling fluid through a rheology measurement system; directing ultrasound pulses into the drilling fluid while the drilling fluid is flowing through the rheology measurement system; measuring sound waves reflected by the drilling fluid; and determining a velocity profile of the drilling fluid based at least on the measured sound waves.

A date tree waste-based lost circulation material (LCM) is provided. The date tree waste LCM may include includes fibers from the date tree waste produced from processing date trees in the production of date fruits. The date tree waste may include fibers from one or more of the following: date tree trunks, date tree rachis, date tree leaflets, date tree panicles, and date tree roots. The date tree waste LCM may include fibers having lengths in the range of 5 millimeters (5 mm) to 15 mm, diameters in the range of 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm, and having an aspect ratio range of 6 to 30. Methods of lost circulation control using and manufacture of a date tree waste LCM are also provided.

A method of identifying hydrocarbon seeps that are connected to hydrocarbon reservoirs and for identifying in situ conditions of hydrocarbon reservoirs is disclosed. The method comprises, obtaining a sample from an area of interest, such as a sediment sample or water column sample near a hydrocarbon seep; analyzing the sample to detect microbial signatures that are specific to families associated with hydrocarbon reservoirs; and using the signature to determine whether the hydrocarbon seep is connected to a hydrocarbon reservoir and to identify properties of the hydrocarbon reservoir.

An NMR-based system (10) to analyze one or more of the following: (i) crude oil property, (ii) crude oil rheology of crude oil, comprising an NMR device (11) for providing time and/or batch resolved NMR analysis and/or crude oil rheological profile, said NMR having a crude oil inflow pipe (13), and is in a fluid connection (14) with a crude oil refinery facility (12); wherein said system further comprising a computer readable medium configured to store a retrievable crude oil NMR analysis and/or crude oil rheological profile of a desired crude oil product (standard crude oil product, SCOP), thereby providing said system means to compare NMR analysis and/or crude oil theological profile of said SCOP with said time or batch resolved crude oil.

A testing apparatus for testing a fluid and a loss control material (LCM) is provided. The testing apparatus includes a testing chamber having an upstream end, a downstream end, a device central axis, and a general flow direction. The testing chamber includes a chamber body having an upstream cap, a downstream cap, a first chamber wall, and a second chamber wall. The first chamber wall has a first diameter and in part defines a first chamber interior, the second chamber wall has a second diameter, the first diameter is less than the second diameter, and both the first chamber wall and the second chamber wall are positioned relative to one another such that an annulus is defined in part in between. The traversal of the fluid and the LCM along the fluid flow path is restricted by a flow restriction.