Apparatus for measuring thermodynamic characteristics of a hydrocarbon sample

• US 5,540,087 A
• Filed: 09/23/1994
• Issued: 07/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ELF Aquitaine Production
• Original Assignee: ELF Aquitaine Production
• Inventors: Royer, Marcel, Chaouche, Karim, Bickert, Jacques, Sanchez, Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Politzer, Jay L.
• Application Number:
  US08/311,585
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 73/53.05
• US Class Current: 73/53.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/70 by varying the temperature of the material, e.g. by compression, by expansion
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2823 Raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures

Abstract

Apparatus for measuring thermodynamic characteristics of a hydrocarbon sample, comprising at least one measurement cell (12; 14) intended to be selectively connected to a gas gauge (82); the gas gauge being capable of being selectively connected to a gas recovery assembly (98) and a liquid storage assembly (114), the measurement cell (12; 14) comprising a piston/cylinder assembly (16; 20; 18; 22), the piston being movable in the cylinder under the action of a jack (24; 26).

Claims

1. Apparatus for measuring thermodynamic characteristics of a hydrocarbon sample, comprising at least one measurement cell for measuring pressure, volume and temperature characteristics of the hydrocarbon sample, said measurement cell being selectively connected to a gas gauge for measuring pressure, volume and temperature characteristics of a gaseous sample received from said measurement cell;

said gas gauge being selectively connected to a gas recovery assembly and a liquid storage assembly for recovering and storing gas and liquid from said gas gauge for subsequent analysis, said measurement cell comprising a piston/cylinder assembly, the piston being movable in the cylinder under the action of a jack and a gas/liquid detection apparatus arranged in said measurement cell, said detection apparatus including a tubular element made of transparent light transmitting material, comprising a conical end projecting inside the cell, the tubular element being provided with an input and an output for a light signal.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the piston is complementary to that of the interior of the cylinder in order to reduce the dead volume of the piston/cylinder assembly to a minimum.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the jack is a ball-screw jack.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it comprises two cells, each being capable of being connected to the gas gauge, the two cells being arranged to be selectively connected together.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tubular element is made of sapphire.