Methods and apparatus to determine the compressibility of a fluid

• US 7,913,556 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2008
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Hsu, Kai, Hegeman, Peter S.
• Primary Examiner(s): FITZGERALD, JOHN P
• Application Number:
  US12/137,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20090308600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 73/32.A, 731/520.5, 731/521.6, 731/521.8, 731/522.3, 731/522.4, 731/522.7, 731/523.8, 731/525.1, 731/525.2, 702/6
• US Class Current: 73/152.28
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/0875 determining specific fluid parameters
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/10 using side-wall fluid samplers or testers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/00 Investigating density or specific gravity of materials; Analysing materials by determining density or specific gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 9/002 using variation of the resonant frequency of an element vibrating in contact with the material submitted to analysis G01N9/34 takes precedence

Abstract

Example methods and apparatus to determine the compressibility of a fluid are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes capturing a fluid in a chamber, pressurizing the captured fluid to first and second pressures, measuring first and second values representative of first and second densities of the fluid while pressurized at respective ones of the first and second pressures, and computing a third value representative of a compressibility of the fluid using the first and second values.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

capturing a fluid in a chamber;

pressurizing the captured fluid to first and second pressures;

measuring first and second values representative of first and second densities of the fluid while pressurized at respective ones of the first and second pressures; and

computing a third value representative of a compressibility of the fluid using the first and second values.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising vibrating a rod to measure the first value.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein computing the third value comprises computing a derivative using the first and second values and the first and second pressures.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

pressurizing the captured fluid to a third pressure;

measuring a fourth value representative of a third density of the fluid while pressurized at the third pressure;

wherein the third value is computed using the first, second and fourth values; and

storing the third value.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein computing the third value comprises:

fitting the first, second and fourth values to a second-order polynomial model; and

computing a ratio of a first and second parameter of the model.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, further comprising using a least-absolute error criterion to fit the model to the first, second and fourth values.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the chamber comprises a flowline of a downhole tool.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the fluid is pressurized to the first pressure and the first value is measured while the downhole tool is located in a wellbore.

9. A method as defined in claim 7, wherein the third value is computed while the downhole tool is located in a wellbore.

10. A fluid analysis apparatus comprising:

a chamber;

a pressure control unit to pressurize a fluid contained in the chamber at first and second pressures;

a density sensor to measure first and second values representative of first and second densities of the fluid while pressurized at respective ones of the first and second pressures; and

a compressibility module to compute a third value representative of a compressibility of the fluid based on the first and second values.

11. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising:

a pressure sensor to measure fourth and fifth values representative of the first and second pressures; and

an output device to at least one of display, present, or store the third value.

12. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the density sensor comprises a vibrating rod.

13. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the pressure control unit is to pressurize the fluid to a plurality of additional pressures, the density sensor is to measure a plurality of values representative of additional densities of the fluid while pressurized at respective ones of the plurality of additional pressures, and the compressibility module is to compute the third value using the first value, the second value and the plurality of values.

14. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the density sensor is to operate while fluid sampling apparatus is positioned in a wellbore.

15. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a sampling container to store a sample of the fluid.

16. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the chamber comprises a flowline of a downhole tool.

17. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the compressibility module is to compute the third value as a derivative of the first and second values and the first and second pressures.

18. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the pressure control unit is to pressurize the fluid to a third pressure, the density sensor is to measure a fourth value representative of a third density of the fluid while pressurized at the third pressure, and the compressibility module is to compute the third value using the first, second and fourth values.

19. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 18, wherein the compressibility module comprises a model fitter to determine first and second model parameters using the first, second and fourth values, and wherein the third value comprises a ratio of the first and second model parameters.

20. A fluid analysis apparatus as defined in claim 19, wherein the model fitter performs at least one of a least-squares fit or a least-absolute error fit to determine the first and second model parameters.