Schlumberger Technology Corporation

The University of Southampton

Vincent Joseph Sieben

Farshid Mostowfi

Shahnawaz Hossain Molla

Elizabeth Jennings Smythe

Cedric Floquet

Abdel Kharrat

Simon Ivar Andersen

Kenneth Chau

Christopher Harrison

Matthew T Sullivan

Ronald E G Van Hal

Hywel Morgan

John Ratulowski

Shawn David Taylor

Shunsuke Fukagawa

Matthew Charles Mowlem

John Meier

Marc Schneider

Alexander Stickel

Collins Obiosa-Maife

Nejib Hamed

Mohammed Al-Shakhs

Cedric Florian Aymeric Floquet

Iain Rodney George Ogilvie

Victoria Lee

Cailan Libby

A method of determining saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene (SARA) fractions of a hydrocarbon fluid sample, including: i) microfluidic mixing that forms a mixture including the hydrocarbon fluid sample and a solvent fluid that dissolves asphaltenes; ii) performing optical spectroscopy on the hydrocarbon fluid sample-solvent fluid mixture resulting from i); iii) microfluidic mixing that forms a mixture including the hydrocarbon fluid sample and a titrant fluid that precipitates asphaltenes; iv) microfluidically precipitating asphaltenes from the hydrocarbon fluid sample titrant fluid mixture resulting from iii); v) performing a microfluidic filtering operation that removes precipitated asphaltenes from the mixture resulting from iv) while outputting permeate; vi) performing optical spectroscopy on the permeate resulting from v); vii) determining an asphaltene fraction percentage of the hydrocarbon fluid sample based on the optical spectroscopy performed in ii) and vi); viii) sequentially separating saturate-, aromatic-, and resin-containing portions from the permeate from v); ix) for each separating of viii), measuring an optical property of the respective saturate-, aromatic-, and resin-containing portions over time; and x) determining fraction percentages of saturates, aromatics, and resins in the hydrocarbon fluid sample based on the measured optical properties of ix) and respective mass-to-optical correlation data.

Automated method and apparatus for measuring saturate, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene fractions using microfluidics and spectroscopy

A microfluidic device for evaluation of an organic/inorganic scale inhibitor is provided. The device comprises a substrate mountable to a disc for rotation about an axis. The device further comprises a proximal end and a distal end. The substrate defines a sample reservoir, a solvent reservoir, an inhibitor reservoir, and a precipitant reservoir at the proximal end and an analysis chamber at the distal end in fluid communication with the sample, solvent, inhibitor, and precipitant reservoirs. The substrate is constructed to direct one or more of fluids in the sample reservoir, solvent reservoir, inhibitor reservoir, and precipitant reservoir radially outwardly towards the analysis chamber under the influence of centrifugal force when the microfluidic device rotates.

Centrifugal platform and device for rapid analysis of oilfield fluids

A method of characterizing an oil sample includes: flowing a first sample containing an oil through a microfluidic device that has a microfluidic filter while controlling the temperature of the first sample such that it is above wax appearance temperature for the oil and measuring and analyzing pressure difference across the filter over time to detect the presence of fines in the oil. The method further includes: flowing a second sample containing the oil through the microfluidic device while controlling the temperature of the second sample such that the temperature of the second sample is lower than wax appearance temperature for the oil and measuring and analyzing pressure difference across the filter over time as the second sample is filtered to detect the presence of wax in the oil.

Microfluidic method for detection of fines, waxes, and asphaltenes in oil

A method for determining the asphaltene content of oil includes obtaining an oil sample, determining an optical spectrum of the oil sample and removing asphaltenes from the oil sample by precipitating asphaltenes using a first alkane precipitant. The method also includes determining an optical spectrum of maltenes of the oil sample and subtracting the optical spectrum of the maltenes of the oil sample from the optical spectrum of the oil sample to yield an optical spectrum of asphaltenes of the oil sample. The method further includes using the optical spectrum of asphaltenes of the oil sample to determine asphaltene content of the oil sample using a second alkane precipitant.

Method of predicting the concentration of asphaltenes using a first precipitant and correlation back to an asphaltene concentration measurement using a second precipitant

A method and system for detecting mercury in a hydrocarbon-containing fluid stores a sample of the hydrocarbon-containing fluid in a first reservoir. A liquid phase reagent solution is stored in a second reservoir. The liquid phase reagent solution includes nanoparticles with an affinity to mercury, wherein the nanoparticles are suspended as a colloid in the liquid phase reagent solution. The sample of the hydrocarbon-containing fluid is delivered from the first reservoir into a first port of a fluidic device while the liquid phase reagent solution is delivered from the second reservoir into a second port of the fluidic device such that the fluidic device produces slug flow. The slug flow is subject to optical analysis that determines concentration of mercury in the sample of the hydrocarbon-containing fluid.

Systems and methods for detection of mercury in hydrocarbon-containing fluids using optical analysis of slug flow

An optical sensor and corresponding method of operation can detect a phase transition and/or related property of a hydrocarbon-based analyte. The optical sensor includes an optical element with a metallic film coupled or integral thereto, with a sample chamber holds the hydrocarbon-based analyte such that the hydrocarbon-based analyte is disposed adjacent the metallic layer. The optical sensor further includes a light source configured to direct light through the optical element such that the light is reflected by the metallic layer under conditions of surface plasmon resonance. The optical sensor analyzes the reflected light to detect a phase transition and/or related property of a hydrocarbon-based analyte.

Optical sensors using surface plasmon resonance to determine at least one property relating to phase change of a hydrocarbon-based analyte

An optical sensor includes a flow cell permitting flow of a hydrocarbon-based analyte therethrough. A metallic film is disposed adjacent or within the flow cell. At least one optical element directs polychromatic light for supply to an interface of the metallic film under conditions of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and directs polychromatic light reflected at the interface of the metallic film (which is sensitive to SPR at such interface and thus provides an SPR sensing region within the flow cell) for output to at least one spectrometer that measures spectral data of such polychromatic light. A computer processing system is configured to process the measured spectral data over time as the hydrocarbon-based analyte flows through the flow cell to determine SPR peak wavelength over time and to process the SPR peak wavelength over time to determine at least one property related to phase transition of the analyte.

Systems, methods and apparatus for analysis of reservoir fluids using surface plasmon resonance

A method of evaluating an asphaltene inhibitor includes providing a centrifugal microfluidic system including: a disc mounted to rotate about an axis; a microfluidic device mounted on the disc, the device having sample, solvent, inhibitor, and precipitant reservoirs and an analysis chamber in fluid communication with the sample, solvent, inhibitor, and precipitant reservoirs; and an optical detection system coupled to the analysis chamber and configured to measure the optical transmission of fluid in the analysis chamber. The method includes filling the sample, solvent, inhibitor, and precipitant reservoirs, respectively, with a sample, solvent, inhibitor, and precipitant; rotating the disc to generate centrifugal force to cause the sample, solvent, inhibitor, and precipitant to travel radially outward to the analysis chamber; and measuring the optical transmission of a mixture of the sample, solvent, inhibitor, and precipitant in the analysis chamber as a function of radial distance of the analysis chamber.

A method and apparatus for analyzing solubility of asphaltenes of a hydrocarbon fluid sample involves a sequence of operations including: i) performing microfluidic mixing operations that form a mixture that includes the hydrocarbon fluid sample, a solvent that dissolves asphaltenes and a precipitant that precipitates asphaltenes; ii) using microfluidic processes that result in precipitation of asphaltenes from the mixture resulting from i); iii) performing microfluidic filtering operations that remove precipitated asphaltenes resulting from ii) and passes permeate; and iv) performing optical spectroscopy on the permeate resulting from iii). The operations of i)-iv) can be repeated over iterations that vary the amount of solvent relative to the precipitant in the mixture. These iterations can cause varying fractional precipitation of asphaltenes in each given iteration.

Automated method and apparatus to characterize solubility of asphaltenes of a hydrocarbon fluid sample utilizing microfluidics

A method for determining an asphaltene onset condition of a crude oil is provided. The method includes receiving a crude oil within a downhole tool inside a well and taking a first measurement of an optical property of the received crude oil. The method also includes lowering the pressure or temperature of the crude oil after taking the first measurement of the optical property to cause aggregation of asphaltenes in the crude oil, and then separating aggregated asphaltenes from the crude oil. Further, the method includes taking a second measurement of the optical property of the crude oil within the downhole tool after separating aggregated asphaltenes from the crude oil and determining an asphaltene onset condition of the crude oil through comparison of the first and second measurements of the optical property. Additional methods, systems, and devices are also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for measuring asphaltene onset conditions and yields of crude oils

A method for determining an asphaltene yield curve and an asphaltene flocculation point includes obtaining a crude oil sample and measuring an optical spectrum of the crude oil sample. A titrant is then mixed with the crude oil sample at different concentrations. At each concentration, precipitated asphaltenes are filtered from the mixture and the optical spectrum of the filtrate is measured. The optical spectrum of the filtrate is then subtracted from the optical spectrum of the crude oil sample. A fractional asphaltene precipitation is determined for each concentration of titrant. A flocculation point is determined corresponding to an inflection point in the fractional asphaltene precipitation for each concentration of titrant.

Method and apparatus for determining asphaltene yield and flocculation point of crude oil

An absorption cell for microfluidic chemical analysis made from tinted or colored polymers, for example polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), in which microfluidic channels are cut. Light is coupled into the absorption cell via two windows (typically 200 um thick) that are retained at either end of the channel. Absorption is measured using a light source, such as a light emitting diode (LED) and a photodiode butted against the windows. Spurious scattered and/or reflected light is absorbed by the colored polymer over the length of the measurement cell, while very little light loss occurs at the coupling windows.

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Edmonton, Canada

Vincent Joseph Sieben