Sample Degasser Dilution Control for Drilling Fluid Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drilling fluid sample degassers face challenges in accurately representing downhole environments due to dilution of gas samples by atmospheric air, leading to skewed hydrocarbon gas readings, which can be misinterpreted as malfunctions or incorrect gas concentrations.
Innovation Solution
A dilution control system for sample degassers that adjusts the rate of injection of a dilution fluid, such as nitrogen gas or water, and the extraction rate of gas samples using a mass flow controller and sample pump, respectively, to stabilize and control the dilution factor, ensuring accurate representation of hydrocarbon and other gas components absorbed by the drilling fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If atmospheric air is introduced into the sample degasser to replace extracted gas samples, then the sample degasser can maintain operation continuity, but the hydrocarbon gas readings become skewed due to dilution
Solution Approach 1:
A known dilution gas (such as nitrogen or helium) is introduced as an intermediary substance to replace atmospheric air. This dilution gas serves as a mediator between the extracted gas sample and the replacement gas, allowing controlled dilution while preventing atmospheric air contamination. The known concentration of the dilution gas enables calculation of the actual hydrocarbon concentration despite the dilution effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of gas composition by introducing a known dilution gas with a specific concentration rather than using atmospheric air. This parameter change allows the system to maintain operation continuity while enabling accurate measurements through mathematical correction based on the known dilution gas concentration and the measured total gas concentration.
2Device complexity
If no dilution control is implemented, then the system remains simple, but the dilution factor varies and leads to inaccurate gas concentration measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the total gas concentration and comparing it against expected values. The known dilution gas concentration provides a reference that enables calculation of the actual hydrocarbon concentration. This feedback mechanism allows the system to compensate for dilution effects and maintain measurement precision without requiring complex physical modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical dilution control mechanisms with a mathematical correction approach. Instead of physically controlling every variable to maintain constant dilution, the system uses the known concentration of the dilution gas and measured total concentration to calculate the actual hydrocarbon concentration through mathematical relationships, simplifying the overall system while maintaining precision.
3Productivity
If atmospheric air replaces extracted gas samples, then the sample degasser operates continuously, but low or high gas readings may be misinterpreted as malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The known dilution gas acts as an intermediary that enables continuous operation while preventing misinterpretation of readings. By introducing a gas with a known concentration rather than atmospheric air, the system can mathematically correct the measured total concentration to determine the actual hydrocarbon concentration, thereby maintaining both continuous operation and reading accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the compositional parameter of the replacement gas from atmospheric air to a known dilution gas. This parameter change ensures that the measured gas readings reflect actual hydrocarbon concentrations rather than being skewed by atmospheric composition, thereby preventing misinterpretation of low or high readings as malfunctions while maintaining continuous operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system provides a controlled dilution factor, allowing for accurate analysis of gas samples by accounting for atmospheric air dilution, thereby improving the accuracy of hydrocarbon gas concentration measurements and reducing misinterpretation of low or high gas readings.
Implementation Method 1
injecting a dilution fluid into a tank of the sample degasser having drilling fluid previously circulated in a borehole
Implementation Method 2
a sample pump coupled to the sample degasser to extract a gas sample of gaseous components of the drilling fluid
Implementation Method 3
The sample degasser may include an impeller for agitating the drilling fluid in the tank
Data Source
AI summary
A degasser system may comprise a mass flow controller device and a sample pump coupled to a sample degasser for controlling the dilution of gases extracted from drilling fluid in the sample degasser by a dilution fluid, such as nitrogen gas. The mass flow controller may inject the dilution fluid into the tank of the sample degasser to dilute the gases extracted from the drilling fluid. The dilution fluid may be aspirated or sparged into the sample degasser. The sample pump may extract a sample of the gases separated from the drilling fluid by the sample degasser. The rate of injection of the dilution fluid into the sample degasser and the rate of extraction of the gas sample from the drilling fluid may be adjustable to control the dilution of the gas sample for analysis.