Source Rock Pyrolysis Basket Assembly for Stationary Sample Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pyrolysis reactor designs fail to maintain source rock samples in a stationary position during high-pressure, high-temperature experiments, leading to sample damage and difficulty in obtaining accurate pre- and post-experiment data on parameters like pore size distribution, permeability, and elemental distributions.
Innovation Solution
A pyrolysis apparatus with a sample basket assembly using metallic baskets attached to a removable head by rods, allowing samples to be suspended stationary above the chamber floor, made of nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy to withstand extreme conditions, facilitating precise imaging and geochemical analysis before and after experiments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If source rock samples are placed directly on the chamber floor during pyrolysis experiments, then the experimental setup is simple, but the samples move and shift under high pressure and temperature causing sample damage and measurement inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
A sample basket assembly serves as an intermediary device between the chamber floor and the source rock samples. The basket holds multiple samples in a stationary position above the chamber floor, preventing direct contact and movement during high-pressure, high-temperature pyrolysis experiments. This mediator structure ensures sample position stability while maintaining experimental simplicity.
2Measurement precision
If multiple source rock samples are processed individually with separate imaging and analysis, then each sample receives detailed attention, but the process is time-consuming and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The sample basket assembly is divided into multiple individual baskets, each capable of holding a separate source rock sample. This segmentation allows multiple samples to be processed simultaneously in the same experimental run, each maintaining its own imaging and analysis protocol, thereby increasing throughput while preserving individual sample analysis precision.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple individual sample processing workflows are merged into a single experimental run by placing multiple samples in the same pyrolysis chamber simultaneously. Each sample retains its individual basket and can be individually imaged and analyzed, combining the efficiency of batch processing with the precision of individual treatment.
3Manufacturing precision
If samples are suspended above the chamber floor using a basket assembly, then sample position stability is improved, but the apparatus complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sample basket assembly serves multiple functions: it holds multiple samples simultaneously, positions them above the chamber floor to prevent contact damage, and allows for easy removal and retrieval of samples. This multi-functional design achieves precise sample positioning without proportionally increasing apparatus complexity.
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
Enables accurate comparison of pre- and post-experiment data by ensuring the same samples are imaged and analyzed, reducing sample damage and allowing comprehensive understanding of oil generation in source rocks for basin modeling.
Implementation Method 1
a heater configured to heat the fluid when the fluid is present in the interior space for the duration of the experimental period
Implementation Method 2
The pyrolysis chamber is configured to receive and hold within the interior space a volume of an aqueous fluid and to maintain a pressure within the interior space for a duration of an experimental period
Implementation Method 3
the one or more samples are for the duration of the experimental period suspended in a substantially stationary position above the floor while permitting contact of the one or more source samples with the aqueous fluid
Implementation Method 4
The pyrolysis chamber is configured to receive and hold within the interior space a volume of an aqueous fluid and to maintain a pressure within the interior space for a duration of an experimental period when the removable head is in a closed position
Data Source
AI summary
The apparatus includes a pyrolysis chamber configured to receive and hold within an interior space a volume of an aqueous fluid and to maintain a pressure within the interior space for a duration of an experimental period when a removable head is in a closed position. The apparatus includes a sample basket assembly comprising a plurality of baskets attached to the removable head by one or more rods. Each basket is configured to receive one or more source rock samples. The sample basket assembly is configured such that, when the removable head is in the closed position and the one or more source samples are disposed within each basket, the samples suspended in a substantially stationary position above the floor.