US4581926A — Determination of steam quality in thermal injecti…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 120 words

A method for determining the quality of the steam being injected into a hydrocarbon bearing formation surrounding a well in a thermal recovery process, said method comprising: positioning a bladed rotating member downhole; measuring the free rotational speed S o of the rotating member; measuring the torque T o required to stall the rotating member; determining the density of the liquid and vapor phases of the steam; determining the density ρ of the steam from the expression T o =K*V 2 *ρ where K is a proportionality constant for a particular rotating member and V is the flow velocity of the steam; and determining the steam quality using the density ρ and the density of the liquid and vapor phases.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 120 words

A method for determining the quality of the steam being injected into a hydrocarbon bearing formation surrounding a well in a thermal recovery process, said method comprising: positioning a bladed rotating member downhole; measuring the free rotational speed S o of the rotating member; measuring the torque T o required to stall the rotating member; determining the density of the liquid and vapor phases of the steam; determining the density ρ of the steam from the expression T o =K*V 2 *ρ where K is a proportionality constant for a particular rotating member and V is the flow velocity of the steam; and determining the steam quality using the density ρ and the density of the liquid and vapor phases.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 37 words

The method of claim 1 wherein said bladed member is coupled to a direct current motor-generator and the energy required to stall said bladed member is determined by measuring the current flow when said motor-generator is stalled.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 45 words

The method of claim 2 wherein the torque under stall conditions is determined from the expression T=K×I where T=the torque in dyne/cm I=current flow in amps K=Z*p*Φ/(2 *a) Z=number of inductors p=number of poles Φ=magnetic flux in Weber a=number of parallel paths through the armature.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 30 words

The method of claim 3 wherein the lift force F 1 on the bladed member is determined from the expression F.sub.1 =T.sub.o /R where T o =stall torque R=shaft radius.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 57 words

The method of claim 4 wherein the density ρ of the two-phase mixture is determined from the expression ρ*V.sup.2 =F.sub.1 *2G.sub.c /(C.sub.L A.sub.p) where V=flow velocity in Ft/Sec C L =lift coefficient (a constant determined from calibration tests) A p =projected area of blades in Ft 2 G c =conversion factor=32.174 Lb M Ft/Lb.f Sec 2 .

Claim 7

Independent Claim 83 words

An apparatus for determining the density of a two-phase flow of liquid and vapor comprising: a direct current motor-generator; a rotating member having at least one blade, said rotating member being secured to the shaft of said motor-generator; circuit means coupled to said motor-generator to both supply electrical power to the motor-generator and measure the rotational speed of the motor-generator; and means for mounting said motor-generator and rotating member in the two-phase flow to determine the speed versus load characteristics of the motor-generator.

Claim 8

Independent Claim 83 words

An apparatus for determining the density of a two-phase flow of liquid and vapor comprising: a direct current motor-generator; a rotating member having at least one blade, said rotating member being secured to the shaft of said motor-generator; circuit means coupled to said motor-generator to both supply electrical power to the motor-generator and measure the rotational speed of the motor-generator; and means for mounting said motor-generator and rotating member in the two-phase flow to determine the speed versus load characteristics of the motor-generator.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 32 words

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said circuit means includes means for varying the electric load on said motor-generator to stall and motor-generator and measure the current flow under said stall condition.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 31 words

The apparatus of claim 7 and in addition a logging sonde, said motor-generator and rotating member being mounted in said sonde to permit said sonde to be lowered into a borehole.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 20 words

The apparatus of claim 8 and in addition means mounted on said sonde to centralize the sonde in a borehole.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 29 words

The apparatus of claim 9 and in addition means mounted on said sonde for providing a uniform mixture of both phases of the two-phase flow to said rotating member.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 16 words

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said motor-generator and rotating member are designed for low output.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 16 words

The apparatus of claim 6 and in addition means for retracting said at least one blade.

Claim 15

Independent Claim 81 words

A method for measuring two-phase flow and determining the percentage of each phase, said method comprising: positioning a combination rotating and drag member in the two-phase flow; measuring the free rotational speed of the member and the torque produced by the member at zero rotational speed; converting the measured rotation to velocity value; converting the measured torque to density value; and using the velocity and density values to determine the flow rate and percent of each phase in the two-phase flow.

Claim 16

Independent Claim 81 words

A method for measuring two-phase flow and determining the percentage of each phase, said method comprising: positioning a combination rotating and drag member in the two-phase flow; measuring the free rotational speed of the member and the torque produced by the member at zero rotational speed; converting the measured rotation to velocity value; converting the measured torque to density value; and using the velocity and density values to determine the flow rate and percent of each phase in the two-phase flow.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 26 words

The method of claim 13 wherein said measured rotation is converted to velocity using the expression S.sub.o KV where S o =rotational speed V=velocity K=a constant.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1989-04-14	1989-10-14	1990-04-15	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1993-04-14	1993-10-14	1994-04-15	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1997-04-14	1997-10-14	1998-04-15	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Determination of steam quality in thermal injection wells

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