Rheology Laboratory for Petroleum-Industry Fluids
For efficient and systematic characterization of rheology of oil-production-related fluids, a Rheology Laboratory is being established at UT's Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering. The following rheology tools are available:
- A rheometer (TA Instruments' ARES LS-1) which has independent strain and stress controls and can measure the shear-rate-dependent viscosity, and the oscillatory viscosity and other viscoelastic properties of non-Newtonian fluids
- Fann 50 viscometer which can measure shear viscosity at high temperature (up to 500 °F) and high pressure (up to 1,000 psig)
- A number of Fann 35 viscometers for routine measurements of shear viscosity
- LS-30 viscometer which measures the low-shear viscosity
- A Brookfield viscometer that is currently used for rheology of cement slurries
The current focus is on the rheological characterization of EOR-related fluids, such as aqueous polymer solutions, polymer gels and microemulsions; but the existing capability for drilling fluids and completion fluids is being incorporated, and new capability will be gradually added.
For more information, please contact Dr. Do-Hoon Kim (dhkim@che.utexas.edu, 512-471-6186) or Prof. Chun Huh (chunhuh@mail.utexas.edu, 512-471-3252).
See the Reservoir Engineering page for information on related research.