Patent ID: 11867682
Assignee: BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  E | IPC E  G

Claim 17:
18. A system to measure a concentration of natural methane in a sample of drilling fluid, the system comprising:
at least one processor; and
a memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to:
determine a δ13C isotopic signature of a first hydrocarbon component in the sample;
determine a δ13C isotopic signature of a second hydrocarbon component in the sample;
determine a δ13C isotopic signature of methane in the sample, the methane comprising the natural methane originating from an earth formation and artificially-produced methane caused by drill bit metamorphism; and
determine the concentration of the natural methane in the sample based on the δ13C isotopic signature of the first hydrocarbon component, the δ13C isotopic signature of the second hydrocarbon component, and the δ13C isotopic signature of the methane.