Patent ID: 9518434
Filing Date: 2016-12-13
CPC Classification: E21B

Claim Text:
1. A system for ascertaining and managing properties of a circulating wellbore fluid comprising: an output fluid piping system into which a fluid enters, the fluid exiting from a wellbore; a first sensor to sense temperature and pressure of the fluid in the output fluid piping system; a fluid processing and storage structure to process and store fluid received from the output fluid piping system wherein the received fluid is processed in the fluid processing and storage structure resulting in a processed fluid; a second sensor to sense a property of the processed fluid within the storage structure wherein the property is at least one of the properties selected from the group consisting of mass flow rate, volumetric flow rate temperature, density, viscosity, oil/water ratio, total solids content, chloride content, shear stress, gel strength, plastic viscosity, yield point, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity, wherein the second sensor provides input to a digital processor of the at least one fluid properties; an adjustable temperature control apparatus hydraulically connected to the fluid processing and storage structure to receive the processed fluid from a first outlet, manage the temperature of the processed fluid, and return the fluid to the fluid processing and storage structure through a first inlet, resulting in a managed temperature fluid inside the fluid processing and storage structure; a first inlet conduit between the fluid processing and storage structure and the wellbore for receiving managed temperature fluid; a third sensor to sense a property of the managed temperature fluid within the first inlet conduit, wherein the property is at least one of the properties selected from the group consisting of mass flow rate, volumetric flow rate, temperature, density, viscosity, oil/water ratio, total solids content, chloride content, shear stress, gel strength, plastic viscosity, yield point, thermal conductivity, and specific heat capacity, wherein the third sensor provides input to a digital processor of the at least one fluid properties; a controller on the adjustable temperature control apparatus which, in response to instructions determined by the digital processor, allows adjustment of the adjustable temperature control apparatus to realize the managed temperature fluid; wherein the managed temperature fluid is introduced into a drill pipe terminating with a bottom hole assembly disposed inside the wellbore.