Patent ID: 9719965
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: G01N

Claim:
1. A method of characterizing settlement characteristics of a drilling mud, the method comprising: disposing a sample of the drilling mud in an aging cell such that he sample of the drilling mud extends along a vertical axis of the aging cell; imparting a plurality of main pulses of energy to the sample of drilling mud, wherein each of the main pulses of energy is spaced over a testing time interval; recording upper responses and lower responses to the main pulses of energy from respective upper and lower vertical positions along the vertical axis, wherein the upper vertical position is disposed above the lower vertical position; determining that a first upper response and a first lower response recorded first response time within the testing interval are generally equivalent; and determining that a second upper response and a second lower response recorded at a second response time within the testing interval subsequent to the first response time are generally dissimilar; and estimating a settlement time, based on the first response time and the second response time, at which settlement of heavier elements of the sample of drilling mud settle toward the lower vertical position.