Patent ID: 8215155

Claim:
A rheometer for measuring rheological properties of a filtercake, the rheometer comprising a cell for containing a pressurised fluid supporting a particulate suspension, the cell having two outlets for removing the fluid from the cell, and the cell further having a respective foraminous body at each outlet, such that the particulate suspension forms a filtercake on a surface of each foraminous body as pressurised fluid filters through the body when the fluid passes from the cell to the respective outlet, wherein the foraminous bodies are translatable relative to each other, such that the filtercakes formed on said surfaces can be approached to form a unified filtercake, and wherein the foraminous bodies are rotatable relative to each other; and the rheometer further comprising a torque sensor for measuring a torque required to rotate the foraminous bodies relative to each other, the measured torque being indicative of one or more rheological properties of the unified filtercake.