Patent ID: 7721595

Claim:
A method to monitor properties of a slurry to be used in a waste re-injection process, the method comprising: communicating a tank containing the slurry with a flow loop, wherein the flow loop comprises a pump, a viscometer, and a densitometer; pumping the slurry from the tank through the flow loop; measuring a viscosity of the slurry and outputting a viscosity reading with the viscometer; measuring the density of the slurry and outputting a density reading with the densitometer; evaluating the viscosity and density readings to determine the properties of the slurry; and measuring at least one of flow rate, pump stroke, temperature, and well pressure, head pressure, slurry viscosity and slurry density at a re-injection well; estimating downhole slurry properties for the re-injection well using the measured data; modeling surface properties for the slurry from the estimated downhole slurry properties; and adjusting the waste re-injection slurry in the flow loop based upon the modeled surface properties for the slurry, wherein the estimated downhole slurry properties include at least one from the group consisting of bottom-hole pressure and slurry stabilization time.