MX2015001887A

MX2015001887A - Systems and methods for monitoring oil/gas separation processes.

Info

Publication number: MX2015001887A
Application number: MX2015001887A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Robert P Freese; Ola Tunheim; James Robert Maclennan
Original assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Inc
Priority date: 2012-09-14
Filing date: 2013-09-03
Publication date: 2015-05-07
Also published as: BR112015002983B1; EP2895688A1; MX356312B; AU2013315879A1; BR112015002983A2; SG11201500779TA; EP2895688A4; AU2013315879B2; NZ704678A; CA2880499C; SA515360137B1; WO2014042909A1; CA2880499A1

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for analyzing an oil/gas separation process. One method includes conveying a fluid to a fluid separator coupled to a flow path, the fluid separator having an inlet and a discharge conduit, generating a first output signal corresponding to a characteristic of the fluid adjacent the inlet with a first optical computing device, generating a second output signal corresponding to the characteristic of the fluid adjacent the discharge conduit with a second optical computing device, receiving the first and second output signals with a signal processor communicably, and generating a resulting output signal with the signal processor indicative of how the characteristic of the fluid changed between the inlet and the discharge conduit.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO MONITOR SEPARATION PROCESSES PETROLEUM / GAS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and methods for analyzing fluids and, in particular, to systems and methods for analyzing oil / gas separation processes.

Most hydrocarbon support deposits produce a mixture of oil and / or gas together with water, usually in the form of brine, and large amounts of dissolved or precipitated minerals, most commonly salts. In fact, in some oil wells, water and other byproducts can accumulate as much as eighty or ninety percent of the total production. This is particularly true during the later stages of production. Somewhere in the production process the mixture produced undergoes a separation process where the oil / gas is separated from the remaining components of the mixture and subsequently distributed to a refinery for treatment. The water and remaining components are usually removed from the hydrocarbons using one or more single-phase or multi-phase separation devices. Generally, these devices operate to agglomerate and unite the hydrocarbons produced, therefore separating them from water and other components of the mixture produced.

In some cases, the separated water and other components are capable of being pumped back to the ground, perhaps in some wells close to the one they were removed from. This process simply replaces a portion of the liquid removed from the reservoir, but also simultaneously serves to maintain the reservoir pressures required for efficient production indices. In offshore applications, it is often desired to discharge the produced water directly into the surrounding ocean, thereby eliminating the expense of pumping fluid back to the bottom of the tank.

Before the water can be discharged into the ocean, however, or any other body of water (eg rivers, lakes, streams, etc., in other applications) it must first be rigorously tested, to ensure that it does not contain any oil or water. other impurities that may harm the surrounding marine life. Because environmental regulations have become increasingly stringent with respect to the disposal of water produced in the ocean, it becomes increasingly crucial to obtain accurate and timely analyzes of the separated fluids so that they are not exposed to undesirable fines. and unnecessary and / or fees.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and methods for analyzing fluids and, in particular, to systems and methods to analyze an oil / gas separation process.

In some aspects of the description, a system is described. The system may include a flow path containing a fluid, a fluid separator coupled to the flow path and having an inlet for receiving the fluid and a discharge conduit for discharging the fluid after having undergone a separation process in the flow path. the fluid separator, a first optical computing device arranged adjacent the inlet and having a first integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and therefore produce and transport light interacting optically with a first detector that generates a first output signal corresponding to a characteristic of the fluid before the fluid enters the fluid separator, a second optical computation device disposed adjacent to the discharge conduit and having a second integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and therefore to produce and transport light that interacts optically with a second detector that generates a second output signal that corresponds to the characteristic of the fluid after the fluid exits the fluid separator, and a signal processor communicatively coupled to the first and second detectors and configured to receiving the first and second output signals and providing a resultant output signal.

In other aspects of the description, a method for determining a characteristic of a fluid is described. The method may include containing a fluid within a flow path, transporting the fluid to a fluid separator coupled to the flow path, the fluid separator having an inlet for receiving the fluid and a discharge conduit for discharging the fluid after having undergone a separation process in the fluid separator, generating a first output signal corresponding to the characteristic of the fluid adjacent to the inlet with a first optical computing device, the first optical computing device has a first computational element integrated configured to interact optically with the fluid and produces and transports light that interacts optically with the first detector that generates the first output signal, generating a second output signal that corresponds to the characteristic of the fluid adjacent to the discharge conduit with a second device of optical computation, the second optical computation device tie ne a second integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and produce and transport light interacting optically with a second detector that generates the second output signal, receiving the first and second signals of output with a signal processor communicatively coupled to the first and second detectors, and generate a resulting output signal with the signal processor.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the description of the preferred embodiments that follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of the present invention, and should not be viewed as exclusive modalities. The subject matter described is capable of modifications, alterations, considerable combinations and equivalents in form and function, as it will happen to those with experience in the technique and who have the benefit of this description.

FIGURE 1 illustrates an exemplary integrated computation element, according to one or more modalities.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a non-mechanical block diagram illustrating how an optical counting device distinguishes electromagnetic radiation related to a feature of interest from another electromagnetic radiation, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIGURE 3 illustrates an exemplary system for monitoring a fluid, according to one or more modalities.

FIGURE 4 illustrates an exemplary optical computing device, according to one or more embodiments.

FIGURE 5 illustrates another exemplary optical computing device, according to one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to optical analysis systems and methods for analyzing fluids and, in particular, to systems and methods for analyzing an oil / gas separation process.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein employ various configurations of optical computing devices, also commonly referred to as "optical-analytical devices," for real-time or near-real-time monitoring of fluids. In operation, the systems and methods described herein may be useful and otherwise advantageous for determining the quality of a fluid in fluid separation processes. For example, the optical computing devices described herein, which are described in more detail below, they can advantageously provide real-time or near-real-time monitoring of fluid flow and fluid separation processes that can not currently be achieved with either site-based on-site analysis or through more detailed analysis that takes place in a laboratory. A distinct significant advantage of these devices is that they can be configured to specifically detect and / or measure a particular component or characteristic of a fluid interest., such as a known adulterant, by allowing qualitative and / or quantitative analysis of the fluid to occur without having to report a delayed sampling processing procedure. With real-time or near real-time analyzes at hand, the exemplary systems and methods described herein may be able to provide some measure of proactive control or response on fluid flow and fluid separation processes, allowing the collection and filing of fluid information together with the operational information to optimize subsequent operations, and / or improve the capacity for remote work execution.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the systems and methods described herein may be suitable for use in the oil and gas industry because the described optical computing devices provide a relatively low cost, solid and accurate means for monitor hydrocarbon quality to facilitate the efficient management of oil / gas production. It will be appreciated, however, that the various systems and methods described can also be applied to other fields of technology that include, but are not limited to the food and medicine elements industry, industrial applications, mining industry or any field where it may be advantageous to determine the concentration in real time or almost in real time or a characteristic of a specific substance in a fluid that flows. In at least one embodiment, for example, the present systems and methods can be used to monitor the quality of drinking water after the water has undergone one or more separation processes to remove contaminants or adulterants therefrom. In other embodiments, the present systems and methods may be employed in military or security fields, such as in submarines or other water transports. In still other modalities, the systems and methods present may prove useful in the industries of trucks and automobiles.

Optical computing devices suitable for use in the present embodiments can be deployed at two or more points that can communicate fluidly within a flow path, such as a fluid separation device or separator. In some embodiments, for example, optical computing devices may be employed at both inlet and discharge locations of a fluid separator to monitor incoming and outgoing fluid conditions and, therefore, the overall effectiveness of the separator. In operation, the The optical computing device disposed at the discharge location can be configured to ensure an adequate or environmentally safe chemical composition of the fluid after discharge from the separator. Depending on the location of the particular optical computing device, various types of information about the fluid can be obtained. In some cases, for example, optical computing devices can be used to monitor changes in the fluid as a result of adding a treatment substance to the fluid. same, remove a treatment substance from it in a separator, or expose the fluid to a condition that potentially changes a characteristic of the fluid in some way. In this way, the systems and methods described herein can be configured to monitor a fluid flow and, more particularly, to monitor the fluid after discharge from a separator.

As used herein, the term "fluid" refers to any substance that is capable of flow, including particulate solids, liquids, gases, suspensions, emulsions, powders, slurries, crystals, combinations thereof, and the like. In some embodiments, the fluid may be an aqueous fluid, which includes water or the like. In some embodiments, the fluid may be a non-aqueous fluid, which includes organic compounds, more specifically, hydrocarbons, petroleum, a refined petroleum component, products petrochemicals, and the like. In some embodiments, the fluid may be a treatment fluid or a formation fluid. The fluids can include various mixtures that can flow from solids, liquids and / or gases. Illustrative gases which may be considered fluid according to the present embodiments include, for example, air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, methane, ethane, butane and other hydrocarbon gases, combinations thereof and / or the like.

As used herein, the term "characteristic" refers to a chemical property, mechanics, or physics of a substance. A characteristic of a substance may include a quantitative value of one or more chemical components therein. Such chemical components can be referred to herein as "analytes". Illustrative characteristics of a substance that can be monitored with the optical computing devices described herein may include, for example, chemical composition (e.g., identity and concentration in total or of individual components), impurity content, pH, viscosity, density , ionic strength, totally dissolved solids, salt content, porosity, opacity, bacteria content, combinations thereof and the like.

As used herein, the term "flow path" refers to a route through which a fluid is capable of being transported between two points. In some cases, the Flow path does not need to be continuous or otherwise contiguous between the two points. Exemplary flow paths include, but are not limited to, a flow line, a pipe line, a hose, a fluid separator, a process installation, a storage container, combinations thereof, or the like. In cases where the flow path is a line of pipe, or the like, the line of pipe may be a pre-commissioned pipeline or an operational pipeline. In other cases, the flow path can be created or generated by moving an optical computing device through a fluid (eg, a free air sensor). In still other cases, the flow path is not necessarily contained within any rigid structure, but it refers to the trajectory that the fluid takes between the two points, so that when a fluid flow from one location to another does not contain itself , per se. It should be noted that the term flow path does not necessarily imply that a fluid is flowing therein, rather that a fluid is capable of being transported or otherwise floated therethrough.

As used herein, the term "substance", or variations thereof, refers to at least a portion of a material of interest for evaluation using the optical computing devices described herein. In some modalities, the substance is the characteristic of interest, as it is defined in the above, and may include any integral component of the flow that flows within the flow path. In other embodiments, the substance may be a material of interest that flows in conjunction with and in addition separated from the fluid.

As used herein, the term "electromagnetic radiation" refers to radio waves, microwave radiation, infrared and near field radiation, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-ray radiation and gamma radiation.

As used herein, the term "optical computing device" refers to an optical device that is configured to receive an input of electromagnetic radiation from a substance, and produce an output of electromagnetic radiation from a processing element disposed within the optical computing device. The processing element may be, for example, an integrated computational element (ICE) used in the optical computing device. As discussed in more detail below, the electromagnetic radiation that interacts optically with the processing element changes so that it can be read by a detector, such as an output from the detector can be correlated with at least one feature of interest by being measured or monitored in the fluid. The output of electromagnetic radiation from the processing element may reflect radiation electromagnetic, transmit electromagnetic radiation, and / or scatter electromagnetic radiation. Whether reflected or transmitted, the electromagnetic radiation that is analyzed by the detector can be dictated by the structural parameters of the optical computing device as well as other considerations known to those with experience in the field. In addition, the emission and / or dispersion of the substance, for example by fluorescence, luminescence, Raman scattering, and / or Raleigh scattering, can also be monitored by optical computing devices.

As used herein, the term "optically interacting" or variations thereof refers to the reflection, transmission, dispersion, diffraction or absorption of electromagnetic radiation either in, through one or more processing elements (i.e. , integrated computational elements). Accordingly, light that interacts optically refers to electromagnetic radiation that has been reflected, transmitted, scattered, diffracted or absorbed by, emitted, or re-radiated, for example, using the integrated computational elements, but can also apply to the interaction with a fluid or substance in the fluid.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein will include at least two optical computing devices strategically arranged along a path of flow, such as a fluid separator, to monitor the concentration of one or more substances or characteristics of interest in the fluid and verify any concentration differences between measurements or monitoring locations. Each optical computing device may include a source of electromagnetic radiation, at least one processing element (e.g., integrated computational elements), and at least one detector arranged to receive light that interacts optically from at least one processing element. As discussed in the foregoing, however, in at least one embodiment, the source of electromagnetic radiation may be omitted and instead of the electromagnetic radiation it may be derived from the fluid or substance itself. In some embodiments, exemplary optical computing devices can be specifically configured to detect, analyze and quantitatively measure a particular characteristic or analyte of interest of the fluid in the flow path. In other embodiments, the optical computing devices may be general purpose optical devices, with post-acquisition processing (eg, through computer means) specifically used to detect the characteristic of the sample.

In some embodiments, suitable structural components for the exemplary optical computing devices are described in the commonly owned US Patents Nos. 6,198,531; 6,529,276; 7,123,844; 7,834,999; 7,911,605, 7,920,258, and 8,049,881, and U.S. Patent Applications Serial Nos. 12 / 094,460; 12 / 094,465; and 13 / 456.46. As will be appreciated, variations of the structural components of the optical computing devices described in the patents mentioned in the foregoing and patent applications may be appropriate without departing from the scope of the description, and therefore, should not be construed as limiting the various modalities described herein.

The optical computing devices described in the prior patents and patent applications combine the advantage of power, accuracy and accuracy associated with laboratory spectrometers, although they are too rigid and suitable for use in a field. In addition, optical computing devices can perform calculations (analysis) in real time or almost in real time without the need for delayed sample processing. In this sense, the optical computing devices can be specifically configured to detect and analyze particular characteristics and / or analytes of interest of a fluid or a substance in the fluid. As a result, interfering signals are discriminated from those in the substance by the proper configuration of the optical computing devices, so that the optical computing devices provide a rapid response regarding the characteristics of the fluid or substance based on the detected output. In some embodiments, the detected output can be converted into a voltage that is distinctive of the magnitude of the characteristic that is monitored in the fluid. The above advantages and others make the optical computing devices particularly well suited for use in the field and the bottom of the drilling, but can equally be applied to other industries or technologies where precise monitoring for fluid flow is desirable.

Optical computing devices can be configured to detect not only the composition and concentrations of a substance in a fluid, but can also be configured to determine physical properties and other characteristics of the substance also based on other analyzes of the electromagnetic radiation received from the substance. For example, optical computing devices can be configured to determine the concentration of an analyte and correlate the determined concentration with a characteristic of a substance by using suitable processing means. As will be appreciated, optical computing devices can be configured to detect how many characteristics or analyzes are desired for a given substance or fluid. All that is required to achieve the monitoring of multiple features or analytes is the incorporation of adequate processing and means of detection within the optical computing device for each characteristic or analyte. In some embodiments, the properties of the substance may be a combination of the properties of the analytes therein (e.g., linear, non-linear, logarithmic, and / or exponential combination). Therefore, most of the characteristics and analytes that are detected and analyzed using the optical computing devices, will determine the most precise properties or concentration of the given substance.

The optical computing devices described herein use electromagnetic radiation to perform calculations, as opposed to wired circuits of conventional electronic processors. When electromagnetic radiation interacts with a substance, the unique physical and chemical information about the substance can be encoded in the electromagnetic radiation that is reflected, transmitted through, or radiated from the substance. This information is often referred to as the spectral "fingerprint" of the substance. The optical computing devices described herein are capable of extracting the information from the spectral fingerprint of multiple features or analytes within a substance and converting the information into an output that can be detected with respect to the general properties of the substance. That is, through appropriate configurations of computing devices Optical, electromagnetic radiation associated with features or analytes of interest in a substance can be separated from the electromagnetic radiation associated with all other components of the substance to estimate the properties of the substance in real time or almost in real time.

As briefly mentioned in the above, the processing elements used in the exemplary optical computing devices described herein may be characterized as integrated computational elements (ICE). Each ICE is capable of distinguishing electromagnetic radiation related to the characteristic or analyte of interest of electromagnetic radiation related to other components of a substance. With reference to FIGURE 1, an example ICE 100 suitable for use in the optical computing devices used in the systems and methods described herein is illustrated. As illustrated, the ICE 100 may include a plurality of alternating layers 102 and 104, such as Silicon (Si) and Si02 (quartz), respectively. In general, these layers 102, 104 consist of materials whose refractive index is high and low, respectively. Other examples may include niobia and niobium, germanium and germania, MgF, SiO, and other high and low index materials known in the art. The layers 102, 104 can be strategically deposited on an optical substrate 106. In some embodiments, the substrate Optical 106 is BK-7 optical glass. In other embodiments, the optical substrate 106 may be another type of optical substrate, such as quartz, sapphire, silicon, germanium, zinc selenide, zinc sulfide or various plastics such as polycarbonate, polymethylacrylate (PMMA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), diamond, ceramics, combinations thereof and the like.

At the opposite end (for example, opposite the optical substrate 106 in FIGURE 1), the ICE 100 may include a layer 108 that is generally exposed to the environment of the flujp path, device, or installation. The number of layers 102, 104 and the thickness of each layer 102, 104 are determined from spectral attributes acquired from a spectroscopic analysis of a characteristic of the substance using a conventional spectroscopic instrument. The spectrum of interest of a given characteristic of a substance typically includes any number of different wavelengths. It should be understood that the exemplary ICE 100 in FIGURE 1 does not in fact represent any particular characteristic of a given substance, but is provided for purposes of illustration only. Accordingly, the number of layers 102, 104 and their relative thickness, as shown in FIGURE 1, does not report a correlation with any particular characteristic of a given substance. Nor are the layers 102, 104 and their relative thicknesses necessarily drawn to scale, and therefore not they should be considered limiting of the present description. In addition, those with experience in the art will readily recognize that the materials that make up each layer 102, 104 (ie, Si and Si02) may vary, depending on the application, cost of materials, and / or applicability of the material to the substance.

In some embodiments, the material of each layer 102, 104 may be doped or two or more materials may be combined in a manner to achieve the desired optical characteristic. In addition to the solids, the exemplary ICE 100 may also contain liquids and / or gases, optionally in combination with solids, to produce a desired optical characteristic. In the case of gases and liquids, the ICE 100 may contain a corresponding container (not shown), which houses the gases or liquids. Exemplary variations of ICE 100 may also include holographic optics, grids, piezoelectric elements, light pipe, digital light pipe (DLP), and / or acousto-optic elements, for example, which can create transmission, reflection, and / or absorbent properties of interest.

The multiple layers 102, 104 show different refractive indices. By properly selecting the materials of the layers 102, 104 and their relative thickness and space, the ICE 100 can be configured to selectively pass / reflect / refract predetermined fractions of electromagnetic radiation in different wavelengths. Each wavelength gives a predetermined weight or load factor. The thickness and separation of the layers 102, 104 can be determined using a variety of approximation methods of the spectrograph of the characteristic or analyte of interest. These methods can include inverse Fourier transform (IFT) of the optical transmission spectrum and structure the ICE 100 as the physical representation of the IFT. The approximations convert the IFT into a structure based on known materials with constant refractive indices. Additional information regarding the structures and design of exemplary integrated computational elements (also referred to as multivariate optical elements) are provided in Applie Optics, Vol.35, pp.5484-5492 (1996) and Vol. 129, pp.2876-2893 .

The weights that layers 102, 104 of the ICE 100 apply at each wavelength are set to the regression weights described with respect to a known equation, or data, or spectral signature. Briefly, the ICE 100 can be configured to realize the dot product of the input light beam in the ICE 100 and a desired charged regression vector represented by each layer 102, 104 for each wavelength. As a result, the output light intensity of ICE 100 is related to the characteristic or analyte of interest. Additional details regarding how the ICE 100 exemplary is capable of distinguishing and processing electromagnetic radiation related to the characteristic or analysis of interest are described in U.S. Patent Nos. 6,198,531; 6,529,276; and 7,920,258.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, a block diagram illustrating non-mechanically how an optical computing device 200 is capable of distinguishing electromagnetic radiation related to a characteristic of a substance from other electromagnetic radiation is illustrated. As shown in FIGURE 2 , after it is illuminated with incident electromagnetic radiation, a fluid 202 containing a characteristic of interest or a substance produces an output of electromagnetic radiation (e.g. light interacting with sample), some of which is electromagnetic radiation 204 which corresponds to the characteristic of interest and some of which is electromagnetic radiation 206 antecedent that corresponds to other components or characteristics of the fluid 202.

Although not specifically shown, one or more spectral elements may be employed in the device 200 to restrict the optical wavelengths and / or bandwidths of the system and thereby eliminate unwanted electromagnetic radiation existing in regions of wavelength that do not they matter Such spectral elements can be located anywhere along the optical train, but typically are They use directly after the light source, which provides the initial electromagnetic radiation. Various configurations and applications of spectral elements in optical computing devices can be found in commonly owned US Patents Nos. 6,198,531; 6,529,276; 7,123,844; 7,834,999; 7,911,605, 7,920,258, 8,049,881, and U.S. Patent Applications Serial Nos. 12 / 094,460 (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0219538); 12 / 094,465 (U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2009 / 0219539); and 13 / 456,467, The electromagnetic radiation beams 204, 206 impact with the optical computing device 200, which contains an exemplary ICE 208 therein. In the illustrated embodiment, ICE 208 can be configured to produce optically-interacting light, for example, optically-interacting light 210 transmitted and reflected, optically-interacting light 214. In operation, ICE 208 can be configured to distinguish electromagnetic radiation 204 from electromagnetic radiation 206 background.

The transmitted optically interacting light 210, which can be related to the characteristic or analyte of interest of the fluid 202, can be transported with a detector 212 for analysis and quantification. In some embodiments, detector 212 is it configures to produce an output signal in the form of a voltage corresponding to the particular characteristic of the fluid 202. In at least one embodiment, the signal produced by the detector 212 and the concentration of the fluid characteristic 202 can be directly proportional. Other modalities, the relation can be a polynomial function, an exponential function and / or a logarithmic function. The optically interacting reflected light 214, which can be related to the characteristic and other components of the fluid 202, can be directed away from the detector 212. In Alternative configurations, ICE 208 can be configured such that the optically-interacting reflected light 214 can be related to the analyte of interest, and the optically-interacting transmitted light 210 can be related to other components of the fluid 202.

In some embodiments, a second detector 216 may be presented and arranged to detect the optically-interacting reflected light 214. In other embodiments, the second detector 216 may be arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation 204, 206 derived from fluid 202 or electromagnetic radiation directed toward or before the fluid 202. Without limitation, the second detector 216 may be used to detect deviations of radiation originating from a source of electromagnetic radiation (not shown), which provides the electromagnetic radiation (i.e., light) to the device 200.

For example, deviations from radiation may include such things as, but not limited to, fluctuations in intensity in electromagnetic radiation, interfering fluctuations (eg, dust or other interferers passing in front of the source of electromagnetic radiation), window coverings. included in the optical computing device 200, combinations thereof or the like. In some embodiments, a beam splitter (not shown) can be used to divide the electromagnetic radiation 204, 206, and the transmitted or reflected electromagnetic radiation can then be directed to one or more ICE 208. That is, in such modalities, ICE 208 does not function as a type of beam splitter, as depicted in FIGURE 2, and transmitted or reflected electromagnetic radiation simply passes through ICE 208, processing computationally in this, before traveling to detector 212.

The characteristics of the fluid 202 are analyzed using the optical computing device 200 and can also be computationally processed to provide additional characterization information about the fluid 202. In some embodiments, the identification and concentration of each analyte in the fluid 202 can be used to predict certain characteristics. of the fluid 202. For example, the volumetric characteristics of a fluid 202 can be estimated by using a combination of the properties conferred to the fluid 202 for each analysis.

In some embodiments, the concentration of each analyte or the magnitude of each feature determined using the optical computing device 200 can be fed into an algorithm that operates under computer control. The algorithm can be configured to make predictions of how the characteristics of the fluid 202 change if the concentrations of the analysis change in relation to one another. In some embodiments, the algorithm can produce an output that can be read by an operator who can manually take an appropriate action, if needed, based on the output. In some embodiments, the algorithm can take proactive process control by automatically adjusting the flow parameters of a flow path, thereby reducing the fluid flow or pressure ratio within the flow path, to manipulate fluid characteristics .

The algorithm may be part of an artificial neural network configured to use the concentration of each detected analyte to evaluate the general characteristics of the fluid 202 and predict how to modify the fluid 202 or a fluid flow to alter the properties of the fluid or a related system in a desired shape. Illustrative but not limiting non-limiting artificial neural networks is described in the Application U.S. Patent No. 11 / 986,763 (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0182693). It should be recognized that an artificial neural network can be trained using samples of substances having known concentrations, compositions, and / or properties and therefore generate a virtual library. As the virtual library available for the artificial neural network becomes larger, the neural network may be able to accurately predict the characteristics of a substance that has any number of analytes present in it. In addition, with sufficient training, the artificial neural network can predict more precisely the characteristics of the substance, even in the presence of unknown analytes.

It is recognized that various embodiments herein are directed to computer control and artificial neural networks, which include various blocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms, can be implemented using computer hardware, software, combinations thereof, and the like. . To illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various blocks, modules, elements, components, methods and illustrative algorithms have been generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware or software will depend on the particular application and any imposed design restrictions. By At least for this reason, it is recognized that someone with ordinary skill in the art can implement the described functionality in a variety of ways for a particular application. In addition, various components and blocks may be arranged in a different order or divided in a different way, without departing from the scope of the modalities expressly described.

The computer hardware used to implement the various blocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and illustrative algorithms described herein may include a processor configured to execute one or more sequences of instructions, programming fields, or codes stored in a medium readable by computer, not transitory. The processor may be, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a specific application integrated circuit, a field programmable gate arrangement, a programmable logic device, a controller, a computer state, a gate logic, discrete hardware components, an artificial neural network, or any suitable similar entity that can perform calculations or other data manipulations. In some embodiments, the computer hardware may additionally include elements such as, for example, a memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory erasure (EPROM)), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMS, DVDs, or any other suitable storage device or media.

Executable sequences described herein may be implemented with one or more code sequences contained in a memory. In some embodiments, such a code can be read into the memory from another machine readable medium. Execution of the instruction sequences contained in the memory may cause a processor to perform the process steps described herein. One or more processors in a multi-processing array may also be used to execute instruction sequences in memory. In addition, wired circuitry may be used in place or in combination with software instructions to implement various embodiments described herein. In this way, the present modalities are not limited to any specific combination of hardware and / or software.

As used herein, a machine-readable medium will refer to any medium that directly or indirectly provides instructions to a processor for execution. A machine-readable medium can take many forms including, for example, non-volatile media, volatile media and transmission media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical and magnetic discs. The volatile means may include, for example, dynamic memory. The transmission means may include, for example, coaxial cables, wire, optical fiber and wires forming a bus. Common forms of a machine-readable medium may include, for example, floppy disks, floppy disks, hard drives, magnetic tapes, other similar magnetic media, CD-ROMs, DVDs, other similar optical media, punched cards, paper tapes and similar physical media with patterned holes, RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM and flash EPROM.

In some modalities, collected data using optical computing devices may be archived together with data associated with the operational parameters that are recorded in a work site. The evaluation of work performance can then be evaluated and improved for future operations or such information can be used to design subsequent operations. In addition, the data and information can be communicated (wired or wirelessly) to a remote location by a communication system (e.g. , satellite communication or wide area network communication) for additional analysis. The communication system can also allow remote monitoring and operation of a process to be carried out. The automated control with the long-range communication system can also facilitate the performance of operations of remote work. In particular, an artificial neural network can be used in some modalities to facilitate the performance of remote work operations. That is, remote work operations can be conducted automatically in some modes. In other modalities, however, remote work operations may occur under the control of the direct operator, where the operator is not at the work site.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, an exemplary system 300 is illustrated for monitoring a fluid 302, in accordance with one or more embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the fluid 302 may be contained or otherwise flowed within a flow path 304. The flow path 304 may be a flow line or a pipeline and the fluid 302 present therein may flow in the general direction indicated by the arrows A (i.e., from an upstream location to a downstream location). As will be appreciated, however, the flow path 304 may be any other type of flow path, as generally described or otherwise defined herein.

In at least one embodiment, the flow path 304 may be part of an oil / gas pipeline and may be arranged * near a manhole or forming part of a plurality of flow lines or pipes that are interconnected underwater and / or on the floor to interconnect various reservoirs of underground hydrocarbons with one or more platforms or reception / collection process facilities. In some embodiments, all or a portion of the flow path 304 shown may be employed at the bottom of the well. In other embodiments, all or a portion of the flow path 304 shown may be employed on the ground or near a surface installation, for example. As such, the portions of the flow path 304 may be arranged substantially vertical, substantially horizontal, or in any directional configuration between them, without departing from the scope of the description.

As illustrated, the flow path 304 may include or otherwise fluidly couple to a fluid separator 306. In some embodiments, the fluid separator 306 may form an integral part of the flow path 304, wherein the conduits inlet and discharge 308a, b provide transition locations or points between the flow lines of the flow path 304 and the fluid separator 306. The fluid separator 306 may be configured to receive the fluid 302 via an inlet conduit 308a and the discharge fluid 302 by at least one discharge conduit 308b after one or more constituent components are separated therefrom. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the fluid 302 contained or otherwise flowing through the discharge conduit 308b it may be characterized or otherwise referred to as a "separate fluid". While only one inlet duct 308a and only one duct 308b are shown in FIGURE 3, it will be appreciated that more than one inlet duct 308a and one duct 308b may be employed without departing from the scope of the description.

The fluid separator 306 may be any type of separator known to those of skill in the art and used to separate one or more components in the fluid 302 from one or more other components in the fluid 302. In oil and gas applications, for example, the fluid separator 306 can be any type of separator used to separate production fluids from the borehole in their component constituents of, for example, oil, gas, water, precipitates, impurities, condensates (e.g., BTEX compounds). ), multiphase fluids, combinations thereof and the like. Suitable separators include separators that operate on the principle of density separation or separators that operate on the principle of centrifugal separation. In operation, the higher density material or substance (e.g., water) is separated from the lower density material or substance (e.g., gas, petroleum, impurities, etc.) by centrifugation or differential settlements, as is known in the art. . In some modalities, various materials, chemicals or substances, as is known in the art, can be added to fluid 302 to help facilitate a more efficient separation process. Other suitable separators 306 may include, but are not limited to, oil and gas separators, stage separators, trap separators, separation vessels (separating drum, separation trap, water separator, or liquid separator), separators. discharge chamber (discharge vessel or discharge trap), expansion separator or expansion vessel, scrubbers (gas scrubbers), corrugated plate receivers, filters (gas filter), cielon technology (gas / solid separation, hydrocyclones for liquid phase separation) and dissolved air flocculant assisted and induced air flotation (DAF, IAF for solid separation and petroleum for oily waste treatment). Suitable separators 306 can have three general configurations: vertical, horizontal and spherical.

As depicted, and in the context of the oil and gas industry, the fluid separator 306 can operate to separate oil / gas 312 from the fluid 302 and a rupture foam or divider 314 can be disposed within the fluid separator 306 to isolate oil / gas 312 separated from any remaining components of fluid 302 and to otherwise facilitate the removal of oil / gas 312 from fluid separator 306. Fluid separator 306 may also operate to separate any precipitates 316 of fluid 302, which may, for example, establish or otherwise bind the lower part of fluid separator 306. Once substantially separated from oil / gas 312 and / or precipitates 316, fluid 302 comes out of the fluid separator 306 through the discharge conduit 308b. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the illustrated fluid separator 306 is simply described, for example, to complement the understanding of the exemplary systems and methods described herein. Accordingly, in no way will the described components or separation processes discussed herein as related to the fluid separator 306 be considered as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, those skilled in the art will readily recognize various variations or configurations of the fluid separator 306 that can be employed without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The system 300 may further include at least a first optical computing device 318a and a second optical computing device 318b. The optical computing devices 318a, b may be in some way similar to the optical computing device 200 of FIGURE 2, and can therefore be better understood with reference to it. As illustrated, the first and second optical computing devices 318a, b each can be associated with the flow path 304 at monitoring locations independent and distinct along the flow path 304. Specifically, the first optical computing device 318a can be located in, near (eg, adjacent to or in proximity to), or before the input conduit 308a, and the second device The optical computation 318b can be located in, near (for example, adjacent to or in proximity to), or after the discharge conduit 308b. The optical computing devices 318a, b can be useful for determining a particular characteristic of the fluid 302 within the flow path 304, so as to determine how the concentration of a substance present within the fluid 302 changes after passing through the separator 306, It should be noted that, although only two optical counting devices 318a, b are shown in FIGURE 3, it will be appreciated that system 300 may employ more than two optical counting devices within flow path 304, without departing from of the scope of the description.

Each device 318a, b may be housed within an individual liner or housing coupled or otherwise attached to the flow path 304 at its respective location. As illustrated, for example, the first device 318a can be housed within a first housing 320a and the second device 318b can be housed within a second housing 320b. In some embodiments, the first and second housings 320a, b can be mechanically coupled to the flow path 304 using, for example, mechanical fasteners, welding clamps or adhesives, adhesives, magnets, combinations thereof or the like. Each housing 320a, b may be configured to substantially protect the internal components of the respective devices 318a, b from damage or contamination from the external environment. In addition, each housing 320a, b may be designed to withstand the pressures that may be experienced within the flow path 304 and therefore provide a hermetic seal between the flow path 304 and the respective housing 320a, b.

As will be described in more detail below, each device 318a, b can be configured to produce a real-time or near real-time output signal in the form of a voltage (or current) that corresponds to a particular feature of interest in the fluid 302. For example, the first device 318a can generate a first output signal 322a and the second device 318b can generate a second output signal 322b. In some embodiments, the output signal 322a, b of each device 318a, b may be transported to or otherwise received by a signal processor 324 communicatively coupled to each device 318a, b. The signal processor 324 may be a computer that includes a non-transient machine readable medium, and may employ an algorithm configured to calculate or otherwise determine the differences between the two output signals 322a, b. For example, the first output signal 322a may be indicative of the concentration of a substance and / or the magnitude of the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302 at the location of the first device 318a along the flow path 304, and the second output signal 322b may be indicative of the concentration of the substance and / or the magnitude of the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302 at the location of the second device 318b along the flow path 304. Therefore, in At least one embodiment, the signal processor 324 can be configured to determine how the concentration of the substance and / or the magnitude of the feature of interest in the fluid 302 has changed as it passes through the fluid separator 306.

In real time or almost in real time, the signal processor 324 can be configured to provide a resulting output signal 326 which can be carried, either wired or wirelessly to a user for consideration. In at least one mode, as briefly mentioned in the above, the resulting output signal 326 may correspond to a measured difference in the substance and / or the magnitude of the feature of interest in the fluid 302 between the first and second optical counting devices 318a, b. For example, in one or more embodiments, the first and second output signals 322a, b may be indicative of a concentration of a substance, such that a hydrocarbon or other common production fluid component, flows with the fluid 302. The first optical computing device 318a can be configured to determine and report the concentration of the substance in, near, or before the inlet conduit 308a, and the second optical computation device 318b can be configured to determine and report the concentration of the substance at, near, or after the discharge conduit 308b. In calculating the difference between the first and second output signals 322a, b, the signal processor 324 may be able to determine how efficiently the fluid separator 306 operates.

In other modalities, the first and second output signals 322a, b may be indicative of an interesting feature of the fluid 302 itself, such as any chemical, mechanical or physical property of the fluid 302. In at least one embodiment, the characteristic of interest may refer to an impurity content of fluid 302, such as the presence of salts, precipitates, water (ie, in the case of separation of hydrocarbons) and hydrocarbons (ie, in the case of separation by water), particles, indicators (for example, chemical or physical), metals, organic compounds and volatile organic compounds, additives and treatments, polymers, biological organisms (for example, bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, etc.) drugs and medicines, poisons or other components of interest. The first optical computing device 318a can be configured to determine and report the concentration of the impurity content on, near, or before the input conduit 308a, and the second optical computing device 318b can be configured to determine and report the concentration of the content of impurity in, near or before the discharge conduit 308b. Accurately calculating and reporting the impurity content of the fluid 302 in real time or in near real time may be advantageous in quality control applications where the fluid 302 exiting the fluid separator 306 should, for example, adhere to rules and Strict environmental regulations.For example, state and national regulations often determine that oil in wastewater concentrations is less than 5ppm for discharge within inland waterways and 20-30ppm in the open ocean. System 300, and its variations, can be used to ensure that the concentration of oil in wastewater does not exceed these predetermined limits.

In other modalities, the first and second exit signs 322a, b may be indicative of fluid compositions and fluid phases. For example, the first and second output signals 322a, b may be indicative of characteristics such as density, specific gravity, pH, total dissolved solids, sand or particles, combinations thereof and the like. In still other embodiments, the first and second output signals 322a, b may be indicative of the concentration or content of one or more treatment chemicals added to the fluid 302. In many circumstances, for example, separation operations may be aided by the use of one or more treatment chemicals, such as emulsion switches, defoaming agents, digesting organisms, binding agents and flocculants. The relative concentrations of such treatment chemicals can be monitored and measured using the system 300, and its variations.

In still other embodiments, the resulting output signal 326 may be recognized by the signal processor 324 being within or without a predetermined or preprogrammed operating range suitable for the flow path 304. For example, the first and second output signals 322a, b can report general fluid conditions in the flow path 304 on respective sides of the fluid separator 306 and can be configured to show a user whether the level of the oil (or other substance to be separated using the fluid separator 306) has exceeded a predetermined level. In some aspects, the first output signal 322a derived from the first optical computing device 318a can be configured to provide an early warning of a potential overload of the fluid separator 306. Similarly, the second output signal 322b derived from the second optical computing device 318b can be configured to provide an alert that an impurity, such as petroleum or other hydrocarbon, exits the 5 fluid separator 306 via discharge conduit 308b.

In at least one embodiment, the system 300 may be or otherwise include an automated control system 328 configured to autonomously react to the resulting output 326 signals that are within or outside of margins. 10 predetermined or pre-programmed operation suitable for the flow path 304. For example, if the output signal 326 , * resulting exceeds the predetermined or pre-programmed operating margin, the automated control system 328 can be configured to alert the user so that the 15 appropriate corrective action, or otherwise autonomously overcome the appropriate corrective action so that the resulting output signal 326 returns to a value that falls within the predetermined or pre-programmed operating range. Such corrective actions may involve adjusting the parameters or conditions 20 of fluid 302, such as when handling fluid flow, pressure, temperature, direction of flow path (e.g., changing the path of fluid flow), add treatment and / or other additives (all types), increase or decrease the rotation speed of stage centrifuges disc, adjust magnetic or electric fields, adjust exposure to light and / or air flow, combinations of the same and similar.

Still with reference to FIGURE 3, in other embodiments, the first optical computing device 318a may be omitted from the system 300 and instead an optical light pipe 330 may be included to facilitate monitoring and / or detection of the fluid 302 at or near of the inlet conduit 308a. The optical light pipe 330 can be an optical fiber guide, probe, or conduit used for the transmission of electromagnetic radiation to / from the second optical computing device 318b. Specifically, the optical light pipe can be communicatively coupled to the second optical computing device 318b to the fluid in or near the input conduit 308a. For example, the optical light pipe 330 can be configured to convey electromagnetic radiation from the second optical computing device 318 to the fluid 302 for the purpose of determining the particular feature of interest. The optical light pipe 330 can also be configured to transport optically interacting radiation. from fluid 302 to second optical computing device 318b.

In exemplary operation, the second optical computing device 318b can receive optically interacting radiation from the fluid 302 at or near the inlet duct 308a by the optical light pipe 330 and also in or near the discharge conduit 308b by the process described in the foregoing. In some embodiments, a detector (not shown, but described above in FIGURE 4 as detector 414) disposed within the second optical computing device 316 may be configured for time-multiplexing of the double light beams interacting optically from the fluid 302. For example, the optically interacting radiation received by the optical light pipe 330 can be directed or otherwise received by the second optical computing device 318b in a first time TI, and the optically interacting radiation derived in or near the discharge conduit 308b can be directed to or otherwise received by the second optical computing device 318b at a second time T2, wherein the first and second times TI, T2 are different periods of time that do not overlap spatially.

Accordingly, the detector receives at least two different beams of light that interact optically and is capable of transporting corresponding second output signals 322b for the respective beams to the signal processor for processing. The first beam of light interacting optically can indicate the concentration of a substance and / or the magnitude of the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302 at or near the inlet conduit 318a, while the second beam of light that interacts optically it can indicate the concentration of a substance and / or the magnitude in or near the discharge conduit 318b. By calculating the difference between the corresponding second output signals 322b, the signal processor 324 may be able to determine how efficient the separator is. of fluid 306 operates or determines how the concentration of the substance and / or the magnitude of the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302 has changed as it passes through the fluid separator 306.

Referring now to FIGURE 4, with continued reference to FIGURE 3, a schematic view of an exemplary optical computing device 400 is illustrated, which may represent a more detailed view of the first and / or second optical computing devices 318a, b, in accordance with one or more modalities. As illustrated, the optical computing device 400 may be coupled or otherwise joined to the flow path 304 to monitor the fluid 302 before and / or after the fluid separator 306 (FIGURE 3) The optical computing device 400 may include a source of electromagnetic radiation 402 configured to emit or otherwise generate electromagnetic radiation 404. The source of electromagnetic radiation 402 may be any device capable of emitting or generating electromagnetic radiation, as defined herein . For example, the source of electromagnetic radiation 402 may be a light bulb, light emitting device (LED), a laser, a black body, a photonic crystal, a source of X-rays, combinations thereof or the like.

In some embodiments, a lens 406 may be configured to collect or otherwise receive electromagnetic radiation 404 and direct a beam 408 of electromagnetic radiation 404 toward fluid 302. Lens 406 may be any type of optical device configured to transmit or transport another way electromagnetic radiation 404 as desired. For example, the lens 406 may be a normal lens, a Fresnel lens, a diffractive optical element, a holographic graphic element, a mirror (e.g., a focus mirror), a type of collimator, or any other device for transmitting electromagnetic radiation known to those skilled in the art. In other embodiments, the lens 406 may be omitted from the optical computing device 400 and the electromagnetic radiation 404 may instead direct to the fluid 302 directly from the source of electromagnetic radiation 402.

In one or more embodiments, the optical computing device 400 may also include a sampling window 410 disposed adjacent to or otherwise in contact with the fluid 302 for detection purposes. The sampling window 410 can be manufactured from a variety of transparent, rigid or semi-rigid materials that are configured to allow the transmission of the electromagnetic radiation 404 through these. For example, the sampling window 410 may be composed of, but is not limited to, crystals, plastics, semi-conductors, crystalline materials, polycrystalline materials, hot or cold pressure powders, combinations of the same or similar. To remove ghosts or other common image capture problems that may result from the reflection of the sampling window 410, the optical computing device 400 may employ one or more internal reflectance elements (IRE), such as those described in FIG. U.S. Patent No. 7,697,141, and / or one or more image capture systems, such as those described in the co-owned US Patent Application, Serial No. 13 / 456,467 .

After passing through sampling window 410, electromagnetic radiation 404 impacts and interacts optically with fluid 302. As a result, optically interacting radiation 412 is generated by and reflected from fluid 302. Those experienced in The technique, however, will readily recognize that alternative variations of the optical computing device 400 could allow the optically interacting radiation 412 to be generated upon transmission, dispersion, diffractance, absorption, emission, or re-irradiation by and / or from the fluid 302 , without departing from the scope of the description.

The optically interacting radiation 412 generated by the optical interaction with the fluid 302 can be directed to or otherwise received by an ICE 414 disposed within the optical computing device 400. The ICE 414 can be a spectral component substantially similar to the ICE 100 described in FIG. the foregoing with reference to FIGURE 1. Accordingly, in operation, the ICE 414 can be configured to receive the optically interacting radiation 412 and produce modified electromagnetic radiation 416 corresponding to a particular feature of interest of the fluid 302. In particular, the Modified electromagnetic radiation 416 is electromagnetic radiation that has interacted optically with ICE 414, whereby an approximate simulation of the regression vector corresponding to the characteristic of interest in fluid 302 is obtained.

It should be noted that, although FIGURE 4 represents ICE 414 as receiving electromagnetic radiation as reflected from fluid 302, ICE 414 may be disposed at any point along the optical train of optical computing device 400, without departing from the scope of the description. For example, in one or more embodiments, the ICE 414 (as shown in dotted) can be arranged within the optical stream before the sampling window 410 and also obtain the same results. In other embodiments, the sampling window 410 can serve as a double purpose since both the transmission window and the ICE 414 (ie, a spectral component). In still other embodiments, ICE 414 can generate the modified electromagnetic radiation 416 through reflection, instead of transmission through it.

Further, while only one ICE 414 is displayed on the optical computing device 400, embodiments are contemplated herein which include the use of at least two ICE components in the optical computing device 400 configured to cooperatively determine the feature of interest in the fluid 302. For example, two or more ICE may be arranged in series or parallel within the optical computing device 400 and configured to receive the optically-interacting radiation 412 and thereby improve the sensitivity and limits of the optical computing device detector 400. In other modalitiesTwo or more ICEs may be arranged in a mobile assembly, such as a rotating disk or an oscillating linear array, which is moved in such a manner that the individual ICE components are capable of being exposed to or otherwise interacting optically with electromagnetic radiation for a period of time. short different period of time. The two or more components of ICE in any of these embodiments may be configured to associate or disassociate with the features of interest in the fluid 302. In other embodiments, the two or more ICEs may configured to correlate positively or negatively with the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302. Further discussion of these optional embodiments employing two or more ICE components may be found in US Patent Applications Serial Nos. 13 / 456,264, 13 / 456,405, 13 / 456,302, and 13 / 456,327.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to monitor more than one feature of interest at a time using the optical computing device 400.

In such embodiments, various configurations for multiple ICE components may be used, wherein each ICE component is configured to detect a particular and / or distinct feature of interest. In some embodiments, the feature can be analyzed using sequentially multiple ICE components that provide a single beam of electromagnetic radiation reflected from or transmitted through fluid 302. In some embodiments, as briefly mentioned above, multiple ICE components can be arranged on a rotating disk, where the individual ICE components are exposed only to the electromagnetic radiation beam for a short period. Advantages of this procedure may include the ability to analyze multiple features or analytes within the 302 fluid using a single optical computing device and the opportunity to test additional analytes simply by adding additional ICE components to the rotating disk. In various embodiments, the rotating disc may be returned at a frequency of about 10 RPM to about 30,000 RPM so that each analyte in the 302 fluid is measured rapidly. In some embodiments, these values can be averaged over an appropriate time domain (e.g., about 1 millisecond to about 1 hour) to more accurately determine the characteristics of fluid 302.

In other embodiments, multiple optical computing devices may be placed in a single location along the flow path 304, either in the inlet conduit 308a or the discharge conduit 308b of the fluid separator 306, and each computing device. The optical device may contain a single ICE that is configured to detect a particular feature of interest in the fluid 302. In such embodiments, a beam splitter may separate a portion of the electromagnetic radiation reflected by, emitted from, or transmitted through the fluid 302. and in each optical computing device. Each optical computing device, in turn, may be coupled to a corresponding detector or detector arrangement that is configured to detect and analyze an output of electromagnetic radiation from the respective optical computing device. Parallel configurations of optical computing devices can be particularly beneficial for applications that require low energy inputs and / or without moving parts.

Those with experience in the art will appreciate that any of the above configurations can also be used in combination with a series of configurations in any of the present embodiments. For example, two optical computing devices having a rotating disk with a plurality of ICE components disposed therein may be placed in series to perform a single location analysis along the length of the 304 flow path. , multiple detection stations, each containing optical computing devices in parallel, can be placed in series to perform a similar analysis.

The modified electromagnetic radiation 416 generated by the ICE 414 can be subsequently transported to a detector 418 for quantization of the signal. The detector 418 may be any device capable of detecting electromagnetic radiation, and may be generally characterized as an optical transducer. In some modalities, the detector 418 may be, but is not limited to, a thermal detector such as a thermopile or photoacoustic detector, a semiconductor detector. , a piezo-electric detector, a coupled charge device (CCD), a video or array detector, a split detector, a photon detector (such as a photomultiplier tube), photodiodes, combinations thereof or similar, or other detectors known to those with experience in the field.

The detector 418 may be configured to produce an output signal, such as one or the first and second output signals 322a and 322b, as discussed generally in the foregoing with reference to FIGURE 3. The output signal 322a, b may be generated in real time or almost in real time and can be transported in the form of a voltage (or current) that corresponds to the particular feature of interest in the fluid 302. The voltage returned by the detector 418 is essentially the dot product of the interaction optical radiation that interacts optically 412 with the respective ICE 414 as a function of the. concentration of the interest characteristic of the fluid 302. As such, the output signal 322a, b produced by the detector 418 and the concentration of the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302 can be related, for example, directly proportional. In other embodiments, however, the relationship may correspond to a polynomial function, an exponential function, a logarithmic function, and / or a combination thereof.

In some modalities, the optical computing device 400 may include a second detector 422, which may be similar to the first detector 418 in that it may be any device capable of detecting electromagnetic radiation.Similar to the second detector 216 of FIGURE 2, the second detector 422 of FIGURE 4 can be used to detect deviations of radiation originating from the source of electromagnetic radiation 402. Unwanted radiation deviations may occur in the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation 404 due to a wide variety of reasons and potentially causing various negative effects in the optical computing device 400. These negative effects can be particularly detrimental to the measurements taken over a period of time. In some embodiments, radiation deviations may occur as a result of the accumulation of film or material in the sampling window 410 which has the effect of reducing the amount and quality of light finally reached by the first detector 418. Without proper compensation , such deviations of radiation can result in false readings and the output signal 322a, b could no longer be related principally or precisely to the characteristic of interest.

Compensating for these types of undesirable effects, the second detector 422 can be configured to generate a compensation signal 424 generally indicative of the radiation deviations of the source of electromagnetic radiation 402, and therefore normalize the output signal 322a, b generated by the first detector 418. As illustrated, the second detector 422 can be configured to receive a portion of the radiation that Optically interacts 412 by a beam splitter 426 to detect the radiation deviations. In other modalities, however, the second detector 422 may be arranged to receive electromagnetic radiation from any portion of the optical train in the optical computing device 400 to detect deviations from radiation, without departing from the scope of the description.

In some applications, the output signal 322a, b and the compensation signal 424 may be transported to (either together or separate) or otherwise received by a signal processor 324. The signal processor 324 may be configured to combine in a computational fashion. the compensation signal 424 with the output signal 322a, b to normalize the output signal 322a, b in view of any radiation deviations detected by the second detector 422. In some embodiments, computationally combine the output and the output signals. compensation 320, 328 may involve calculating a ratio of the two signals 322a, b, 424. For example, the concentration or magnitude of each feature determined using the optical computing device 400 may be fed into an algorithm running through the signal processor 324 The algorithm can be configured to make predictions of how the characteristics of the fluid 302 change if the concentrations of the Litos change in relation to each other.

Referring now to FIGURE 5, with continued reference to FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 4, a schematic view of another exemplary optical computing device 500 is illustrated, according to one or more embodiments. As with the optical computing device 400 of FIG. FIGURE 4, the optical computing device 500 of FIGURE 5 can also represent a more detailed view of the first and / or second optical counting devices 318a, b, albeit an alternative to the optical counting device 400. Accordingly, the device Optical computation 500 may be similar in some aspects to the optical computing device 400 of FIGURE 4, and therefore can be better understood with reference to same where similar numbers will indicate similar elements that will not be described again. The optical computing device 500 can be reconfigured to determine the concentration of a feature of interest in the fluid 302 that is contained within the flow path 304. Unlike the optical computing device 400 in FIGURE 4, however, The optical computing device 500 in FIGURE 5 can be configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation through the fluid 302 by a first sampling window 502a and a second sampling window 502b disposed radially opposite the first sampling window 502a. The first and second sampling windows 502a, b may be similar to the sampling window 410 described above in FIGURE 4.

When the electromagnetic radiation 404 passes through the fluid 302 through the first and second sampling windows 502a, b, it interacts optically with the fluid 302. The optically interacting radiation 412 is subsequently directed to or otherwise received by the ICE 414 as arranged within the optical computing device 500. Again it is observed that, while FIGURE 5 represents ICE 414 as receiving the optically interacting radiation 412 as transmitted through the sampling windows 502a, b, the ICE 414 can also be arranged at any point along the optical train of the optical computing device 500, without departing from the scope of the description. For example, in one or more embodiments, the ICE 414 may be arranged within the optical stream before the first sampling window 502a and obtain substantially the same results. In other embodiments, one of each of the first or second sampling windows 502a, b can serve double purpose both in the transmission window and ICE 414 (ie, a spectral component). In still other embodiments, ICE 414 can generate modified electromagnetic radiation 416 through reflection, instead of transmission thereof. In addition, as with the system 300 of FIGURE 3, modalities are contemplated herein that include the use of at least two ICE components in the optical computing device 500 configured to cooperatively determine the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302.

The modified electromagnetic radiation 416 generated by the ICE 414 is subsequently transported to the detector 418 for quantization of the signal and generation of an output signal (i.e., output signals 322a or 322b) corresponding to the particular feature of interest in the fluid 302. The optical computing device 500 may also include the second detector 422 for detecting deviations of radiation originating from the source of electromagnetic radiation 402. As illustrated, the second detector 422 may be configured to receive a portion of the radiation which interacts optically 412 by the beam splitter 426 to detect the radiation deviations. In other embodiments, however, the second detector 422 may be arranged to receive the electromagnetic radiation from any portion of the optical train in the optical computing device 500 to detect the radiation deviations, without departing from the scope of the description. The output signal 322a, b and the compensation signal 424 can then be transported to (either together or separated) or otherwise received by the signal processor 324 which can computationally combine the two signals 322a, b and 424 and provide in real time or almost in real time the resulting output signal 326 corresponding to the concentration of the characteristic of interest in the fluid 302.

Still with reference to FIGURE 5, with further reference to FIGURE 4, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that, in one or more embodiments, electromagnetic radiation may be derived from the fluid 302 itself, and otherwise be derived independently of the source of electromagnetic radiation 402.For example, various substances naturally radiate electromagnetic radiation which is capable of interacting optically with ICE 414. In some embodiments, for example, fluid 302 may be or otherwise include a black body that irradiates substance configured to irradiate heat that can interact optically with ICE 414. In other embodiments, fluid 302 can be radioactive or chemo-luminescent and, therefore, radiate electromagnetic radiation that is capable of optically interacting with ICE 414. In still others modalities, the electromagnetic radiation can be induced from the fluid 302 when activated mechanically, magnetically, and electrically, combinations thereof or the like. For example, in at least one embodiment, a voltage can be placed through fluid 302 to induce electromagnetic radiation. As a result, embodiments are contemplated in the present wherein the source of electromagnetic radiation 402 is omitted from the optical computing device 500.

Therefore, the present invention is well adapted to obtain the aforementioned purposes and advantages as well as others that are inherent therein. The particular modalities described in the foregoing are illustrative only, although the present invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent obvious ways for those with experience in the art who have the benefit of the teachings herein. In addition, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design shown herein, other than those described in the following claims. Therefore, it is evident that the particular illustrative embodiments described in the foregoing can be altered, combined or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The invention described illustratively herein may be practiced in a suitable manner in the absence of any element that is not specifically described herein and / or any optional element described herein. Although compositions and methods are described in terms of "comprising", "containing" or "including" various components or steps, the compositions and methods may also "consist essentially of" or "consist of" the various components and steps. All numbers and margins described herein may vary by any amount. When a numerical margin with a lower limit and an upper limit is described, any number and any margin included that falls within the range is describes specifically. In particular, each range of values (of the form, "from about a to about b", or, equivalently, "from about a to b", or, equivalently, "from about ab") described in present it will be understood that it establishes each number and margin covered within the broadest range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their ordinary, flat meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by the patent. In addition, the indefinite articles "a" or "an", as used in the claims, are they define in the present to mean one or more of an element that is introduced. If there is any conflict in the use of a word or term in this specification and one or more patents or other documents that may be incorporated herein for reference, definitions that are consistent with this specification shall be adapted.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the present invention as above, it is considered as a novelty and therefore the property described in the following is claimed as property: CLAIMS

1. A system, characterized in that it comprises: a flow path containing a fluid; a fluid separator coupled to the flow path and having an inlet for receiving the fluid and a discharge conduit for discharging the fluid after having undergone a separation process in the fluid separator; a first optical computing device arranged adjacent to the input and having a first integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and therefore produce and transport light interacting optically with a first detector that generates a first corresponding output signal to a characteristic of the fluid before the fluid enters the fluid separator; a second optical computing device arranged adjacent to the discharge conduit and having a second integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and thereby produce and transport light that interacts optically with a second detector that generates a second output signal corresponding to the characteristic of the fluid after the fluid exits the fluid separator; Y a signal processor communicatively coupled to the first and second detectors and configured to receive the first and second output signals and provide a resultant output signal.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the resulting output signal is indicative of how the characteristic of the fluid changes between the inlet and the discharge conduit.

3. The system according to any of the preceding claims is characterized in that the characteristic of the fluid is a concentration of a substance in the fluid.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that the substance comprises a substance selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon, a gas containing sulfur, carbon dioxide, sand and particles.

5. The system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the characteristic of the fluid is one or more chemicals or chemical compositions present in the fluid.

6. The system according to claim 5, is characterized because the characteristic comprises a chemical or chemical composition selected from the group consisting of salts, precipitates, water, chemical indicators, physical indicators, metals, organic compounds, volatile organic compounds, additives, treatments, polymers, drugs, medicines, poisons, switches of emulsion, digester organisms, defoaming agents, binding agents, flocculants and any derivatives or combinations thereof.

7. The system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the characteristic of the fluid is a concentration of a biological organism.

8. The system according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the resulting output signal is a concentration of the characteristic of interest as semide by the second optical counting device.

9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that the resulting output signal is used as a quality control measurement for the fluid.

10. The system according to any of the preceding claims, further characterized in that it comprises an automated control system communicatively coupled to the signal processor and configured to adjust one or more parameters of the fluid in response to the signal of resulting output.

11. The system according to any of the preceding claims, is further characterized in that it comprises: a first source of electromagnetic radiation disposed in the first optical computing device and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation that interacts optically with the fluid before entering the fluid separator; Y a second source of electromagnetic radiation disposed in the second optical computing device and configured to emit electromagnetic radiation that interacts optically with the fluid after being discharged from the fluid separator.

12. A method to determine a characteristic of a fluid, characterized in that it comprises: contain a fluid within a flow path; conveying the fluid to a fluid separator coupled to the flow path, the fluid separator has an inlet for receiving the fluid and a discharge conduit for discharging the fluid after having undergone a separation process in the fluid separator; generating a first output signal corresponding to the characteristic of the fluid adjacent to the input with a first optical computing device, the first optical computing device has a first integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and produce and transport light that interacts optically with a first detector that generates the first output signal; generating a second output signal corresponding to the characteristic of the fluid adjacent to the discharge conduit with a second optical computing device, the second optical computing device has a second integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and produce and transport light which interacts optically with a second detector that generates the second output signal; receiving the first and second output signals with a signal processor communicatively coupled to the first and second detectors; Y generate a resulting output signal with the signal processor.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that generating the resulting output signal further comprises determining how the characteristic of the fluid changes between the inlet and the discharge conduit.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the characteristic is a concentration of oil in the fluid.

15. The method according to claim 12, 13, or 14, is further characterized in that it comprises transporting the signal output output to a user for consideration.

16. The method according to claim 12, 13, 14 or 15 is further characterized in that it comprises undertaking at least one corrective step with an automated control system when a concentration of the fluid characteristic exceeds a predetermined range of suitable operation, the control system Automated will be communicatively coupled with the signal processor.

17. The method according to claim 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16 is further characterized in that it comprises transporting an alert signal to a user when a concentration of the fluid characteristic exceeds a predetermined predetermined operating range.

18. The method according to claim 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 or 17, is characterized in that the resulting output signal is a concentration of the characteristic of interest as measured by the second optical computing device, the method further comprising use the resulting output signal as a quality control measurement for the fluid.

19. The method according to claim 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 or 18, is further characterized in that it comprises: interacting optically electromagnetic radiation emitted from a first source of electromagnetic radiation arranged in the first optical computing device with the fluid before enter the fluid separator; and Optically interacting electromagnetic radiation emitted from a second source of electromagnetic radiation disposed in the second optical computing device with the fluid after being discharged from the fluid separator.