MX2015002146A

MX2015002146A - Systems and methods for monitoring the quality of a fluid.

Info

Publication number: MX2015002146A
Application number: MX2015002146A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Robert P Freese; Ola Tunheim; James Robert Maclennan
Original assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Inc
Priority date: 2012-09-14
Filing date: 2013-09-09
Publication date: 2015-08-14
Also published as: EP2895787A4; CA2881652C; WO2014043010A1; SA515360078B1; AU2013315824A1; EP2895787A1; CA2881652A1; SG11201501066WA; NZ705035A; AU2013315824B2; BR112015003713A2

Abstract

Systems and methods for monitoring a fluid having one or more adulterants therein. One method of monitoring the fluid includes containing the fluid within a flow path, the fluid including at least one adulterant present therein, optically interacting at least one integrated computational element with the fluid, thereby generating optically interacted light, receiving with at least one detector the optically interacted light, and generating with the at least one detector an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of the at least one adulterant in the fluid.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING THE QUALITY OF A FLUID BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to methods for monitoring a fluid in real time or in near real time and, more specifically to methods for monitoring a fluid that has one or more adulterants therein.

In the oil and gas industry, it may be important to know precisely the characteristics and chemical composition of fluids circulating in and out of underground formations that have hydrocarbons. Typically, the analysis of fluids related to the oil and gas industry has been carried out offline using laboratory analysis, such as spectroscopic and / or wet chemical methods, which analyze a sample of the extracted fluid. However, depending on the analysis required, this approach can take hours to days to complete, and even in the best case scenario a job will often be completed before the analysis is obtained. In addition, off-line laboratory analyzes can sometimes be difficult to perform, may require extensive sample preparation, and may present hazards to the personnel performing the analyzes.

Although offline retrospective analyzes can be satisfactory in some cases, these however do not allow analysis capabilities in real time or in near real time. As a result, proactive control of an underground operation or fluid flow can not occur, at least without significant process disturbance occurring while awaiting the results of the analysis. Off-line retrospective analyzes can also be unsatisfactory to determine the true characteristics of a fluid because the characteristics of the sample drawn from the flow sometimes change during the dead time between collection and analysis, thus making the properties of The sample does not indicate the true composition or chemical characteristic. For example, factors that can alter the characteristics of a fluid during the dead time between collection and analysis may include, for example, tartar, reaction of several components in the fluid with each other, reaction of various components in the fluid with components of the surrounding environment, simple chemical degradation and growth of bacteria.

Real-time or near-real-time fluid monitoring can be of considerable interest to monitor the way fluids change over time, thus serving as a quality control measure for processes in which fluids are used. Specifically, the adulterants present in the fluid can lead to a formation of harmful scale, accumulation of impurities and growth of bacteria which can prevent processes in which the fluid is used, and even damage the process equipment in some cases. For example, water streams used in cooling towers and similar processes can become highly corrosive with time and may become susceptible to fouling and bacterial growth. Corrosion and scale formation can damage the pipelines through which water is flowing and can potentially lead to system breakdowns. Similar problems can be found for fluids that are subjected to other types of environments.

Spectroscopic techniques for measuring various fluid characteristics are well known and are used routinely under laboratory conditions. In some cases, these spectroscopic techniques can be carried out without using a sample preparation involved. However, it is more common to carry out several sample preparation procedures before conducting the analysis. Therefore, there is usually a delay in obtaining an analysis due to the time of sample preparation, even discounting the transit time of the transport of the extracted sample to a laboratory. Although at least in principle, spectroscopic techniques can be carried out at a work site, such as a well site, or in a process, previous concerns regarding sample preparation times may continue to apply. In addition, the transition of spectroscopic instruments from a laboratory to a field or process environment can be costly and complex. Reasons for these concerns may include, for example, the need to overcome inconsistent temperature, humidity and vibration encountered during field use. In addition, sample preparation, when required, can be difficult under field analysis conditions. The difficulty in executing sample preparation in the field can be especially problematic in the presence of interference materials, which can further complicate conventional spectroscopic analysis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to methods for monitoring a fluid in real time or in near real time and, more specifically, methods for monitoring a fluid that has one or more adulterants therein.

In some aspects of the disclosure, a system is described that includes a flow path containing a fluid having at least one adulterant present therein, at least one integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and thus generate light optically interacting, and at least one detector accommodated to receive the optically-interacted light and generate an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of at least one adulterant within the fluid.

In other aspects, a method for monitoring a fluid is disclosed. The method may include, containing the fluid within a flow path, the fluid including at least one adulterant present therein, optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation of the fluid with at least one integrated computational element, thereby generating optically-interacted light, receiving with at least one detector optically interacting light, and generating with at least one detector an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of at least one adulterant in the fluid.

In still other aspects of the disclosure, a method for monitoring a fluid quality is described. The method may include optically interacting a source of electromagnetic radiation with a fluid contained within a flow path and at least one computational element integrated, thus generating optically-interacted light, receiving with at least one detector the optically-interacted light, measuring a characteristic of at least one known adulterant in the fluid with at least one detector, generating an output signal corresponding to the characteristic of at least one known adulterant, and carry out at least one corrective step when the characteristic of at least one adulterant exceeds a predetermined range of convenient operation.

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 below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The following figures are included to illustrate some aspects of the present invention, and should not be viewed as exclusive modalities. Subject matter disclosed has the capacity for modifications, alterations, combinations and considerable equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those experts in the art and who enjoy the benefit of this disclosure.

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary integrated computing element, according to one or more modalities.

Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram that non-mechanically illustrates the way in which an optical computational device distinguishes electromagnetic radiation related to a feature of interest from another electromagnetic radiation, according to one or more embodiments.

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

Figure 4 illustrates another exemplary system for monitoring a fluid according to one or more modalities.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to methods for monitoring a fluid in real time or in near real time and, more specifically, to methods for monitoring a fluid that has one or more adulterants therein.

The exemplary systems and methods described herein employ various configurations of optical computing devices, commonly also referred to as "analytical optical devices," for the real-time or near-real-time monitoring of a fluid. In operation, exemplary systems and methods may be useful and otherwise convenient in determining the quality of the fluid product. For example, computing devices optical, which are described in more detail below, can conveniently provide real-time or near-real-time fluid monitoring that can not be achieved at present with on-site analysis at a work site or through analysis more detailed that occur in a laboratory. A significant and distinctive advantage of these devices is that they can be configured to specifically detect and / or measure a component or characteristic of particular interest of a fluid, such as a known adulterant, thus allowing qualitative and / or quantitative analyzes of the fluid to occur without have to extract a sample and carry out analyzes that consume sample time in an off-site laboratory. With the ability to carry out real-time or near-real-time analysis, the exemplary systems and methods described here can provide some measure of proactive or responsive control over fluid flow, they can allow the collection and placement of information on file of the fluid in conjunction with operational information to optimize subsequent operations, and / or may improve the capacity for remote work execution.

Those experts in the field will readily appreciate that the systems and methods may be suitable for use in the oil and gas industry because the The described optical computing devices provide a cost-effective, robust and accurate means to monitor the quality of hydrocarbons in order to facilitate the efficient management of gas / oil production. Furthermore it will be appreciated that, notwithstanding the various systems and methods disclosed equally apply to other fields of technology or industry including, but not limited to the food, medical and pharmaceutical industries, industrial applications, pollution mitigation, recycling industries, industries mining, security and military industries, or any field where it may be convenient to determine in real time or in near real time the concentration or a characteristic of a specific substance in a flowing fluid. In at least one modality, for example, the present systems and methods can be used to monitor the quality of drinking water. In other modalities, present systems and methods can be used to monitor soil quality, such as in the agricultural industry where soil quality is often measured in search of concentrations of potassium, phosphates and other minerals to determine the fertilization needs. Soil quality can also be monitored to determine the levels of contamination present there, such as in the case of an oil spill or similar.

Convenient optical computing devices for use in the present embodiments can be deployed at any number of various points within a flow path to monitor the fluid and the various changes that can occur thereto between two or more points. Depending on the location of the particular optical computing device, you can obtain various types of information about the fluid. In some cases, for example, optical computing devices can be used to monitor changes to the fluid as a result of the addition of a treatment substance thereto, the removal of a treatment substance therefrom, or the exposure of the fluid to a condition that potentially changes a characteristic of the fluid in a certain way. In other cases, the quality of the fluid product can be obtained by identifying and quantifying the concentration of known adulterants that may be present in the fluid. Therefore, the systems and methods described herein can be configured to monitor a flow rate of fluids and, more particularly, to monitor the present state of the fluid and any changes thereto with respect to the inflow or presence of known adulterants in the fluid. same.

As used herein, the term "fluid" refers to to any substance that has the ability to flow, including particulate solids, liquids, gases, slurries, emulsions, powders, suspensions, glasses, combinations thereof and the like. In some embodiments, the fluid may be an aqueous fluid, including water or the like. In some embodiments, the fluid may be a non-aqueous fluid, including organic compounds, more specifically, hydrocarbons, petroleum, a refined petroleum component, petrochemical products, and the like. In some embodiments, the fluid may be a treatment fluid or a formation fluid such as can be found in the oil and gas industry. The fluids may include various flowable mixtures of 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, mechanical or physical property of a substance. A characteristic of a substance may include a quantitative value of one or more chemical components therein. Said chemical components can be referred to herein as "analyte". Illustrative characteristics of a substance that can be monitored with computer devices Opticals disclosed 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, total dissolved solids, salt content, porosity, opacity. , bacteria content, combinations thereof, and the like. In addition, the phrase "interest characteristic of / in a fluid" can be used herein to refer to the characteristic of a substance contained in or otherwise flowing with the fluid.

As used herein, the term "flow path" refers to a route through which fluid can be transported between two points. In some cases, the causal path does not have to be continuous or otherwise contiguous between the two points. Exemplary flow paths include, but are not limited to, a flow line, an oil pipeline, a hose, a process facility, a storage vessel, a tanker, a railroad car, a ship or transport vessel, an tundish, a stream, a sewer, an underground formation, etcetera, combinations thereof, or the like. In cases where the flow path is an oil pipeline, or similar, the pipeline can be a pre-commissioning pipeline or an operational pipeline. In others In some cases, the flow path can be created or generated through the movement of an optical computing device through a fluid (for example, an open air sensor). In other cases even, the flow path is not necessarily contained within some rigid structure, but can be referred to the trajectory assumed by the fluid between two points, such as in the case where a fluid flows from one location to another without be content by itself It should be noted that the term "flow path" does not necessarily imply that a fluid is flowing there, but rather a fluid has the ability to be transported or otherwise can flow through it.

As used herein, the term "adulterant" or variations thereof, refers to at least a part of a substance or chemical within the fluid to be evaluated using the optical computing devices described herein, in some embodiments, the adulterant is the characteristic of interest, as defined above, and therefore can be used interchangeably with the same here. In some aspects, the adulterant includes any integral or non-integral component of the fluid flowing within the flow path that may or may not be considered harmful or otherwise inconvenient to the fluid. In one or more embodiments, the adulterant may include substances or chemicals such as BTEX compounds (ie, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), naphthalene, styrene, sulfur compounds, hexane, hydrocarbons can be liquefied, barium, calcium, manganese, sulfur, iron, strontium, chlorine, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, boron, copper, molybdenum, zinc, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, combinations thereof or similar. In other embodiments, the adulterant may include or may otherwise refer to paraffins, waxes, asphaltenes, aromatics, saturates, foams, salts, bacteria, particulate materials, sand or other solid particles, pipe coatings (e.g., polymers) ), combinations thereof, and the like. In other embodiments, the adulterant may refer to various "labels" of the aggregate flow path, such as nanoparticles or the like.

In other aspects, the adulterant may include any substance or chemical added to the flow path to treat the flow path for reasons of flow safety. Exemplary treatment substances may include, but are not limited to, acids, compounds that generate acids, bases, base-generating compounds, biocides, surfactants, scale inhibitors, inhibitors of corrosion, gelling agents, exothermic substances, crosslinking agents, sediment antiforming agents, foaming agents, foam removal agents, antifoaming agents, emulsifying agents, demulsifying agents, iron control agents, suspending agents or other particulate materials, gravel, particle deviators, salts, fluid loss control additives, gases, catalysts, clay control agents, chelating agents, corrosion inhibitors, dispersants, flocculants, scavengers (for example, H2S scavengers, CO2 scavengers or 02 eliminators), lubricants, breakers, delayed release breakers, friction reducers, bridging agents, viscosifiers, weighting agents, solubilizers, rheology control agents, viscosity modifiers, pH control agents (eg buffer), hydrate inhibitors, relative permeability modifiers, agents of sviation, consolidating agents, fibrous materials, bactericides, trackers, probes, nanoparticles, and the like. Combinations of these substances can also be used.

As used herein, the term "electromagnetic radiation" refers to radio waves, microwave radiation, infrared and near infrared radiation, light visible, ultraviolet light, X-ray radiation and gamma-ray 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 fluid, or a substance or adulterant within the fluid, and produce an output of electromagnetic radiation. from an accommodating processing element 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 greater detail below, the electromagnetic radiation that interacts optically with the processing element is modified to be read by a detector, so that an output of the detector can be correlated with at least one adulterant measured or monitored within the detector. fluid. The output of the electromagnetic radiation from the processing element may be reflected electromagnetic radiation, transmitted electromagnetic radiation and / or scattered electromagnetic radiation. Whether it is electromagnetic radiation reflected, transmitted or scattered this is eventually analyzed by the detector and can be dictated by the structural parameters of the computing device optical as well as other considerations known to those skilled in the art. In addition, the emission and / or spreading of the substance, for example through fluorescence, luminescence, Raman spreading and / or Raleigh spreading, can also be monitored by optical computing devices.

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

Exemplary systems and methods described herein will include at least one optical computing device accommodated along or in a flow path to monitor a fluid flowing or otherwise contained therein. Each optical computing device may include a source of electromagnetic radiation, at least one processing element (e.g., computational elements) integrated), and at least one detector accommodated to receive optically-interacted light from at least one processing element. However, as disclosed below, in at least one embodiment, the source of electromagnetic radiation can be omitted and electromagnetic radiation of the fluid or adulterant itself can be derived in its place. In some embodiments, exemplary optical computing devices may be specifically configured to detect, analyze and quantitatively measure a particular characteristic, adulterant 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) being used to specifically detect the characteristic of the sample.

In some embodiments, suitable structural components for exemplary optical computing devices are described in commonly owned U.S. Patent 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 Numbers 12 / 094,460; 12 / 094,465; and 13 / 456,467. As will be appreciated, variations of the structural components of the optical computing devices described in the patents and patent applications referred to above may be convenient, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, and therefore should not be considered a limitation to the various embodiments or uses disclosed herein .

The optical computing devices described in the above patents and patent applications combine the advantage of power, accuracy and accuracy associated with laboratory spectrometers, while being extremely reinforced and convenient for field use. In addition, optical computing devices can perform calculations (analysis) in real time or in near real time without the need for time-consuming sample processing. In this regard, optical computing devices can be specifically configured to detect and analyze characteristics, adulterants and / or analytes of particular interest of a fluid. As a result, the interference signals are discriminated from those of interest in the substance by appropriate configuration of the optical computing devices, so that the optical computing devices provide a rapid response with reference to the characteristics of the fluid as it is based. at the exit detected. In some embodiments, the detected output can be converted into a voltage that is distinctive of the magnitude of the characteristic or adulterant that is being monitored in the fluid. The above advantages as well as others make the optical computing devices particularly convenient for use in the field and well down, but in the same way other different technologies or industries can be applied, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Optical computing devices can be configured to detect not only the composition and concentrations of an adulterant in a fluid, but can also be configured to determine the physical properties and other characteristics of the adulterant as well, based on their analysis of electromagnetic radiation received from the particular adulterant. For example, optical computing devices can be configured to determine the concentration of an analyte and correlate the determined concentration with a characteristic of an adulterant using convenient processing means. As will be appreciated, optical computing devices can be configured to detect as many adulterants or as many characteristics or analytes of the adulterant as desired in the fluid. All I know requires to achieve the monitoring of multiple features and / or adulterants is the incorporation of convenient processing and detection means within the optical computing device for each adulterant and / or characteristic. In some embodiments, the properties of the adulterant may be a combination of the properties of the analytes contained therein (eg, a linear, non-linear, logarithmic and / or exponential combination). Therefore, the more features and analytes are detected and analyzed using the optical computing devices, the greater the precision with which the properties of the determined adulterant are determined.

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 an adulterant in a fluid, unique physical and chemical information pertaining to the adulterant can be encoded in the electromagnetic radiation that is reflected, transmitted through or irradiated from the adulterant. This information is often referred to as the spectral "footprint" of the adulterant. The optical computing devices described herein have the ability to extract information from the multiple spectral fingerprint characteristics or analytes within an adulterant, and convert that information into a detectable output related to one or more properties of the adulterant. That is, through convenient configurations of the optical computing devices, the electromagnetic radiation associated with a characteristic or analyte of interest of an adulterant can be separated from the electromagnetic radiation associated with all other components of the fluid to calculate the properties of the adulterant. in real time or in almost real time.

The processing elements used in the exemplary optical computing devices described herein can be characterized as integrated computational elements (ICE). Each ICE has the ability to distinguish electromagnetic radiation related to the characteristic or adulterating interest of electromagnetic radiation related to other components of a fluid. Referring to Figure 1, an exemplary 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 alternate layers 102 and 104, such as silicon (Si) and SiO2 (quartz), respectively. In general, these layers 102, 104 consist of materials whose refractive index is high and low, respectively. Other examples could 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 optical substrate 106 is optical glass BK-7. 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, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyvinyl chloride ( PVC), diamond, ceramic, 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 device or facility. The number of layers 102, 104 and the thickness of each layer 102, 104 is determined from the spectral attributes acquired from a spectroscopic analysis of a characteristic of the adulterant using a conventional spectroscopic instrument. The spectrum of interest of a given characteristic of an adulterant 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 particular adulterant, but rather which is provided for purposes of illustration only. Accordingly, the number of layers 102, 104 and their relative thicknesses, as shown in Figure 1, do not correlate with any particular feature of a particular adulterant. Layers 102, 104 and their relative thicknesses are not necessarily drawn to scale, and therefore should not be considered a limitation of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the materials constituting 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 particular adulterant.

In some embodiments, the material of each layer 102, 104 may be doped or two or more materials may be combined in one form 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 the ICE 100 can also include holographic optical elements, lattices, piezoelectric, light tubes, digital light tubes (DLP) and / or acoustic elements. optical, for example, that can create properties of transmission, reflection and / or absorption of interest.

The multiple layers 102, 104 show different refractive indices. By appropriately selecting the materials of the layers 102, 104 and their relative thicknesses and spacing, the ICE 100 can be configured to selectively pass / reflect / refract predetermined fractions of electromagnetic radiation at different wavelengths. Each wavelength receives a predetermined weighting or loading 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 may include inverse Fourier transform (IFT) of the optical transmission spectrum and the structuring of ICE 100 as the physical representation of the IFT. The approximations convert the IFT into a structure based on known materials with constant refractive indexes. Additional information regarding the structures and design of the exemplary integrated computational elements (also referred to as multivariate optical elements) is provided in Applied Optics, Vol.35, pp.5484-5492 (1996) and Vol.129, pp.2876-2893 .

The weights that layers 102, 103 of the ICE 100 applied to each acoustic wavelength are set to the regression weights described with respect to a known equation, or data, or spectral signature. Briefly, ICE 100 can be configured to execute the dot product of the input light beam in ICE 100 and a desired loaded, 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 concerning the manner in which the exemplary ICE 100 can distinguish and process electromagnetic radiation related to the characteristic or analyte 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 is illustrated which non-mechanically illustrates the way in which an optical computing device 200 can distinguish electromagnetic radiation related to a characteristic or adulterant of a fluid from other electromagnetic radiation. As shown in Figure 2, after being illuminated with incident electromagnetic radiation, a fluid 202 containing an adulterant (e.g., a feature of interest) produces an output of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., interacting sample light), part of which is electromagnetic radiation 204 related to the adulterant and part of which is background electromagnetic radiation 206 corresponding to other components or characteristics of the fluid 202.

Although not shown specifically, one or more spectral elements may be employed in the device 200 to restrict the optical wavelengths and / or bandwidths of the system and thus eliminate undesired electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength regions. that do not matter Said spectral elements can be located anywhere along the optical train, but typically they are used 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 U.S. Patent 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 Numbers 12 / 094,460 (U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2009/0219538); 12 / 094,465 (U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2009/0219539); and 13 / 456,467.

The electromagnetic radiation beams 204, 206 strike on the optical computing device 200, which contains an exemplary ICE 208 therein. In the illustrated embodiment, ICE 208 can be configured to produce optically-interacted light, for example, transmitted optically-interacted light 210 and reflected optically-interacted light 214. In operation, ICE 208 can be configured to distinguish electromagnetic radiation 204 from radiation electromagnetic background 206.

The transmitted optically interacting light 210, which may be related to the adulterant or a characteristic of interest of the adulterant in the fluid 202, may be transported to a detector 212 for analysis and quantification. In some embodiments, the detector 212 is configured to produce an output signal in the form of a voltage that corresponds 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 characteristic or adulterant of fluid 202 can be directly proportional. In other modalities, the relationship can be a polynomial function, an exponential function and / or a logarithmic function. The reflected optically interacting light 214, which may be related to characteristics of other components of the fluid 202, may be directed away from the detector 212. In alternative configurations, the ICE 208 is it can be configured so that the reflected optically-interacted light 214 can be related to the adulterant, and the transmitted optically-interacted light 210 can be related to other components of the fluid 202.

In some embodiments, a second detector 216 may be present and accommodated to detect the reflected optically interacting light 214. In other embodiments, the second detector 216 may be accommodated to detect electromagnetic radiation 204, 206 derived from fluid 202 or directed electromagnetic radiation. towards or before the fluid 202. Without limitation, the second detector 216 may be used to detect deviations of radiation arising from a source of electromagnetic radiation (not shown) which provides electromagnetic radiation (ie, 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 with the computing device Optical 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 said modes, the ICE 208 does not function as a type of beam splitter, as shown in Figure 2, and the radiation transmitted or reflected electromagnetic simply passes through ICE 208, being computationally processed there, before moving to detector 212.

The characteristics of the fluid 202 that is being analyzed using the optical computing device 200 can be further processed by computer to provide additional characterization information regarding the fluid 202. In some embodiments, the identification and concentration of each analyte or adulterant in the fluid 202 it can be used to predict certain physical characteristics of the fluid 202. For example, the volume characteristics of a fluid 202 can be estimated using a combination of the properties conferred to the fluid 202 by each analyte or adulterant.

In some embodiments, the concentration of each adulterant or the magnitude of each characteristic of the adulterant determined using the optical computing device 200 can be fed to an algorithm that operates under computer control. The algorithm can be configure to make predictions regarding the way in which the characteristics of the fluid 202 change in case the concentrations of the adulterants or analytes are modified in relation to each other. In some modalities, the algorithm can produce an output that is readable by an operator who can manually undertake an appropriate action, if necessary, based on the output. In some embodiments, the algorithm can take proactive control of the process by automatically adjusting the flow rate of a treatment substance that is being introduced into a flow path or stopping the introduction of the treatment substance in response to an out-of-range condition.

The algorithm may be part of an artificial neural network configured to use the concentration of each detected adulterant in order to evaluate the general characteristics of the fluid 202 and predict how to modify the fluid 202 in order to alter its properties in a desired manner. Illustrative but non-limiting artificial neural networks are disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 986,763 (U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0182693). It will be recognized that an artificial neural network can be trained using samples of adulterants that they have ccoonncceennttrraacciioonsess, compositions and / or known properties, and in this way generating a virtual library. As the virtual library available for the artificial neural network becomes larger, the neural network may have more capacity to accurately predict the characteristics of a fluid that has any number of adulterants or analytes present there. In addition, with sufficient training, the artificial neural network can predict more precisely the characteristics of the fluid, even in the presence of unknown adulterants.

It is recognized that the various modalities here directed to computer control and artificial neural networks, including various blocks, modules, elements, components, methods and algorithms can be implemented using computer hardware, software, combinations thereof, and the like. To illustrate this ability to exchange hardware and software, various blocks, modules, elements, components, methods and illustrative algorithms have been generally described in terms of their functionality. If such functionality is supplemented as hardware or software, this will depend on the particular application and any imposed design restrictions. At least for this reason, it will be recognized that an expert in the technology can implement the functionality described in a variety of forms for a particular application. In addition, various components and blocks may be arranged in a different order or may be divided differently, for example, without departing from the scope of the modalities expressly described.

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 cases, or code stored on a computer-readable medium. transient. The processor may be, for example, a general purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a specific application integrated circuit, a programmable field gate array, a programmable logic device, a controller, a state machine , a gate logic, discrete hardware components, an artificial neural network, or any similar convenient entity that can perform calculations or other data manipulations. In some embodiments, computer hardware may also include such items as, for example, a memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM)). ), memory of erasable read only (EPROM)), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMS, DVDs, or any other device or similar convenient storage medium.

The executable sequences described herein can be implemented with one or more code sequences contained in a memory. In some embodiments, said code can be read into the memory from another machine readable medium. The execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the memory can cause a processor to execute the steps of the process described here. You can also use one or more processors, in a multiprocessing array, to execute sequences of instructions in memory. In addition, wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement various embodiments described herein. Therefore, 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, a non-volatile medium, a volatile medium, and transmission media. A non-volatile medium can include, for example, optical and magnetic disks. A medium Volatile can include, for example, dynamic memory. The transmission means may include, for example, coaxial cables, wire, optical fibers, and wires forming a bus. Common forms of a machine-readable medium may include, for example, floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, magnetic tapes, other similar magnetic media, CD ROMs, DVDs, other similar optical media, punch cards, paper tapes and physical media similar with holes in pattern, RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM and EPROM flash.

In some modalities, data collected using optical computing devices may be archived together with data associated with operational parameters that are recorded at a work site. The evaluation of work performance can then be valued and improved for future operations or said information can be used to design subsequent operations. In addition, data and information can be communicated (wired or wireless) to a remote location through a communication system (eg, satellite communication or wide-area network communication) for further analysis. The communication system can also allow the remote monitoring and operation of a process to make it happen. Automated control with a long-range communication system can also facilitate the performance of remote work operations. 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 performed automatically in some modes. In other modalities, however, remote work operations may occur under the direct control of the operator, where the operator is not at the work site.

Referring now to Figure 3, there is illustrated an exemplary system 300 for monitoring a fluid 302, according to one or more embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the fluid 302 may be contained or otherwise flowable within an exemplary flow path 304. The flow path 304 may be a flow line or an oil pipeline and the fluid 302 present there may be flowing in the general direction indicated by arrows A (that is, from upstream to downstream). As will be appreciated, however, the flow path 304 may be any other type of flow path, as generally described or otherwise defined herein. For example, the flow path 304 may be a storage or containment vessel and the fluid 302 may not necessarily be flowing in the A direction while the fluid 302 is being monitored.

However, in at least one embodiment, the flow path 304 may be part of a gas / oil pipeline and may be part of a well head or a plurality of flow lines interconnecting above ground and / or underwater or pipelines that interconnect diverse underground hydrocarbon deposits with one or more processing facilities or reception / accumulation platforms. In some embodiments, portions of the flow path 304 can be employed downhole and can fluidly connect, for example, a formation and a wellhead. As such, portions of the flow path 304 may be accommodated in a substantially vertical, substantially horizontal configuration, or any direction therebetween, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The system 300 may include at least one optical computing device 306, which may be similar in some aspects to the optical computing device 200 of FIG. 2, and can therefore be better understood with reference thereto. Although not shown, the optical computing device 306 may be housed within an enclosure or housing configured to substantially protect the internal components of the device 306 from damage or contamination of the external environment. The housing it can operate to mechanically couple the device 306 to the flow path 304, for example, with mechanical, welding or brazing fasteners, adhesives, magnets, combinations thereof or the like. In operation, the housing can be designed to withstand pressures that can be experienced within or without the flow path 304 and thus provide a fluid tight seal against external contamination. As described in greater detail below, the optical computing device 306 may be useful in determining a particular characteristic of the fluid 302 within the flow path 304, such as determining a concentration of a known adulterant present within of fluid 302. Knowing the concentration of known adulterants can help determine the overall quality of fluid 302, and provide an opportunity to remedy potentially undesirable levels of adulterants in fluid 302.

The device 306 may include a source of electromagnetic radiation 308 configured to emit or otherwise generate electromagnetic radiation 310. The source of electromagnetic radiation 308 may be any device with the ability to emit or generate electromagnetic radiation, as defined herein. For example, the source of electromagnetic radiation 30 can be a light bulb, a light emitting device (LED), a laser, a black body, a photonic crystal, a source of X-times, combinations thereof, or the like. In some embodiments, a lens 312 may be configured to collect or otherwise receive the electromagnetic radiation 310 and direct a beam 314 of electromagnetic radiation 310 to the fluid 302. The lens 312 may be any type of optical device configured to transmit or another way to carry the electromagnetic radiation 310 as desired. For example, the lens 312 may be a normal lens, a Fresnel lens, a diffractive optical element, a holographic graphic element, a mirror (e.g., a focusing mirror), a type of collimator or any other radiation transmission device electromagnetic known to those skilled in the art. In other embodiments, lens 312 may be omitted from device 306 and electromagnetic radiation 310 may instead be directed toward fluid 302 directly from source of electromagnetic radiation 308.

In one or more embodiments, the device 306 may also include a sampling window 316 accommodated adjacent to or otherwise in contact with the fluid 302 for detection purposes. The sampling window 316 can be made of a variety of transparent, rigid or semi-rigid materials that are configured to allow transmission of the electromagnetic radiation 310 therethrough. For example, the sampling window 316 may be made of, but is not limited to, glasses, plastics, semiconductors, crystalline materials, polycrystalline materials, powders pressed in heat or cold, combinations thereof or the like. In order to remove the phantom effect or other image generation problems resulting from reflectance in the sampling window 316, the system 300 may employ one or more internal reflectance elements (IRE), such as those described in the Commonly owned United States number 7,697,141 and / or one or more image generation systems, such as those described in commonly owned United States Patent Application Serial No. 13 / 456,467.

After passing through the sampling window 316, the electromagnetic radiation 310 impinges upon and interacts optically with the fluid 302, including any adulterants present within the fluid 302. As a result, the optically-interacted radiation 318 is generated by and reflected from the fluid 302. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that alternative variations of the device 306 may allow the Optically-interacted radiation 318 is generated upon being transmitted, spread, diffracted, absorbed, emitted or re irradiated by and / or from fluid 302, or one or more adulterants present within fluid 302, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The optically-interacting radiation 318 generated by the interaction with the fluid 302 and at least one adulterant therein may be directed to, or otherwise received by an ICE 320 accommodated within the device 306. The ICE 320 may be a substantially similar spectral component. to ICE 100 described above with reference to Figure 1. Accordingly, in operation the ICE 320 can be configured to receive the optically-interacting radiation 318 and produce modified electromagnetic radiation 322 corresponding to a particular characteristic or adulterant of interest of the fluid 302. In in particular, the modified electromagnetic radiation 322 is electromagnetic radiation that has interacted optically with the ICE 320, thereby obtaining an approximate that mimics the regression vector corresponding to the characteristic or adulterant in the fluid 302.

It should be noted that, although Figure 3 shows ICE 320 as receiving electromagnetic radiation reflected from fluid 302, ICE 320 can be accommodated in any point along the optical train of the device 306, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, in one or more embodiments, the ICE 320 (as shown in dashes) can be accommodated within the optical stream prior to the sampling window 316 and likewise substantially the same results can be obtained. In other embodiments, the sampling window 316 can serve a dual purpose as well as a transmission window as the ICE 320 (i.e., a spectral component). In still other embodiments, the ICE 320 can generate the modified electromagnetic radiation 322 through reflection, instead of transmission therethrough.

In addition, although only one ICE 320 is displayed on the device 306, modalities are contemplated herein that include the use of at least two ICE components in the device 306 configured to cooperatively determine the characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302. For example, two or more ICEs can be accommodated in series or in parallel within the device 306 and can be configured to receive the optically-interacted radiation 318 and thus improve the sensitivities and limits of the device 306 detector. In other embodiments, two or more ICEs may be accommodated in a movable assembly, such as a rotating disk or an oscillating linear array, which is moves so that the individual components of the ICE can be exposed to, or otherwise optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation for a brief period of time. The two or more components of the ICE in any of these embodiments can be configured to be associated with or disassociated from the characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302. In other embodiments, the two or more ICE's can be configured to correlate positively. or negative with the characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302. These optical modalities employing two or more ICE components are further described in co-pending US Patent Applications Serial Numbers 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 or adulterant of interest at the same time using the device 306, in such embodiments, various configurations may be used for multiple components of the ICE, wherein each component of the ICE is configured to detect a characteristic or adulterant of particular and / or different interest. In some embodiments, the characteristic or adulterant can be analyzed in sequence using multiple ICE components that are provided in a single beam of electromagnetic radiation which is reflected from or transmitted through the fluid 302.

In some embodiments, as briefly mentioned before, multiple ICE components can be accommodated on a rotating disk, where the individual components of the ICE are only exposed to the beam of electromagnetic radiation for a short time. Advantages of this approach may include the ability to analyze multiple adulterants within the 302 fluid using a single optical computing device and the opportunity to assess additional adulterants by simply adding additional ICE components to the rotating disk. In various embodiments, the rotating disc can be rotated at a frequency of about 10 rpm at about 30,000 rpm so that each adulterant in fluid 302 is measured rapidly. In some embodiments, these values can be averaged over an appropriate time domain (eg, 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 at a single location along the flow path 304, where each optical computing device contains a unique ICE that is configured to detect a characteristic or adulterant of particular interest in the fluid 302. In said In embodiments, a beam splitter can divide a portion of the electromagnetic radiation that is reflected by, emitted from, or transmitted through the fluid 302 and within each optical computing device. Each optical computing device, in turn, can be coupled to a corresponding detector or array of detectors that is configured I 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 non-mobile parts.

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

The modified electromagnetic radiation 322 generated by the ICE 320 may subsequently be transmitted to a detector 324 for quantization of the signal. The detector 324 can be any device with the ability to detect electromagnetic radiation, and can generally be characterized as an optical transducer. In some embodiments, the detector 324 may be, but is not limited to, a thermal detector such as a thermopile or photoacoustic detector, a semiconductor detector, a piezoelectric detector, a charge coupled device (CCD) detector, a video detector or array, a division detector, a photon detector (such as a photomultiplier tube), photodiodes, combinations thereof, or the like, or other detectors known to those skilled in the art.

In some embodiments, the detector 324 may be configured to produce an output signal 326 in real time or in near real time in the form of a voltage (or current) that corresponds to the particular characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302. The voltage returned by the detector 324 is essentially the dot product of the optical interaction of the optically-interacted radiation 318 with the respective ICE 320 as a function of the concentration of the characteristic or adulterant of interest of the fluid 302. As such, the output signal 326 produced by the detector 324 and the concentration of the characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302 may be related, for example, may be 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 embodiments, the device 306 may include a second detector 328, which may be similar to the first detector 324 as it may be any device with the ability to detect electromagnetic radiation. Similar to the second detector 216 of Figure 2, the second detector 328 of Figure 3 can be used to detect deviations of radiation arising from the source of electromagnetic radiation 308. Undesirable radiation deviations can occur in the intensity of the electromagnetic radiation 310 due to a wide variety of reasons and potentially causing various negative effects on the device 306. These negative effects can be particularly detrimental to measurements taken over a period of time. In some embodiments, radiation deviations may occur as a result of an accumulation of film or material in the window of Sampling 316 which has the effect of reducing the quantity and quality of the light that finally reaches the first detector 324. Without proper compensation, such radiation deviations could result in false readings and the output signal 326 would no longer be primarily related to or accurately with the characteristic or adulterant of interest.

To compensate for these types of undesirable effects, the second detector 328 can be configured to generate a compensation signal 330 generally indicative of the radiation deviations of the electromagnetic radiation source 308, and thus normalize the output signal 326 generated by the first detector 324. As illustrated, the second detector 328 can be configured to receive a portion of the optically-interacted radiation 318 through a beam splitter 332 in order to detect the radiation deviations. However, in other embodiments, the second detector 328 may be accommodated to receive electromagnetic radiation from any part of the optical train in the device 306 in order to detect the radiation deviations, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

In some applications, the output signal 326 and the compensation signal 330 may be transmitted to or otherwise received by a signal processor 334 communicatively coupled to both detectors 320, 328. signal processor 334 may be a computer including a non-transient machine-readable medium, and may be configured to combine the compensation signal 330 with the output signal 326 by computer to normalize the output signal 326 by virtue of any deviations of radiation detected by the second detector 328. In some embodiments, the computer combination of the output and compensation signals 320, 328 may entail the calculation of a ratio of the two signals 320, 328. For example, the concentration of each adulterant or the magnitude of each feature determined using the optical computing device 306 can be fed into an algorithm run by the signal processor 334. The algorithm can be configured to make predictions about how the characteristics of the fluid 302 change in case that the concentrations of the adulterants are modified in relation to each other.

In real time or in near real time, the signal processor 334 may be configured to provide a resultant output signal 336 corresponding to a concentration of the characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302. The resulting output signal 336 may be readable by an operator who can consider the results and can make the appropriate adjustments or take an action appropriate, if necessary, based on the measured concentration of adulterants in the fluid 302. In some embodiments, the resulting signal output 328 may be transmitted, either wired or wireless, to the user for consideration. In other embodiments, the resulting output signal 336 may be recognized by the signal processor 334 as being within or outside of a predetermined or pre-programmed convenient operating range.

For example, the signal processor 334 may be programmed with an impurity profile corresponding to one or more adulterants. The impurity profile can be a measurement of a concentration or percentage of adulterant within the fluid 302. In some embodiments, the impurity profile can be measured in a range of parts per million, but in other embodiments, the impurity profile can be measured. measure in a range of parts per thousand or trillion. If the resulting output signal 336 exceeds or otherwise falls without a predetermined or pre-programmed operating range for the impurity profile, the signal processor 334 may be configured to alert the user to an excessive amount of adulterants so that appropriate corrective action can be taken, or otherwise corrective action can be undertaken autonomously appropriate so that the resulting output signal 336 returns to a value within the predetermined or pre-programmed convenient operating range. In some embodiments, the corrective action may include, but is not limited to, the addition of a treatment substance to the flow path 302, the increase or decrease of the fluid flow rate within the flow path 302, the flow closure of fluid within flow path 302, combinations thereof, or the like.

Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate the various and numerous applications with which the 300 system can be conveniently used, as well as alternative configurations thereof. For example, in one or more embodiments where the fluid 302 is a liquid, such as a hydrocarbon-based liquid corresponding to the oil and gas industry, the optical computing device 306 may be configured to determine one or more known adulterants such as , but not limited to, BTEX compounds (ie, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), naphthalene, styrene, water, sand, sulfur compounds, combinations thereof, and the like. In other embodiments, in the case where the fluid 302 is a gas, such as a hydrocarbon-based gas corresponding to the gas industry and petroleum, the optical computing device 306 can be configured to determine one or more known adulterants such as, but not limited to, hexane, liquefiable hydrocarbons, water, sulfur compounds, black powder-related substances, combinations thereof , and similar. In still other embodiments, the 300 system can be used to monitor the breathable atmosphere and provide an early indication of an unhealthy concentration of one or more adulterants (ie, hazardous substances or chemicals) present within the atmosphere. For example, system 300 can be configured to provide measurements of the percentage level of 02, N2, CO2, CO, Ar, methane or the like.

Referring now to Figure 4, there is illustrated another exemplary system 400 for monitoring a fluid 302, according to one or more embodiments. System 400 may be similar in some aspects to system 300 of Figure 3, and therefore can be better understood with reference to same where similar numbers indicate similar elements which will not be described again. As illustrated, the optical computing device 306 can once again be configured to determine the concentration of a characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302 as contained within the flow path 304. A Unlike system 300 of Figure 3, however, optical computing device 306 in Figure 4 can be configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation through fluid 302 through a first sampling window 402a and a second sampling window 402b accommodated radially opposite the first sampling window 402a. The first and second sampling windows 402a, b may be similar to the sampling window 316 described above in Figure 3.

As the electromagnetic radiation 310 passes through the fluid 302 through the first and second sampling windows 402a, b, it interacts optically with the fluid 302 and at least one adulterant therein present. The optically-interacted radiation 318 is subsequently directed to or otherwise received by the ICE 320 as accommodated within the device 306. Again, it is noted that, although Figure 4 shows the ICE 320 as receiving the optically-interacted radiation 318 such as is transmitted through the sampling windows 402a, b the ICE 320 can likewise be accommodated at any point along the optical train of the device 306, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, in one or more embodiments, the ICE 320 may be accommodated within the optical train prior to the first sampling window 422a and likewise obtain substantially the same results. In other embodiments, one or each of the first or second sampling windows 402a, b can serve a dual purpose as well as a transmission window as the ICE 320 (i.e., a spectral component). In still other embodiments, the ICE 320 can generate the modified electromagnetic radiation 322 through reflection, instead of transmission therethrough. Furthermore, as with the system 300 of Figure 3, there are contemplated modalities that include the use of at least two ICE components in the device 306 configured to cooperatively determine the characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302.

The modified electromagnetic radiation 322 generated by the ICE 320 is subsequently transmitted to the detector 324 for quantization of the signal and generation of the output signal 326 which corresponds to the characteristic or adulterant of particular interest in the fluid 302. As with the system 300 of Figure 3, the system 400 may also include the second detector 328 for detecting radiation deviations arising from the source of electromagnetic radiation 308. As illustrated, the second detector 328 may be configured to receive a portion of the radiation optically interacted 318 through the divider beam 332 in order to detect the deviations of radiation.

However, in other embodiments the second detector 328 can be accommodated to receive electromagnetic radiation from any part of the optical train in the device 306 in order to detect the radiation deviations, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The output signal 326 and the compensation signal 330 can then be transmitted to or otherwise received by the signal processor 334 which can combine the two signals 330, 326 by computer and provide the real-time or near-real-time signal in real time. resulting output 336 corresponding to the concentration of the characteristic or adulterant of interest in the fluid 302.

Still referring to Figure 4, with further reference to Figure 3, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that, in one or more embodiments, the electromagnetic radiation can be derived from the fluid 302 itself, and otherwise independently derived of the source of electromagnetic radiation 308. For example, various substances naturally radiate electromagnetic radiation that can optically interact with the ICE 320. In some embodiments, for example, the fluid 302 or the adulterant within the fluid 302 may be a radiation substance of black body configured to radiate heat that can interact optically with the ICE 320. In other modalities, the fluid 302 or the adulterant within the fluid 302 can be radioactive or quasi-luminescent and, therefore, irradiated electromagnetic radiation that can interact optically with the ICE 320.

In still other embodiments, electromagnetic radiation can be induced from the fluid 302 or the adulterant within the fluid 302 by being driven mechanically, magnetically, electrically, combinations thereof, or the like. For example, at least in one embodiment, a voltage may be placed through the fluid 302 or the adulterant within the fluid 302 to induce electromagnetic radiation. As a result, modalities are here contemplated where the source of electromagnetic radiation 308 is omitted from the optical computing device 306.

It should also be noted that the various drawings provided herein are not necessarily drawn to scale nor shown, strictly speaking, as optically correct as understood by those experts in optics. Rather, the drawings are merely illustrative in nature and are generally used here to complement the understanding of the systems and methods provided herein. In fact, although the drawings may not be optically accurate, the conceptual interpretations here shown accurately reflect the exemplary nature of the various modalities disclosed.

Other modalities disclosed here include: A. A system, comprising: a flow path containing a fluid that has at least one adulterant present there; at least one integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and thus generate optically interacting light; and at least one detector accommodated to receive the optically-interacted light and generate an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of at least one adulterant within the fluid.

Mode A can have one or more of the following additional elements in any combination: Element 1: The embodiment further comprises a signal processor communicatively coupled to at least one detector for receiving the output signal, the signal processor is configured to determine the characteristic of at least one adulterant.

Element 2: The mode comprises a source of electromagnetic radiation configured to emit electromagnetic radiation that interacts optically with the fluid.

Element 3: The mode in which at least one detector is a first detector and the system also comprises a second detector arranged to detect radiation electromagnetic from the source of electromagnetic radiation and thus generate a compensation signal indicative of deviations from electromagnetic radiation.

Element 4: The embodiment further comprises a signal processor communicatively coupled to the first and second detectors, the signal processor is configured to receive and combine by computer the output and compensation signals to normalize the output signal.

Element 5: The modality in which the electromagnetic radiation interacts optically with at least one integrated computational element after interacting optically with the fluid.

Element 6: The modality in which the electromagnetic radiation interacts optically with at least one integrated computational element before interacting optically with the fluid.

Element 7: The modality, where the fluid is a liquid.

Element 8: The embodiment wherein at least one adulterant comprises at least one of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene, volatile organic compounds, naphthalene, styrene, water, sand and sulfur compounds.

Element 9: The mode, where the fluid is a gas.

The system of claim 10, characterized in that at least one adulterant comprises at least one of hexane, liquefiable hydrocarbons, water, sulfur compounds.

Element 10: The mode, wherein the characteristic of at least one adulterant is the concentration of at least one adulterant in the fluid.

Other modalities disclosed here include: B. A method for monitoring a fluid quality, comprising: optically interacting at least one integrated computational element with a fluid contained within a flow path, thereby generating optically-interacted light, wherein the fluid includes at least one adulterant therein I presented; receiving the optically-interacted light with at least one detector; and generating with at least one detector an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of at least one adulterant in the fluid.

Mode B can have one or more of the following additional elements in any combination: Element 1: The method further comprises, before generating, with at least one detector, an output signal: measuring a fluid characteristic or at least one known adulterant in the fluid with at least one detector.

Element 2: The modality also includes, after measuring a characteristic of the fluid or at least an adulterant known in the fluid with at least one detector: carrying out at least one corrective action when the characteristic of at least one adulterant exceeds a predetermined range of convenient operation.

Element 3: The method further comprises: receiving the output signal with a signal processor communicatively coupled to at least one detector; and determining the characteristic of at least one adulterant with the signal processor.

Element 4: The method further comprises emitting electromagnetic radiation from a source of electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic radiation from the source of electromagnetic radiation is configured to interact optically with the fluid and at least one adulterant.

Element 5: The mode, further comprising reflecting the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the source of electromagnetic radiation outside the fluid.

Element 6: The mode further comprising transmitting the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the source of electromagnetic radiation through the fluid.

Element 7: The mode in which at least one detector is a first detector, the method further comprising: receiving and detecting with a second detector at least a part of the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the source of electromagnetic radiation, generating with the second detector a compensation signal indicative of deviations of radiation from the source of electromagnetic radiation; computer combining the output signal and the compensation signal with a signal processor communicatively coupled to the first and second detectors; and normalize the output signal.

Element 8: The mode wherein the containment of the fluid within the flow path further comprises flowing the fluid within the flow path.

Element 9: The modality in which to carry out at least one corrective action comprises adding a treatment substance to the flow path.

Element 10: The modality in which to carry out at least one corrective action comprises increasing or decreasing a flow velocity of the fluid within the flow path.

Element 11: The modality in which to carry out at least one corrective action comprises closing a flow of the fluid within the flow path.

Element 12: The embodiment wherein the characteristic of at least one known adulterant is the concentration of at least one known adulterant in the fluid.

Therefore, the present invention is well suited for achieve the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherent in it. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, since the present invention can be modified and practiced in different ways but apparent equivalents for those skilled in the art who enjoy the benefit of the present teachings. further, it is not intended that there be limitations to the details of construction or design shown here, other than those described in the following claims. Therefore, it is evident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above can be altered, combined or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The invention disclosed herein illustratively may be conveniently practiced in the absence of any element not specifically disclosed herein, and / or any optional element disclosed 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 ranges previously disclosed may vary by a certain amount. Whenever a numerical range with a lower limit and a limit superior is disclosed, any number and any rank included that fall within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, each range of values (of the form, "from about a to about b" or equivalently, "from about aab" or, equivalently "from about ab") disclosed herein will be understood to establish all number and range covered within the broadest range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their ordinary flat meaning unless explicitly and clearly the patent holder defines the opposite. In addition, the indefinite articles "a" or "an", as used in the claims, are defined herein to indicate one or more than one of the item that is introduced.

Claims

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

1. A system, comprising: a flow path containing a fluid having at least one adulterant therein present; at least one integrated computational element configured to interact optically with the fluid and thus generate optically interacting light; Y at least one detector arranged to receive the optically-interacted light and generate an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of at least one adulterant within the fluid.

2. - The system according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processor communicatively coupled to at least one detector for receiving the output signal, the signal processor is configured to determine the characteristic of at least one adulterant.

3. - The system according to claim 1, further comprising a source of electromagnetic radiation configured to emit electromagnetic radiation that of optical way interacts with the fluid.

4. - The method according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one detector is a first detector and the system further comprises a second detector arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation from the source of electromagnetic radiation and thus generate a compensation signal indicative of deviations of electromagnetic radiation.

5. - The method according to claim 4, further comprising a signal processor coupled communicatively to the first and second detectors, the signal processor is configured to receive and combine by computer the output signals and compensation to normalize the signal of departure.

6. - The system according to claim 3, characterized in that the electromagnetic radiation interacts optically with at least one integrated computational element after interacting optically with the fluid.

7. - The system according to claim 3, characterized in that the electromagnetic radiation interacts optically with at least one integrated computational element before interacting optically with the fluid.

8. - The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the fluid is a liquid.

9. - The system according to claim 8, characterized in that at least one adulterant comprises at least one of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, volatile organic compounds, naphthalene, styrene, water, sand and sulfur compounds.

10. - The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the fluid is a gas.

11. - The system according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one adulterant comprises at least one of hexane, liquefiable hydrocarbons, water, sulfur compounds.

12. - The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the characteristic of at least one adulterant is the concentration of at least one adulterant in the fluid.

13. - A method to monitor a fluid quality, which includes: optically interacting at least one integrated computational element with a fluid contained within a flow path, thereby generating optically-interacted light, wherein the fluid includes at least one adulterant therein, - receiving the optically-interacted light with at least one detector; Y generating with at least one detector an output signal corresponding to a characteristic of at least one adulterant in the fluid.

14. - The method according to claim 13, further comprising, before generating with an at least one detector an output signal: measuring a fluid characteristic or at least one known adulterant in the fluid with at least one detector.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising, after measuring a characteristic of the fluid or at least one known adulterant in the fluid with at least one detector: carry out at least one corrective action when the characteristic of at least one adulterant exceeds a predetermined range of convenient operation.

16. - The method according to claim 13, further comprising: receiving the output signal with a signal processor communicatively coupled to at least one detector; Y determine the characteristic of at least one adulterant with the signal processor.

17. - The method according to claim 13, further comprising emitting electromagnetic radiation from a source of electromagnetic radiation, radiation The electromagnetic source of the electromagnetic radiation is configured to interact optically with the fluid and at least one adulterant.

18. - The method according to claim 17, further comprising reflecting the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the source of electromagnetic radiation outside the fluid.

19. - The method according to claim 13, further comprising transmitting the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the source of electromagnetic radiation through the fluid.

20. - The method according to claim 13, characterized in that at least one detector is a first detector, the method further comprises: receiving and detecting with a second detector at least a part of the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the source of electromagnetic radiation; generating with the second detector a compensation signal indicative of the radiation deviations of the source of electromagnetic radiation; computer combining the output signal and the compensation signal with a processor communicatively coupled to the first and second detectors; Y normalize the output signal.

21. - The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the containment of the fluid within the flow path further comprises flowing the fluid within the flow path.

22. - The method according to claim 13, characterized in that carrying out at least one corrective action comprises adding a treatment substance to the flow path.

23. - The method according to claim 13, characterized in that carrying out at least one corrective action comprises increasing or decreasing a flow velocity of the fluid within the flow path.

24. - The method according to claim 13, characterized in that carrying out at least one corrective action comprises closing a fluid flow rate within the flow path.

25. - The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the characteristic of at least one known adulterant is the concentration of at least one known adulterant in the fluid.