INSTALLATION AND OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE OFITE MODEL 1000 VERSION 1.0

Transcription

1 OFI Testing Equipment Model 1000 HPHT Viscometer (130-75) Instructions Page 1 of 7 INSTALLATION AND OPERATIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE OFITE MODEL 1000 VERSION 1.0 INSTALL DIRECTIONS FOR OFITE SOFTWARE. 1. PLACE OFITE CD OR STARTUP FLOPPY INTO APPROPRIATE DRIVE. 2. DOUBLE CLICK ON SETUP.EXE. (THE PROGRAM IS SELF INSTALLING) 3. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS TO INSTALL PROGRAM. 4. WHEN INSTALLATION IS COMPLETED, COPY ICON TO DESKTOP IF SO DESIRED. YOU ARE NOW READY TO RUN THE SOFTWARE. RUN DIRECTIONS FOR OFITE MODEL 1000 SOFTWARE (NOTE THAT IN ALL MODES EXCEPT PRE-HEAT, THE HEATERS ARE DEACTIVATED IF THERE IS LESS THAN 300 PSI ON THE SYSTEM. THIS IS INDICATED BY THE TWO YELLOW ALARM LIGHTS, WHICH WILL TURN GREEN WHEN THE PRESSURE IS RAISED ABOVE 300 PSI.) 1. LEFT CLICK MOUSE ON START BUTTON (OR DOUBLE CLICK THE MODEL 1000 ICON ON THE DESK TOP AND IGNORE THE REMAINING THREE STEPS). 2. LEFT CLICK ON PROGRAMS. 3. LEFT CLICK ON MODEL LEFT CLICK ON MODEL 1000.EXE. THIS WILL OPEN THE MENU FILE, WHICH CALLS THE OTHER SUB- PROGRAMS THAT ARE USED TO OPERATE THE UNIT. RUNNING THE MODEL 1000 IN RHEO lll MODE 1. In the menu, click on the green switch labeled Rheo lll

2 OFI Testing Equipment Model 1000 HPHT Viscometer (130-75) Instructions Page 2 of 7 2. In the upper left corner, set the Initial Temp and Final Temp. These are the temperatures you set to start running rheological sweeps and the maximum temperature, to run the sweeps at. 3. Next set the Delta Temp. This sets the increment at which the sweeps will be run. For example, if Initial Temp is set at 100, and Delta Temp is set at 20 then the machine will run sweeps at 100 o F, 120 o F, 140 o F, etc. until reaching Final Temp. 4. The Degrees/min sets the heating rate of the unit between sweeps. 5. The Up/Down position of the next switch means that the unit will heat up at the rate selected while taking sweeps at the appropriate temperatures, then cool at the same rate, again taking sweeps. If the switch is in the Up Only position, it will not take sweeps while cooling down. 6. The next two settings allow the unit to continue to run sweeps after the unit has reached Final Temp for a fixed period of time. For example, if the Delta Time were set to 30, and the # of Sweeps was set to 6, the unit would run an additional 6 sweeps while maintaining Final Temp every half hour for a total time of 3 hours. Then the unit would either ramp down in temperature while doing sweeps or just shut down and cool, depending on how the switch in step #5 was set. 7. The next two switches set; 1) the units the shear stress will be displayed in (Pascals, Pa or Dynes/cm^2 ). 2) The model the unit will use to calculate the rheological properties of the fluid ( PV/YP for Bingham plastic or n /k/ for Power law). 8. The File Header box allows the user to print whatever information they wish with the data files for each run (i.e. fluid formulation, well info, etc.) 9. The File Name box is where the user enters the name they wish to use to identify the data files with (do not enter a path as the program will not accept it). There will actually be two files created as follows; 1) one file will be called filename shear.xls and will contain all the shear stress data as well as the rheological data for each sweep. 2) The other file will be called filename vis.xls and will contain the apparent viscosity data for each sweep. Both files will be created in c:\program files\ofite\. If the user does not enter a new file name for each test run, the data will be appended to the last file run and can be identified by its header and/or the date and time stamp that is automatically added at the top of each run. 10. Moving back to the left of the screen set the Conditioning RPM. This is the speed at which the unit will rotate between sweeps. 11. Set the Test Time (sec). This sets the time over which the unit will average the shear stress reading for each speed of the sweep. Note, that this is not the total time that the unit will be at each speed as there is a fixed time of 15 sec. at the start of each speed for the unit to stabilize between speed changes 12. Test RPM 1-6 are the rotational speeds set by the user for the rheological sweeps. They can be any value from 1 to 600 RPM and can be in any order. Any values of 0 RPM will be stepped over allowing the user to run less than six speeds if they choose, to save time. It is not recommended to set the first speed at 0 RPM as it can cause some problems with the readouts. NOTE, 600 AND 300 RPM ARE NOT REQUIRED FOR THE BINGHAM PLASTIC MODEL AS THE PROGRAM TAKES THE DATA AND DOES A BEST-FIT CALCULATION TO DETERMINE PV AND YP FROM THAT DATA. This allows the user to run the data around the actual shear rates they expect to see in the field, and still calculate a Bingham Plastic. 13. The test can now be started, by clicking the Motor and Heat switches to on, then pressing the green Start Test button. The program will run through the sweeps as selected and shut itself off at the end of the test. 14. To run another test, repeat steps #2 to # To run in another mode or shut down the program, press Return to Menu after the program has stopped and the press the appropriate button on the Menu page.

3 OFI Testing Equipment Model 1000 HPHT Viscometer (130-75) Instructions Page 3 of 7 There are a few other items to take note of; first on the bottom right side of the screen are two green indicators labeled Press and Temp. These show the status of the Pressure and Temperature alarms. If both of these lamps were Yellow, it would indicate that there is less than 300 PSI on the unit and that the heaters are not activated. When both are Green it indicates that all is in the normal operational range and the program will run normally. If either of the lamps were to turn Red, it would indicate that either the Pressure or the Temperature of the system has exceeded the maximum operation limit and that the heaters have been inactivated. Also, there would be an audible alarm beeping to let the user know there is a problem. When the alarm condition is rectified, the lamps return to green and the heaters are reactivated. There is also a mechanical safety set at 525 o F. If the bath temperature should exceed 525 o F it will shut down the MODEL 1000 s power and will have to be reset by turning the power of and then on again before the unit will operate. Just above the alarm lamps, is a Red switch labeled Viscosity Shut Down along with two boxes labeled High Set and Low Set. These allow the user to set upper and/or lower limits for the apparent viscosity of the fluid during the conditioning stages between the sweeps. These limits are used to shut down the test if the fluid goes out side set ranges that the user has decided are usable in the field. For example if a user is testing a Frac Fluid and decides that if the apparent viscosity was to go below 250cP that the fluid would not be usable, they could set the lower limit at 250cP and switch the Viscosity Shut Down to on. If will conditioning, the apparent viscosity of the fluid were to drop below 250cP the test would shut off and start cooling down for the next test. RUNNING THE MODEL 1000 IN AUTO MODE 1. In the menu, click on the green switch marked Auto. 2. If you are running the program for the first time after installing it, or wish to load a new set of operating parameters, place the parameter switch (found at the bottom left of center) to load new test. If you have already loaded a set of operating parameters and wish to run the same set again, place the switch in the use old parameters position and ignore step #5. 3. Enter a file name you wish to store the run data in, in the box marked file name (found at the bottom right of center) of the panel. Do not attempt to enter a path, as it will not accept the string when the test is started. All data files will be stored initially in the C:\PROGRAM FILES\ofite sub-directory. If you choose not to enter a new name, or forget to, before starting the run, the data will be appended to the file last placed in the box. 4. Just above the File Name box, is the File Header box, in which you can type any pertinent data you wish printed at the top of your test data. 5. You will see two yellow indicator lights to the right of the File Name and Header box. They are labeled Press and Temp and indicate various alarm states for the pressure and temperature of the unit. The fact that these are both yellow indicates that there is less than 300 PSI on the system and therefore the heaters WILL NOT operate. To rectify the problem, increase the nitrogen pressure, until it reads at least 300 PSI on the display, and the two indicator lights both turn green 6. Start the test by clicking on the blue buttons for Motor and Heat and the green Start Test buttons. 7. When the test starts, and the dialog box comes up to choose a file, click on the appropriate file for the test. The program will run through its steps and shut itself off at the end of the test. 8. After the test is finished, you can run another test by repeating steps #2 to #7. 9. If you wish to stop a test before it reaches its completion, press the red Stop button. 10. To run in another mode or exit the program, press the blue Return to Menu button.

4 OFI Testing Equipment Model 1000 HPHT Viscometer (130-75) Instructions Page 4 of 7 PARAMETER FILES The Auto program to set temperature and speed set points for the MODEL 1000 uses parameter files. Below is a typical example of a parameter file you can find in c:\program files\ofite\. You can open these files as text file using the text reader found in Explorer or it can be imported into Excel as a text file and saved as a text file when modifications are finished. To create new programs, or edit existing files you need to understand the following 1. Each line is a step in the program 2. Ti, is the required temperature at the beginning of a step. 3. Tf, is the required temperature at the end of a step. 4. RPMi, is the rotational speed at the beginning of each step 5. RPMf, is the rotational speed at the end of a test, 6. Min, is the time in minutes for each step 7. The Header line (Ti, Tf, etc.) must be the first line of the file. RPM TEST.txt Ti Tf RPMi RPMf min Using the above file as an example, the MODEL 1000 will do the following: 1. In step #1, the unit will hold 70 o F, while ramping up in speed from 50 to 150 RPM over a time of 1.5 minutes. 2. In step #2 it will ramp temperature from 70 to 100 o F while holding 150 RPM over 2 minutes. 3. In step #3, it holds 100 o F while jumping up to and holding 300 RPM for 2 minutes. 4. In step #4, the unit will increase temperature from 100 to 150 o F while dropping the speed to 100 RPM at the beginning of the step and then ramping it up to 200 RPM over 2 minutes You will notice that the last step has zeros for all temperature and RPM parameters with a 1-minute time. This is to ensure that all functions are stopped before the program is shut down. In addition, a value of zero placed in the Ti column at any time will shut down the program. It should be noted at this time, that while the MODEL 1000 can easily handle large sudden changes of RPM, the maximum heating and cooling rate of the unit restrict sudden changes in temperature. This does not mean you cannot request a step change of temperature in your parameters, but you must allow sufficient time for the unit to reach the requested temperature and collect the necessary data.

5 OFI Testing Equipment Model 1000 HPHT Viscometer (130-75) Instructions Page 5 of 7 RUNNING THE MODEL 1000 IN MANUAL MODE In the manual mode, running the MODEL 1000 is like running an old style analog viscometer. The operator makes all the adjustments to speed and temperature from the control screen. The manual mode screen is very similar to the Auto Mode screen with the exception that there are now two slide bars in place of the file entry section. The two slide bars control the speed and temperature settings for the MODEL 1000 and can be set using the slides by doing a click and drag, or by double clicking on the digital input to the right of each slide and entering the required setting by typing it in and hitting enter. 1. From the Menu, click on the green button marked Manual. 2. Insure you have 300 PSI on the system (both the Heat and Press alarm lights should be green) 3. Enter the name of the file in which you wish to have the data stored, in the File Name input box. 4. Enter any information you wish in the File Header box. 5. Enter the time spacing you wish to have data saved to file in the Sample Time box (default is every 2 minutes). 6. Click the Motor and Heat buttons to the ON position 7. Click the green Start button to start the data acquisition and display chart. 8. Set the speed and temperature you wish the unit to operate at using either the slide bars or the digital inputs. If you get a lock up or unstable motor condition, turn the motor switch off, reset the speed to 0 and turn the motor switch back on. You should be able to set the required motor speed at this time. 9. You can change Speed, Temperature or Sample time at any time using the slide or digital inputs for RPM, TEMP or Sample Time. 10. To stop the operation, just press the red Stop button. This will automatically reset all the controls to off and stop the data acquisition. 11. To run another test, REPEAT steps #3 to # To run in another mode or exit the program all together, click on Return to Menu. CALIBRATING THE MODEL 1000 The MODEL 1000 has an automated calibration program that will work with calibration fluids of known viscosity (maximum of 350 cp). The MODEL 1000 unit should be on for at least 30 minutes (or longer) before calibration is started. 1. From the menu, click on the yellow Calibrate button. 2. Using a R1B1 combination, place the appropriate amount of calibration fluid in the cup, assemble the unit, and apply at least 300 PSI to the system. 3. Enter the known viscosity of the fluid in the input box marked Viscosity 4. Click on the enter button to start the calibration. In this mode the operation is completely automatic and the operator will only need to click on the enter button at the end of the operation as per the instructions.

6 OFI Testing Equipment Model 1000 HPHT Viscometer (130-75) Instructions Page 6 of 7 5. When finished the program will be shut down by clicking on the EXIT button. The MENU will have to be reloaded, as this will load the new calibration into the system. CHANGING THE MAIN SEAL 1. Remove rotor cup and bob. Disconnect power cord. 2. Remove the 6 screws holding the bottom plate, and remove that plate. 3. Remove the top plate by turning the 4-1/4-turn fasteners, lifting the plate out, and disconnecting the motor driver from its cables. 4. Loosen the 4 cap screws that hold the motor, and slide the motor to the front of the unit. 5. Remove the drive cable from the motor sprocket and the rotor sprocket. 6. Disconnect the nitrogen line on the top of the viscometer head, as well as both connecters for the transducer and the thermocouple. 7. Remove the 8 cap screws that hold the torsion head to the main body. Lift the head straight up out of the body; a screwdriver may be used to start it up. Use care not to bend the shaft and place the head in a safe place that will protect the shaft. 8. Use a small screwdriver or pick to remove the spiral lock ring at the top of the rotor shaft. The shaft will slide out now. 9. Use the supplied tool to remove the bearing retainer from the bottom of the body. 10. Pry the seal from the body, either by pulling it down from the bottom, or pushing it down with a screwdriver from the top. 11. The main bearing can also be inspected at this time and replaced if necessary. 12. Install new seal by firmly pushing it up into its recess. It will probably not seat all the way in at this time, so finish seating it by screwing in the bearing retainer. 13. Replace the rotor shaft and secure with the spiral lock ring. 14. Replace the torsion head and reconnect all fittings, screws and connections. 15. Place the drive cable back on the two sprockets and slide the motor back to tighten the cable. Hold the motor back firmly while tightening the cap screws. 16. Reconnect the motor driver and replace the top panel. 17. Replace the bottom panel and the 6 screws holding it in place. CHANGING THE BOB SHAFT BEARINGS 1. Follow steps 1 7 in previous section to remove torsion head.

7 OFI Testing Equipment Model 1000 HPHT Viscometer (130-75) Instructions Page 7 of 7 2. Loosen the nut sealing in the thermo-couple, and gently pull the thermo-couple out of its guide tube. 3. Place head lightly in a bench vice with the bob shaft pointing up. 4. Using snap ring pliers, remove the lock ring on lower end of bob shaft. Slip off the bearing retainer ring. 5. Remove the 4 flat head cap screws that hold the guide tube plate to the torsion head. 6. Gently lift the guide tube plate up away from the torsion head. It may be necessary to rotate the plate back and forth slightly to allow the thermo-couple tube to release from the head. 7. Insure that as you lift the guide tube assembly up away from the head, that the bob shaft is staying behind and is not stuck in either of the bearings and that torsion spring is not being over stretched. If the shaft does not slide out of the bearings, lower the plate back down and gently tap the end of the shaft down very lightly with a wooden dowel or rubber hammer. This will loosen the shaft from the bearing. Repeat step Once the guide tube assembly has cleared the bob shaft, replace the two shaft bearings and replace the guide tube assembly back over the bob shaft. Again insure that the shaft is feeding easily up through the bearings as not to damage the spring or transducer. 9. When the guide tube assembly is back down to the head and the thermo-couple tube is properly seated back in it hole, replace the 4 screws that secure the plate to the head. 10. Slide the bearing retainer ring back on the shaft and replace the lock ring. 11. Slide the thermo-couple back into its tube, insuring that it does not kink on the way in. Retighten the seal nut. 12. Insure that nothing is binding in the head and reassemble as in steps of previous section.

8