Abstract: Simultaneous determination of general corrosion and localized corrosion rate measurements is achieved with polarization applied by the electrodes themselves rather than externally applied polarization. Two or more working electrodes may be galvanically coupled. A localized pitting corrosion event on one of the electrodes will lead to a potential transient. The area within the potential transient is measured with the baseline being the initial starting potential. This gives localized corrosion as a function of time. The relationship Rp=?V/?I is calculated, where Rp is the polarization resistance of the working electrodes and is a measure of generalized corrosion rate.

Abstract: Devices and methods for measuring the fraction of a liquid in a wet gas flow are described, the device including one or more light sources emitting at a first wavelength at which the liquid is highly absorbing and emitting at a second wavelength close to the first wavelength and at which the liquid is not highly absorbing; and one or more sensor for detecting the transmittance of the light at the first and second wavelengths through said gas flow, the device further including processing means for determining a liquid fraction of the liquid in the wet gas flow by correcting the transmittance measured at the first wavelength for the effects of scattering using the transmittance measured at the second wavelength. By making use of cross-correlations or know flow rate meters the device can be used as a flow meter.

Abstract: Solids deposition in a gas environment, such as a gas transmission line or pipeline are measured using metal-coated quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in a QCM probe within a high pressure gas chamber in the gas environment. The metal coated on the QCM may be iron, iron alloys and/or iron oxide. The weight measurements are conducted at a constant (?T) or controlled (T=f(t)) temperature between the high pressure gas chamber and the QCM probe. The weight gain during a CE cycle is associated with the solids formation rate.

Abstract: A localized corrosion monitoring (LCM) device is modified to obtain polarization resistance (Rp) from electrical resistance of a probe having a strip of metal under investigation (test electrode), a reference electrode and a temperature sensor (e.g. thermocouple). This configuration allows the probe to be used in areas where only a thin film of conductive fluid is available or required to provide potential monitoring. Thus, the applicability of the LCM technique is broadened. All the above devices are expected to be configured in one item of equipment, except for the probe which may be remotely located from the rest of the equipment.

Abstract: A method is provided for estimating the amount of supercharging in a formation penetrated by a wellbore. According to the method, pressure fluctuation measurements are obtained at a position in the formation accessible from the well bore and at an adjacent position in the wellbore, and a model is provided which relates variations in pressure with time at these positions to one or more adjustable parameters from which the amount of supercharging can be estimated. The or each parameter is then adjusted to optimize the fit between the pressure variations predicted by the model and the measured pressure fluctuations, and the amount of supercharging is estimated from the adjusted parameter(s).

Abstract: A centralized location system includes a location update application programming interface (API) to receive varying types of location inputs for a user from at least one location-providing application. A memory stores a location of the user and the location inputs, wherein the location update API periodically updates in the memory the location inputs when location updates are received from the at least one location-providing application. A location export API, upon request from a location-based service application, processes the location inputs to estimate a location of the user, which location estimate replaces the stored location in memory and is sent to the location-based service application. A user interface enables the user to specify a location granularity for at least one of the at least one location-providing application and the location-based service application.

Abstract: An electrochemical noise method, apparatus and system may be used to estimate and/or calculate parameters of interest related to corrosion rates of an electrically conductive article. The apparatus involves a working electrode (having substantially the same composition of the electrically conductive article), a reference electrode, and a counter electrode in an environment of interest. The working electrode is placed under potentiostatic control. A current transient between the working electrode and the counter electrode is measured. The working electrode is switched to open potential. A potential transient is measured over the duration of a localized corrosion event. The localized corrosion may then be calculated based on the measured potential transient and the current transient.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for exploring a corpus of content items stored in one or more information repositories within a distributed communications system.

Abstract: The invention provides an electrochemical noise method, apparatus and system for estimating parameters of interest related to corrosion rates of an electrically conductive article, the method comprising: placing a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a counter electrode in an environment of interest; measuring potential at open circuit between the working electrode and the reference electrode over time; placing the working electrode under a potentiostatic control; measuring current between the working electrode and the counter electrode for a predetermined period of time, the period of time of measurements may be extended to include a transient event; and estimating the corrosion rate.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing drag in a fluid stream involves admixing the components of a drag reducer to form an incipient drag reducer and injecting the incipient drag reducer into the fluid stream wherein the drag reducer components are admixed at the site of the fluid stream.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of reducing drag in a fluid stream. The method includes admixing the components of a drag reducer to form an incipient drag reducer and injecting the incipient drag reducer into the fluid stream wherein the drag reducer components are admixed at the site of the fluid stream.

Abstract: Aluminum carboxylate drag reducing agents are described herein. These materials are useful to reduce drag in hydrocarbon fluids and multiphase fluids of hydrocarbon(s) and water. No injection probes or other special equipment is expected to be required to introduce the drag reducing agent into the liquid stream. The drag reducing additives of the invention are not subject to shear degradation and do not cause undesirable changes in the emulsion or fluid quality of the fluid being treated, or undesirable foaming. In one non-limiting embodiment, an aluminum monocarboxylate is reacted with at least one carboxylic acid in situ. In another non-limiting embodiment, the aluminum carboxylate is introduced as a dispersion in a solvent such as paraffin oil. The drag reducing additives include aluminum dicarboxylates such as aluminum dioctoate, aluminum distearate, aluminum octoateoleate, aluminum octoatestearate, aluminum stearateoleate, hydroxyaluminum bis(2-ethylhexanoate) and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A method of calibrating a printing apparatus which includes a transport mechanism for transporting patches such as labels or RFID tags, each carried on a continuous backing web in a feed direction, from a store to and through a printing station, past a print head which is operative to print information on the patches, there being a patch removal mechanism for removing the printed patches from the backing web, the method including feeding a patch on the backing web in a direction opposite to the feed direction, from a position downstream of the print head, to a start position relative to the print head, and then advancing the patch again to test that the information is printed at a desired position on the patch.

Abstract: A method of sampling a multi-phase fluid stream is provided which comprises the steps of: sampling, with a sampling probe, a portion of the fluid stream; measuring the flow rate of said sampled portion; and measuring, independently of the sampling step, the total flow rate of the fluid stream, wherein the flow rate of the sampled portion is controlled according to the ratio of the flow rate of the sampled portion to the flow rate of the fluid stream, in order to obtain substantially isokinetic sampling of the fluid stream. The method may provide isokinetic sampling to an accuracy of 5% or less and preferably only samples a small portion of the fluid stream. The method has particular application for high rate condensate gas wells. A corresponding sampling system is provided which has particular application in the sampling of streams from well-heads.

Abstract: Simultaneous determination of general corrosion and localized corrosion rate measurements is achieved with polarization applied by the electrodes themselves rather than externally applied polarization. Two or more working electrodes may be galvanically coupled. A localized pitting corrosion event on one of the electrodes will lead to a potential transient. The area within the potential transient is measured with the baseline being the initial starting potential. This gives localized corrosion as a function of time. The relationship Rp=?V/?I is calculated, where Rp is the polarization resistance of the working electrodes and is a measure of generalized corrosion rate.

Abstract: An electrochemical noise method, apparatus and system calculates parameters of interest related to corrosion rates of an electrically conductive article. The method involves placing a test electrode, a reference electrode, and an auxiliary electrode in an environment of interest; placing the test electrode under potentiostatic control regime for a potential scan; measuring the relationship of current v. potential (polarization resistance, Rp) of the test electrode relative to the reference electrode during a first period; switching from potentiostatic control to the open circuit potential (OCP) of the test electrode; monitoring the OCP of the test electrode during a second period; determining ?I from the relationship Rp=?V/?I, where ?V is measured over a second period of time; and calculating the localized corrosion from the measured potential and current data.

Abstract: A method is provided for estimating the amount of supercharging in a formation penetrated by a wellbore. According to the method, pressure fluctuation measurements are obtained at a position in the formation accessible from the well bore and at an adjacent position in the wellbore, and a model is provided which relates variations in pressure with time at these positions to one or more adjustable parameters from which the amount of supercharging can be estimated. The or each parameter is then adjusted to optimise the fit between the pressure variations predicted by the model and the measured pressure fluctuations, and the amount of supercharging is estimated from the adjusted parameter(s).

Abstract: The invention provides an electrochemical noise method, apparatus and system for estimating parameters of interest related to corrosion rates of an electrically conductive article, the method comprising: placing a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a counter electrode in an environment of interest; measuring potential at open circuit between the working electrode and the reference electrode over time; placing the working electrode under a potentiostatic control; measuring current between the working electrode and the counter electrode for a predetermined period of time, the period of time of measurements may be extended to include a transient event; and estimating the corrosion rate.

Abstract: A method for determining formation pressure at a depth region of formations surrounding a borehole, including: keeping track of the time since cessation of drilling at the depth region; deriving formation permeability at the depth region; causing wellbore pressure to vary periodically in time and determining, at the depth region, the periodic and non-periodic component of pressure measured in the formations; determining, using the time, the periodic component and the permeability, the formation pressure diffusivity and transmissibility and an estimate of the size of the pressure build-up zone around the wellbore at the depth region; determining, using the time, the formation pressure diffusivity and transmissibility, and the non-periodic component, the leak-off rate of the mudcake at the depth region; determining, using the leak-off rate, the pressure gradient at the depth region; and extrapolating, using the pressure gradient and the size of the build-up zone, to determine the formation pressure.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods and systems for making measurements associated with a rock formation including a main borehole, a microborehole extending from the main borehole into the rock formation, and one or more sensing devices positioned and arranged to make a measurement at measurement zones being located in the microborehole. A packer can also be installed in the microborehole dimensioned and arranged to hydraulically isolate the measurement zones from conditions present in other parts of the microborehole and/or main borehole. Methods and systems are also provided for taking fluid samples and injecting fluid tracers in a microborehole.