New Viscometer Takes the Pressure Out of Deepwater Drilling

PAC (USA), a leading global provider of advanced analytical instruments for laboratories and online process applications, recently launched a new extended option for Cambridge Viscosity VISCOlab PVT, a high pressure viscometer for oil, gas and supercritical fluids. With the addition of higher rated valves, tubing, and materials, the VISCOlab PVT can now extend its pressure range from 20,000 psi, which is its standard range, to 30,000 psi, while maintaining its very user-friendly operation and minimal sample usage (only 6ml).

Typical offshore rigs drill to 10,000 – 15,000 foot depths.  However, with increased demand, oil companies with major offshore business have to drill deeper and deeper, subjecting the well to ever higher pressures. The Gulf of Mexico is a perfect example where numerous new wells are being dug at 25,000 – 35,000 foot depths, under pressures in the range of 25,000 – 30,000 psi.

“Since viscosity is such a critical measurement for determining key fluid reservoir characteristics and deepwater drilling is becoming ever more important, the VISCOlab PVT new option will help our customers determine what it will take to get the crude out of the well and the quality of the oil find at higher pressure up to 30,000 psi.” says David Tran, PAC Vice-President of Product Management and Marketing.

Furthermore, since many tests need to be performed on the samples captured from deepwater wells, the smallest volume necessary to measure the viscosity becomes even more critical since once a sample is tested that sample volume cannot be used for other testing. With the VISCOlab PVT 30,000 psi option, deep offshore operations receive accurate and precise viscosity measurement of the oil from a very small amount of sample.