MRI: Acquisition of a Pressure Rheometer with Structural Analysis Accessories for Oil Well Cement and Other Materials Characterization

流变学特性--材料在剪切作用下的流动和变形--对于许多大型系统的运行至关重要，这些系统包括水管、垃圾填埋场、威尔斯油井、管道和生物燃料工厂。 这项重大研究仪器（MRI）奖将资助购买一台带结构分析配件的压力流变仪，以支持肯塔基州路易斯维尔大学（UofL）正在进行的研究、教学和培训计划。该仪器将由UofL教师共享，以进行土木工程和材料科学的潜在变革性基础研究。它将使研究人员能够获得各种工程材料的流变特性，包括油井水泥浆、管道密封、有机粘土悬浮液以及生物质和生物燃料。 这些知识将有助于设计先进的材料和更高效、更有弹性的系统，提高国家石油生产设施和垃圾填埋场的安全性，提高供水质量，促进可持续能源发展。该仪器还将加强跨学科的研究合作，并为研究生和本科生提供教育机会。 该仪器的显著特点是能够在测量样品的流变特性时应用极高的温度（400 °C）和高压（100 MPa）。高分辨率显微镜和小角度光散射系统可以连接到流变仪上，以表征材料在受到剪切时的微观结构。该仪器将模拟深井井下临界条件，系统研究油井水泥浆在动、静态下的流变特性。这些流变性能的测定是水泥浆可泵性和胶凝性的真实反映，对油井施工安全至关重要。 随附的显微镜和小角度光散射系统将允许在水泥胶凝过程中对水泥颗粒分散、团聚和絮凝进行现场观察。这些研究结果将填补水泥浆微观结构及其对油井施工期间和施工后流变性能的影响的知识空白。 该仪器还将促进以下方面的基础研究：1）地质/土壤材料在温度变化和动态载荷下的机械和热行为，以研究其作为泥浆壁填充材料的潜在应用，2）管道密封中弹性体的氯胺降解过程，以及3）表征和开发新的地质材料，智能材料，机械流体，以及生物和生物启发材料，以促进可再生能源和可持续材料的发展。

Rheological properties - the flow and deformation of materials under shearing - is critical to the functioning of many large-scale systems, ranging from water pipelines, to landfills, oil wells and pipelines and biofuels plants. This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award will fund the acquisition of a pressure rheometer with structural analysis accessories to support ongoing research, teaching, and training programs at the University of Louisville (UofL), Kentucky. The instrument will be shared by UofL faculty to conduct potentially transformative fundamental research in civil engineering and materials science. It will allow researchers to obtain the rheological properties of a wide range of engineering materials, including oil well cement slurry, pipe seals, organoclay suspensions, and biomass and biofuels. This knowledge will enable the design of advanced materials and more efficient and resilient systems, enhancing the safety of the nation's oil production facilities and landfills, the quality of the water supply, and promoting sustainable energy development. The instrumentation will also enhance interdisciplinary research collaborations and provide educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students. The significant feature of this instrument is its ability to apply extreme high temperature (400 °C) and high pressure (100 MPa) when measuring a sample's rheological properties. A high resolution microscope and a small angle light scattering system can be attached to the rheometer to characterize the microstructure of the material when subjected to shear. The multi-functional instrument will simulate the critical downhole conditions in a deep oilwell to systematically study the rheological properties of oilwell cement slurry under both dynamic and static status. These measured rheological properties are believed to be the true indications of the pumpability and gelation of the cement slurry, which are crucial to the safety of oilwell construction. The attached microscope and the small-angle light scattering system will allow in-situ observations of cement particle dispersion, agglomeration, and flocculation during gelation of cement. These findings will close the knowledge gap of cement slurry microstructure and its influences on rheological properties during and after oilwell construction. The instrument will also facilitate fundamental research on 1) the mechanical and thermal behavior of geo/soil materials under temperature change and dynamic loads to investigate the their potential application as slurry wall filling materials, 2) the chloramine degradation progression of the elastomer in pipe seals and 3) characterizing and developing new geological materials, smart materials, mechanical fluids, and bio and bio-inspired materials to advance the development of renewable energy and sustainable materials.