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

流变性--材料在剪切作用下的流动和变形--对许多大型系统的运行至关重要，这些系统包括输水管道、垃圾填埋场、油井和管道以及生物燃料工厂。这项主要研究仪器(MRI)奖将资助购买带有结构分析附件的压力流变仪，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教职员工共享，以进行土木工程和材料科学领域潜在的变革性基础研究。它将允许研究人员获得广泛的工程材料的流变性，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、供水质量，并促进可持续能源发展。该仪器还将加强跨学科研究合作，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性时施加极高的温度(400°C)和高压(100兆帕)。高分辨率显微镜和小角光散射系统可以安装在流变仪上，以表征材料在剪切时的微观结构。该多功能水泥浆流变仪将模拟深井井下临界条件，系统研究油井水泥浆在动、静态条件下的流变性。这些测量的流变性被认为是水泥浆可泵性和胶凝性的真实指示，这对油井施工的安全至关重要。附设的显微镜和小角光散射系统将能够对水泥凝胶化过程中水泥颗粒的分散、凝聚和絮凝进行原位观察。这些发现将填补人们对水泥浆微观结构及其对油井施工过程中和施工后流变性影响的认识空白。该仪器还将促进以下基础研究：1)土工/土壤材料在温度变化和动态载荷下的力学和热行为，以研究它们作为泥浆壁填充材料的潜在应用；2)管密封中弹性体的氯胺降解进程；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仿生材料，以推动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.