Model 5600 Shear History Simulator

The Chandler Engineering Shear History Simulator (SHS) is a system designed to prepare and load water-based fracturing fluids dynamically into rotational viscometers. The fluid is pumped through a series of capillaries at various rates and durations in order to simulate pumping conditions experienced during fracture stimulation treatments.

The Chandler Engineering SHS consists of a pressurized fluid reservoir, two injection pumps and three capillaries. Each capillary is 120 ft long with 0.085 inch ID. A valve panel with a graphical representation of flow paths allows the user to configure the instrument to simulate a broad range of conditions.

A gel base fluid is placed into a pressurized supply reservoir to deliver fluid to the suction of the injection pump. Quick couplings and flexible hoses make this a quick and easy connection. Pressure is applied to the reservoir via an air regulator mounted on the front panel.

The base gel injection pump is a high pressure triplex pump. It has stainless steel construction for corrosion resistance. The pump is driven by a gear motor and is controlled by a frequency drive controller and can deliver 0-100 ml/min. The crosslinker additive pump is a stainless steel HPLC pump capable of delivering 0-9.99 ml/minute.

The two fluids are first combined in a micro-volume mixing tee, which flows directly into a multi-element kinetic mixer for thorough homogenization.

Pressure transducers are located at the entrance and exit of each capillary to accurately monitor fluid behavior. Digital indicators display each pressure on the front panel.

The system can be operated manually as a stand-alone unit, or can be run from the Chandler Engineering SHS software. The software monitors and records all measured parameters such as pump rate and pressure. The software displays the time required to propagate through the system and load the proper sample volume into the cup.