Existing viscometers fall into several classes. Field viscometers typically have no temperature control, require solvents or disposables, can only measure absolute viscosity (not the desired kinematic viscosity for many applications), can be inaccurate, and may require significant mechanical actions on the part of the user. Acoustic wave field viscometers typically operate over wide (very high) shear rates that do not correspond in many cases to laboratory readings. On the other hand, both of these first two types of viscometers can be made to operate under extreme conditions such as high temperature and pressure and can provide value for targeted systems where a single process is being monitored, for example. The third class of viscometers are traditional laboratory viscometers which fall sub-classes such as the following: capillary, rotating, piston and orifice. All of these viscometers are high-cost and/or require extensive care when using them, and many may not be suitable for field use.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds