1. n. [Drilling Fluids]
Also known as direct-indicating viscometer or V-G meter, an instrument used to measure viscosity and gel strength of drilling mud. The direct-indicating viscometer is a rotational cylinder and bob instrument. Two speeds of rotation, 300 and 600 rpm, are available in all instruments, but some are 6- or variable-speed. It is called "direct-indicating" because, at a given speed, the dial reading is a true centipoise viscosity. For example, at 300 rpm, the dial reading (511 sec–1) is a true viscosity.
Bingham plastic rheological parameters are easily calculated from direct-indicating viscometer readings: PV (in units of cP) = 600 dial - 300 dial and YP (in units of lbm/100 ft2) = 300 dial - PV. Gel strength is also directly read as dial readings in oilfield units of lbm/100 ft2.
Synonyms: direct-indicating viscometer, VG meter
See related terms: Bingham plastic model, deflocculant, gel strength, Herschel–Bulkley fluid, Newtonian fluid, non-Newtonian fluid, plastic viscosity, power-law fluid, rheological property, yield point
