Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Comes Out of Its Shell

Ridvan Akkurt Advances in measurement technology, along with improved processing techniques,
Saudi Aramco
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia have created new applications for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging. A new
NMR tool delivers conventional NMR-based information as well as fluid-property
H. Nate Bachman
Chanh Cao Minh characterization. These NMR data identify fluid types, transition zones and production
Charles Flaum
Jack LaVigne potential in complex environments. Placing this information into multidimensional
Rob Leveridge visualization maps provides log analysts with new insight into in situ fluid properties.
Sugar Land, Texas, USA

Romulo Carmona
Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.
Caracas, Venezuela

Steve Crary
Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia Petrophysical evaluation involves a lot of science permanent, prepolarizing magnets, these logging
and a bit of art. The scientific basis of a new tools use radio frequency (RF) pulses to
Eric Decoster measurement technique often develops from step manipulate the magnetic properties of hydrogen
Barcelona, Venezuela
changes in technologies. The art of application nuclei in the reservoir fluids. Schlumberger
sometimes plays catch-up while interpretation followed soon after with the CMR combinable
Nick Heaton
Clamart, France tools are developed to fully exploit new measure- magnetic resonance tool.
ments. Attempts to integrate new forms of data In general, NMR measurements were not
Martin D. Hürlimann into existing workflows may be met with accepted enthusiastically because the data did
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA resistance by those skeptical of the added value of not always assimilate well with existing inter-
the new information. In addition, the learning pretation schemes. However, early adopters
Wim J. Looyestijn curve inherent in adopting new concepts is often found applications for the new measurement,
Shell International Exploration steep, which can be at odds with the time and, as tools evolved, petrophysicists established
and Production B.V. demands of busy geologists and petrophysicists. the value of NMR logging to the interpretation
Rijswijk, The Netherlands Nuclear magnetic resonance logging is an community—creating an expanding niche in the
example of the physics of measurement—the oil and gas industry. Today, most service
Duncan Mardon
science—being understood and developed before companies offer some form of NMR logging tool,
ExxonMobil Upstream Research Co.
Houston, Texas petrophysical analysis—the art—integrated the and LWD NMR tools have been developed to
measurements into standard workflows. Although provide reservoir-quality information in real time
Jim White NMR was initially introduced in the 1960s, it took or almost real time.
Aberdeen, Scotland 30 years to develop an NMR acquisition tool that Magnetic resonance tools measure lithology-
could deliver the information that physicists independent porosity and require no radioactive
Oilfield Review Winter 2008/2009: 20, no. 4. knew was available. The first successfully sources. They also provide permeability estimates
Copyright © 2009 Schlumberger.
AIT, CMR, MDT, MR Scanner, OBMI and Rt Scanner are
deployed pulsed-NMR tool was introduced in the and basic fluid properties. Initially, the fluid
marks of Schlumberger. early 1990s by the NUMAR Corporation, now a properties were limited to free-fluid volume and
MRIL (Magnetic Resonance Imager Log) is a mark of subsidiary of Halliburton. Equipped with immovable clay- and capillary-bound fluid
Halliburton.

4 Oilfield Review
 Gas

Water
Oil

volumes. Although physicists were aware that A Bit of Science formation and fluid properties. The buildup in
much more information about the fluids could be All NMR tools share some common features. They the resulting magnetization is represented by a
coaxed from NMR data, downhole tools capable have strong permanent magnets that are used to multicomponent exponential curve, each
of providing more advanced acquisition and polarize the spins of hydrogen nuclei found in component of which is characterized by a T1
processing techniques were needed to extract reservoir fluids. The tools generate radio relaxation time.
fluid properties in a continuous log. frequency pulses to manipulate the
1. For more on NMR theory and logging:
This article discusses developments in mea- magnetization of hydrogen nuclei and then use
Kenyon B, Kleinberg R, Straley C, Gubelin G and
surement techniques that provide NMR-based in the same antennas that generate those pulses to Morriss C: “Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging—
situ formation-fluid properties. A recently intro- receive the extremely small RF echoes Technology for the 21st Century,” Oilfield Review 7, no. 3
(Autumn 1995): 19–33.
duced downhole tool capable of making these originating from the resonant hydrogen nuclei. Allen D, Crary S, Freedman B, Andreani M, Klopf W,
measurements in both continuous and stationary Because of their magnetic moments, Badry R, Flaum C, Kenyon B, Kleinberg R, Gossenberg P,
Horkowitz J, Logan D, Singer J and White J: “How to
modes is described, along with NMR logging theory hydrogen nuclei behave like microscopic bar Use Borehole Nuclear Magnetic Resonance,” Oilfield
applicable to these new measurements.1 With magnets. Upon exposure to the static magnetic Review 9, no. 2 (Summer 1997): 34–57.
these new NMR capabilities, fluid-characterization field, B0, of the NMR tool’s permanent magnets, Allen D, Flaum C, Ramakrishnan TS, Bedford J,
Castelijns K, Fairhurst D, Gubelin G, Heaton N, Minh CC,
measurements resolve interpretation ambiguities the hydrogen’s magnetic moments tend to align Norville MA, Seim MR, Pritchard T and Ramamoorthy R:
as demonstrated by case studies from South in the direction of B0. Exposure time is referred “Trends in NMR Logging,” Oilfield Review 12, no. 3
(Autumn 2000): 2–19.
America, the North Sea, the Middle East and to as the wait time, WT, and the time required for
west Africa. polarization to occur is influenced by various

Winter 2008/2009 5
 A B C D
Echo TE
Antenna
South
N N T2 decay

N
S

S
N S
S
N N T1 buildup
N
N S S
S
S
N N
N S S
S N N
S S

North
WT CPMG sequence
> Basic NMR theory. Hydrogen nuclei behave like tiny bar magnets and tend to align with the
magnetic field of permanent magnets, such as those in an NMR logging tool (A). During a set wait
time (WT), the nuclei polarize at an exponential buildup rate, T1, comprising multiple components (C).
Next, a train of RF pulses manipulates the spins of the hydrogen nuclei causing them to tip 90° and
then precess about the permanent magnetic field. The formation fluids generate RF echoes between
successive pulses, which are received and measured by the antenna of the NMR tool (B). The time E
between pulses is the echo spacing (TE) (D). The amplitudes of the echoes decay at a superposition
of exponential relaxation times, T2 , which are a function of the pore-size distribution, fluid properties,
formation mineralogy and molecular diffusion (E). An inversion technique converts the decay curve
into a distribution of T2 measurements (F). In general, for brine-filled rocks, the distribution is related Total porosity
to the pore sizes in the rocks (G).

Amplitude
Small pores
Large pores

After a given WT, a train of electromagnetic relaxation times representative of the fluid-filled
RF pulses manipulates the magnetic moments of pores in the reservoir rock (above).4 Time
the hydrogen nuclei and tips their direction away When the fluid in the sensed region is brine, F
from that of the B0 field. The process of sending the T2 distribution is generally bimodal,
long trains of RF pulses is referred to as a CPMG particularly in sandstones. Small pores and
sequence.2 A key feature of this sequence is bound fluid have short T2 times, and free fluids

Amplitude
alternating the polarity of the received signal to in larger pores have longer relaxation times. The
Inversion
eliminate electronics-related artifacts. During dividing line between bound and free fluid is
the CPMG measurement cycle, the hydrogen referred to as the T2 cutoff. Oil and gas in the
nuclei in the formation generate detectable RF pore spaces introduce a few complications into
echoes at the same frequency used to manipulate the model.
them.3 The echoes occur between RF bursts. The The three primary mechanisms that Time
time between bursts is the echo spacing, TE. influence T2 relaxation times are grain surface
The amplitude of the echoes is proportional relaxation, relaxation by bulk-fluid processes and
to the net magnetization in the plane transverse relaxation from molecular diffusion.5 Grain
to the static field created by the permanent surface relaxation is a function of pore-size
magnets. The amplitude of the initial echo is distribution. Relaxation effects from molecular
G
directly related to the formation porosity. The diffusion and bulk-fluid properties are directly
strength of the subsequent echoes decreases related to the type of fluid in the pores. Clay- Capillary- Free water
bound bound water
exponentially during the measurement cycle. Tar has an extremely short relaxation time water
The exponential decay rate, represented by the and may not be measurable with downhole NMR
Amplitude

relaxation rate, T2, is primarily a function of pore tools. Heavy oils have short relaxation times,
size, but also depends on the properties of the similar to those of clay- and capillary-bound
fluid in the reservoir, the presence of fluids, but may also be too short for NMR
paramagnetic minerals in the rock and the acquisition (next page). Lighter oils have longer
diffusion effects of the fluids. In typical cases, T2 times, similar to those associated with free
the decay of the echo amplitudes is governed by fluids. Gas has an even longer relaxation time T2
a distribution of T2 times, similar to the T1 times than oil. During the measurement process, oil
found in the buildup curve. An inversion and gas signals are detected along with signals
technique fits the decay curve with discrete from movable and irreducible water. While the T2
exponential solutions. These solutions are times from the oil and gas signals may have no
converted to a continuous distribution of relationship to the producibility of the

6 Oilfield Review
 Brine T2 Distributions Oil T2 Distributions Total Distribution

Clay- Capillary- Free water Tar Heavy oil Intermediate oil Light Tar + Heavy oil + Intermediate oils + Light
bound bound water oil clay- capillary- free water oil +
water bound bound water free
water water

T2 cutoff

Pore size Viscosity and composition

> The effects of oil on T2 distributions. For brine-filled pores, the T2 distribution is determined by the viscosity and composition of the oil
distribution generally reflects the pore-size distribution of the rock. This (middle). Because of their molecular structure, tar and viscous heavy oils
distribution is often bimodal, representing small and large pores (left ). The have fast decay rates, or short T2 times. Lighter oils and condensate have a
small pores contain clay- and capillary-bound fluids and have short spectrum of T2 times, overlapping with those of larger brine-filled pores.
relaxation times. The large pores contain movable free water and have Mixed oil and water in the reservoir result in a combination of T2 times
longer relaxation times. The dividing line between bound and free fluids is based on both pore size and fluid properties (right ).
the T2 cutoff. When oil fills the reservoir pore spaces, the measured T2

hydrocarbons, they do help characterize the fluid acquired using short TEs, but water often relaxes in the total distribution introduces an exploitable
type. Techniques have been developed to exploit faster than oil when longer TEs are used. To dimension to the relaxation distributions. Remove
the fluid response and identify the presence and isolate the oil signal, a measurement with a short the water contribution and only the hydrocarbon
type of hydrocarbons. TE is compared with an echo train with a longer signal remains.
In the past, there were two primary tech- TE, chosen to enhance the diffusion differences of Molecular diffusion is the key to unlocking
niques by which NMR data were used to identify the fluids in the formation. The water signal fluid properties from the NMR data. Gas and
fluids: differential spectrum and enhanced decreases with longer TEs, leaving primarily the water have characteristic diffusion rates that can
diffusion.6 The differential spectrum technique oil signal. This diffusion sensitivity provides a be calculated for given downhole conditions. Oil
combines measurements with two different wait qualitative indication of the presence of oil, has a range of diffusion values based on its
times. Short WTs underpolarize formation fluids, although the measurement may sometimes be molecular structure. This range can also be
such as gas and light oil, which have long buildup quantitative as well.8 predicted from empirical data derived from
and decay times. Measurements from fluids with Both differential spectrum and enhanced dead-oil samples.
short relaxation times are not affected by a diffusion rely on traditional T2 relaxation The T2 measurement provides the total
change in WT. Differences between sequential measurements to identify hydrocarbons. This volume of fluid—bound and free. The addition of
logging passes identify the presence of light limits the results to a one-dimensional aspect of diffusion discriminates the type of fluid present.
hydrocarbon, making the differential spectrum the fluids, and fluid type can only be inferred, not A graphical presentation—the diffusion-T2, or
technique most effective in gas or condensate directly quantified. Also, prior knowledge of the D-T2, map—displays these data in a 2D space
environments. Logging sequences have also been expected fluids is necessary to choose the correct formed by the diffusion dimension and the
developed that acquire the data in a single pass. acquisition parameters. The primary limitation of relaxation dimension. The water signal can be
Enhanced diffusion exploits changes in fluid the relaxation dimension is the difficulty in separated from that of the hydrocarbons. The
response that occur when different echo spacings, distinguishing water from oil (see “Dimensions in intensity of the components in the D-T2 map
or TEs, are used.7 Water and oil generally have NMR Logging,” next page). But, the fact that oil provides fluid saturations. Maps can also be
similar relaxation times when measurements are and gas signals are included with the water signal generated using T1 relaxation data.
This quantification of diffusion is made
2. CPMG refers to the physicists who successfully deployed Magnetic Resonance 108A, no. 2 (1994): 206–214.
the RF pulse sequence used in NMR devices—
possible by a new acquisition technique,
6. Akkurt R, Vinegar HJ, Tutunjian PN and Guillory AJ:
Herman Carr, Edward Purcell, Saul Meiboom and “NMR Logging of Natural Gas Reservoirs,” The Log diffusion editing (DE), which alleviates the
David Gill. Analyst 37, no. 6 (November–December 1996): 33–42. limitations of previous methods, such as
3. During the CPMG sequence, hydrogen atoms are 7. Akkurt R, Mardon D, Gardner JS, Marschall DM and
manipulated by short RF bursts from an oscillating Solanet F: “Enhanced Diffusion: Expanding the Range of
enhanced diffusion and differential spectrum.
electromagnetic field. The frequency of the RF pulses is NMR Direct Hydrocarbon-Typing Applications,” Distinguishing water and hydrocarbon by their
the Larmor frequency. Transactions of the SPWLA 39th Annual Logging
4. Freedman R and Heaton N: “Fluid Characterization Using Symposium, Houston, May 26–29, 1998, paper GG.
diffusivity differences not only permits the
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Logging,” Petrophysics 45, 8. Looyestijn W: “Determination of Oil Saturation from (continued on page 13)
no. 3 (May–June 2004): 241–250. Diffusion NMR Logs,” Transactions of the SPWLA 37th
5. Kleinberg RL, Kenyon WE and Mitra PP: “On the Mechanism Annual Logging Symposium, New Orleans, June 16–19,
of NMR Relaxation of Fluids in Rocks,” Journal of 1996, paper SS.

Winter 2008/2009 7
 Dimensions in NMR Logging

T2 component. In practice, a 2D inversion

directly transforms the original echo dataset
to a 2D T1-T2 distribution, sometimes referred
WT (n)
to as a T1-T2 map (next page, top left).3
WT (3) For many fluids, T1 and T2 distributions are
Polarization

WT (2) very similar since they are governed by the

same physical properties. Under typical
Full CPMG (n)
WT (1) Full CPMG (3) measurement conditions the T1/T2 ratio for
Full CPMG (1) Full CPMG (2)
water and oil ranges between 1 and 3.
However, an important difference between
the two relaxation times is that T2 times are
Time
affected by molecular diffusion whereas T1
> T1 logging. Traditional NMR CPMG sequences measure T2 distributions and begin after a times are free of diffusion effects. In NMR
sufficient WT for polarization of hydrogen nuclei. For T1 acquisition, a succession of short CPMG measurements, diffusion causes a reduction
cycles with WTs selected over a range of values is used. In a departure from earlier T1 acquisition in echo amplitude and therefore shortens T2
methods, the MR Scanner tool acquires full T2 echo trains for each chosen WT value, and thus times. The magnitude of the diffusion effect
the resulting data can be subjected to a multidimensional inversion and provide both T1 and T2
distributions. T1 logging is especially useful in low signal-to-noise environments and for fluids is a function of the molecular-diffusion
with long polarization times, such as are found with light hydrocarbons and in large pores. In constant of the fluid, D, and the echo
addition, T1 distributions, unlike T2 distributions, are free of diffusion effects and provide more- spacing, TE. TE is an adjustable
accurate results in highly diffusive fluids.
measurement parameter defining the time
between consecutive radio frequency (RF)
pulses in the measurement sequence.
Diffusivity is an intrinsic fluid property,
Humans generally visualize in three dimensions, The T1 relaxation measurement, from the depending only on the fluid composition,
and geometric relationships are understood buildup of polarization, also provides a 1D temperature and pressure. Once quantified, it
as adding levels of complexity with each distribution. A single echo (or a small number identifies the fluid type.4 For water, D is
dimension. For instance, a 1D image may have of echoes) is acquired for a series of different primarily related to temperature, and for
length, 2D adds width, 3D adds depth, and 4D wait times, WTs.2 The observed increase in natural gas, it is determined by both tempera-
adds the element of time.1 Analogous to echo amplitude with increasing WT is the ture and pressure. Crude oils exhibit a
spatial relationships, NMR measurements can polarization buildup, which is governed by the distribution of diffusion rates governed by the
be described using dimensionality, with each distribution of T1 relaxation times (above). molecular composition, temperature and
dimension adding a degree of complexity. With a mathematical inversion similar to the pressure. Diffusion, therefore, is the key to
The 1D NMR distribution refers to T2 one employed to derive T2 distributions from identifying fluid type with NMR. For example,
transverse relaxation time measurements. T2 echo-decay signals, the T1 distribution is T2 relaxation times for gas are much shorter
distributions are obtained by inverting raw extracted from the polarization buildup. than T1 times because of diffusion. By
NMR echo-decay signals. The distributions During the T1 acquisition, a full T2 echo- identifying the difference between T1 and T2
contain information about both fluid decay signal can be acquired for each WT, measurements in a gas reservoir, the
properties and pore geometry. However, rather than a single echo or a short series of hydrocarbon type can be inferred.
signals from different fluids often overlap, echoes, and thus a 2D dataset can be Diffusion distributions are determined by
and it is not always possible to distinguish generated with T2 and T1 data. The individual measuring echo-amplitude decays for echo
water from oil, or water from gas purely on echo-decay signals are inverted to obtain a trains acquired with different echo spacings,
the basis of the T2 distribution. separate T2 distribution for every WT. Each T2 TEs. However, increasing the TE to allow
component follows its own characteristic diffusion to take place comes at a price. The
buildup with increasing WT, governed by the increased time between echoes means there
T1 distribution (buildup) associated with that

8 Oilfield Review
 TE

Water
Oil

T1 T2 TE

Oil
> Two-dimensional NMR data. The 2D nature Water
of T1-T2 maps is highlighted by overlapping
signals from the two sets of distributions. The 2 x TE t TE
crossplotted signals are at maxima, indicated
by the color variation from blue to dark red, in
the center and right of this plot. The data
converge along the center line in the middle—
their agreement indicating similar fluid
measurements from both T1 and T2. But,
divergence of the longer time components of
the two sets of data, resulting from molecular Diffusion (D) Transverse relaxation (T2)
diffusion, moves the plot away from the center
line at the right corner. If there were no
> Diffusion editing. With traditional CPMG sequences and short echo spacing (TE), oil (green)
diffusion effects, the crossplot would be
centered along the dividing line. and water (blue) signals relax, or decay, at similar rates (top ). Lengthening the TE value (middle )
enhances the diffusion effect preferentially for the fast-diffusing water compared with slower-
diffusing oil. However, long TEs correspond to fewer echoes and a lower signal-to-noise ratio.
Diffusion editing (bottom ) is a variant of the multi-TE CPMG method, where only the first two
echoes are lengthened to enhance the diffusion effect, while maintaining the advantage of the
short TE for better signal-to-noise ratio.

are fewer echoes over an equivalent time

span, reducing the data density. This also
results in more rapid signal decay—T2 times
are shorter—because of the diffusion effects.
The end result is a reduction in the amount of be acquired, and the effective signal-to-noise Rather than acquiring echo trains for a
usable data, and the inversion becomes more ratio is maximized. number of sequential WTs, an echo train is
challenging because of the lower signal-to- Analogous to the T1-T2 measurement acquired with different initial long TEs. The
noise ratio. described earlier, a 2D experiment can be data are subjected to the inversion processing
The diffusion-editing (DE) technique designed to extract diffusion information. and can then be used to generate D-T2 maps,
overcomes these limitations by combining two
1. Beyond classical physics, there are other applications 3. Song YQ, Venkataramanan L, Hürlimann MD, Flaum M,
long initial TEs—during which diffusion is that describe four dimensions and beyond. String Frulla P and Straley C: "T1–T2 Correlation Spectra
effective in reducing the NMR signal— theory, for example, predicts 10 dimensions, including Obtained Using a Fast Two-Dimensional Laplace
a zero dimension. Inversion,” Journal of Magnetic Resonance 154, no. 2
followed by an extended train of short TEs, (February 2002): 261–268.
2. The wait time is the time allotted for the alignment
during which diffusion effects are minimized of protons within the static magnetic field of the 4. Freedman and Heaton, reference 4, main text.
(above right). A large number of echoes can permanent magnet of an NMR logging tool during the
measurement cycle.

Winter 2008/2009 9
 T2, which contains important complementary
T2 (or T1) distributions information about composition, such as
gas/oil ratio (GOR) and pore-size information
for water, cannot be measured. This limitation
Gas is overcome by invoking a third dimension to
combine with diffusion, T1 relaxation times.6
Oil
The 3D NMR measurements acquire echo-
Water
train data at multiple WTs (for T1) and
Diffusion distribution multiple TEs (for diffusion). Sufficient
information is then available to create 3D
Gas diffusion maps of D-T1-T2, in which the T2 axis refers to
Gas
coefficient a transverse relaxation time with diffusion
effects removed (next page, left). The map is
therefore a 3D correlation of intrinsic fluid
properties for T1, T2 and D. In practice, NMR
Water diffusion
Water fluid maps are typically presented in a 2D
coefficient
format, plotting D with either T1 or T2, or on
t
en occasion plotting T1 with T2.
f f ici D
e n
co atio Overlain on the maps are default fluid-
s ion rrel
iffu co
response lines for the D of gas and water
l d ity
Oi cos computed from their diffusion coefficient at
vis
formation temperature and pressure. The oil
line is derived from the estimated dead-oil
Oil response at downhole conditions.
The fourth dimension in NMR logging, the
T2 radial distance from the borehole wall, results
from acquisition at multiple depths of
> D-T maps. Diffusion plotted with T2 (or T1) provides 2D reservoir-fluid maps that can resolve oil, investigation (DOIs). Data from two or three
gas and water. In this example, the diffusion dimension (right ) is the key to identifying the fluids,
DOIs are simultaneously inverted. Results
which otherwise overlap in the T2 dimension (top left ). The amplitudes of the signals along one
direction of the two-dimensional map result in 1D distributions, which then can be converted to from the shallow DOI are used to correct data
fluid saturations. As an aid to interpreting the 2D maps, fluid-diffusion coefficients are from deeper DOIs, improving the outputs
superimposed on the map (bottom left ). The gas line (red) is computed using downhole pressure affected by missing information and poorer
and temperature inputs. The water line (blue) is calculated using the downhole formation
signal-to-noise ratios.
temperature. The oil line (green) shows the position of oil at different viscosities, with the lower
left being heavy oil, trending to light oil and condensate at the upper right. The interpretation of NMR logging tools acquire data from a
this map is that the reservoir contains gas, oil and water. region often affected by filtrate invasion,
which alters the original fluid distribution.
The 4D NMR processing is based on the
which are a graphical means to identify fluid fluids, such as gas, condensate or water at assumptions that bound-fluid volume and
type and quantify saturations (above).5 high temperatures. The problem arises immovable hydrocarbon volume are invariant
Although the two-dimensional D-T2 because diffusion can dominate the T2 to DOI. The shallow-measurement data are
measurement is effective in separating the oil relaxation mechanism for these fluids, even at used to constrain the inversion for the deeper
signal from that of the water, it is less robust the shortest echo spacing available from the measurements by fixing the bound-fluid
for distinguishing between highly diffusive logging tools. The underlying “diffusion-free” components. (For examples of 4D NMR
processing, see pages 16 and 17.) Diffusion
5. Hürlimann MD, Venkataramanan L, Flaum C, Speier P, and McLendon D: “Planning and Interpreting NMR
Karmonik C, Freedman R and Heaton N: “Diffusion- Fluid-Characterization Logs,” paper SPE 84478, and T1 (or T2) data from 4D NMR are used to
Editing: New NMR Measurement of Saturation and presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference produce fluid maps at multiple DOIs. Fluid
Pore Geometry,” Transactions of the SPWLA 43rd and Exhibition, Denver, October 5–8, 2003.
Annual Logging Symposium, Oiso, Japan, June 2–6, changes that take place as filtrate invades the
8. For more on wettability: Abdallah W, Buckley JS,
2002, paper FFF. Carnegie A, Edwards J, Herold B, Fordham E, Graue A, reservoir rock are graphically displayed and
6. Freedman and Heaton, reference 4, main text. Habashy T, Seleznev N, Signer C, Hussain H, Montaron B
7. Cao Minh C, Heaton N, Ramamoorthy R, Decoster E, and Ziauddin M: “Fundamentals of Wettability,”
White J, Junk E, Eyvazzadeh R, Al-Yousef O, Fiorini R Oilfield Review 19, no. 2 (Summer 2007): 44–61.

10 Oilfield Review
 T1-T2 map

Amplitude
D

Deep

DOI

T2 T1
Shallow
D-T2 map D-T1 map T2

> Three dimensions of NMR. Diffusion, T1 > NMR in four dimensions. The fourth dimension of NMR logging is depth. Bound-fluid volumes,
distributions and T2 distributions presented in associated with both clay- and capillary-bound fluids (yellow), do not generally change when
a 3D format provide intrinsic fluid properties. filtrate from the drilling fluid invades the reservoir. Tool or measurement limitations, however, can
The cube is used to identify diffusion effects result in changes in computed fluid properties that do not represent the true fluid distributions.
and may aid the interpreter in deciding which Constraining the volumes of bound fluid measured by deeper-reading shells to be equivalent to
model best describes the fluid properties. that of the more-precise shallower shells and reapportioning the total porosity across the fluid
spectrum provide more-accurate fluid analysis. Use of 4D NMR processing is especially
beneficial in interpreting data from heavy-oil reservoirs.

allow petrophysicists to detect oil mobility, appears as expected in the D-T maps, fluids rates, the opposite of the restricted-diffusion
wettability effects and fluid interactions in the small, poorly connected pores may plot effect. For example, water signals may appear
(above right). at lower diffusivity values. The problem is above the water line. Fortunately, it is usually
Although the interpretation of maps created most common for water diffusion in fine- possible to identify these effects by inspection
from 3D or 4D NMR data might seem simple, grained carbonate rocks. If the effect is not of the maps, and model parameters can then
complications do exist. The results rely on a identified, the calculated oil saturation may be adjusted to provide correct interpretations.
forward-model approach that assumes the be overly optimistic. However, once the The wettability state also affects D-T maps.
fluid and the reservoir meet certain criteria. restricted-diffusion effect is detected, model Under water-wet conditions, the oil viscosity
When nonideal fluid properties or atypical parameters can be adjusted according to the determines the position of the oil signal along
reservoir conditions are encountered, the observed 2D map results and fluid-saturation the oil line of the map. The trend is from
response deviates from the model, and estimations corrected. heavy oil at the bottom left to lighter oils and
conflicting or erroneous results may ensue.7 Another anomalous effect results from condensate at the top right of the line. Oil-
In some cases, nonideal effects can be internal magnetic-field gradients caused by wet rocks and those with mixed wettability
detected and even quantified by inspection paramagnetic and ferromagnetic materials in tend to have shorter relaxation times because
of the D-T maps. Relevant parameters in the the rocks, either in the matrix or coating the of the additional surface relaxation of the
forward model can be adjusted once these grains. These are often associated with high hydrocarbon in direct contact with the pore
effects are identified. chlorite content and create significant surface. Although this can compromise the
In another problem, when diffusion of fluid localized field gradients, resulting in faster accuracy of oil viscosity estimated from the
molecules in small pores is restricted, the relaxation times. Because the inversion model NMR data, it can also be a useful
measured values of diffusion are reduced is based on the tool’s fixed magnetic-field measurement for petrophysicists in
from those of the ideal model (next page). gradient, the D-T map responses of the fluids understanding the nature of the reservoir.8
While the signal from fluids in large pores in these rocks are shifted to higher diffusion

Winter 2008/2009 11
 Internal gradient High GOR

OBMF
with gas Native
Bound
water oil
Gas
Internal gradient

High GOR
Water

Unrestricted
diffusion
Restricted diffusion

l
Oi

Mixed wettability
Restricted Mixed wettability
diffusion

> Interpreting the maps. After inversion, two-dimensional crossplots of from the expected fluid line (bottom left ). Plots from oil-wet reservoirs
the data identify the presence of oil, water and gas. When the plot of tend to shift to the right of the oil line, as do reservoirs with mixed
the response from formation fluids (shown as color contours) conforms wettability (bottom right ). The maps from oil-wet and mixed-wet
to the interpretation model, the response will fall on or near the reservoirs tend to have a spectrum of responses, which produce a
expected gas, oil or water lines. This affords a straightforward broader image. Because the model is built with dead-oil responses,
interpretation. Water falls on the water line as shown (middle ). maps from high-GOR oil reservoirs may not respond as expected. These
However, signals frequently fall off the lines as a result of competing plots are shifted away from the oil line toward the gas line (top right ). In
petrophysical effects, which include internal gradients, restricted a reservoir that contains only gas, OBM filtrate may mix with the native
diffusion, wettability and high gas/oil ratios (GOR). Because internal gas and produce a response similar to that of high-GOR oil. Deeper
gradients shorten the relaxation times, the plots tend to shift upward measurements often help experts refine their interpretation of these
(top left ). Restricted diffusion causes the measured diffusion rate to maps because filtrate generally diminishes away from the wellbore and
increase, and, as a consequence, the plots will trend down and away gas response increases.

Fluids with a high GOR tend to plot above consideration must be given to external factors the untrained eye. In a similar manner, the
and to the left of the oil line. This can be seen that lead to nonideal behavior and mislead a log analyst may easily determine the presence
in native fluids and gas-bearing zones invaded novice interpreter. For this reason, it is of water or gas in a D-T map, but there are
by oil-base mud filtrate (OBMF). OBMF important to rely on experts adequately trained occasions when a skilled NMR expert should
should plot as a moderate to light hydrocarbon. in processing and interpreting NMR data. be called in to help analyze the results. With
The response of OBMF mixed with native gas A surgeon relies on a trained radiologist to the aid of fluid maps and an understanding of
from the reservoir plots between the oil and interpret MRI images. A clean break of a bone the measurement physics, the petrophysicist
water lines. is easy to spot, even by a novice user, but can diagnose conditions that are hidden from
The D-T maps are powerful tools for inter- experience helps a radiologist differentiate the inexperienced observer.
preting fluid types in the reservoir. In many between bone fragments and calcification.
cases the interpretation is straightforward, but The differences may be indistinguishable to

12 Oilfield Review
computation of fluid saturations, but also helps 10
infer fluid viscosity from the T2 contribution of
T2 (TE = 0.2 ms)
the fluid (right).
T2 (TE = 0.32 ms)
Diffusion-editing sequences from the new 1
MR Scanner service supply a water-saturation T2 (TE = 1 ms)
output that is independent of that traditionally T2 (TE = 2 ms)
derived from resistivity and porosity measure- 0.1
ments. In contrast to a saturation derived from

T1 or T2, s
T1
Archie’s equation, NMR-based saturation
measurement techniques are useful in fresh
0.01
water or formation waters of unknown salinity. T1
Wettability can also be inferred from NMR data.
One drawback to using NMR measurements for T2
0.001
fluid characterization is that the measurement
comes from a near-well region referred to as
the flushed zone, where mud-filtrate effects
0.0001
are strongest. 0.1 1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000
Viscosity, cP
The MR Scanner Tool > Viscosity transform. The T2 (or T1) relaxation time for crude oil is a function
Although NMR measurements may come from of viscosity. The relaxation time can be converted to viscosity using an
only a few inches into the formation, they can still empirically derived transform. Because of diffusion effects, the viscosity
provide formation-fluid properties. To measure measurement for heavy oils below 3 cP [0.003 Pa.s] is influenced by the echo
continuous in situ fluid characteristics— spacing (TE) of the measurement. Thus, T2 times may be tool dependent for
heavy oils if the tool is not capable of shorter TEs. As a consequence of
including fluid type, volume and oil viscosity— diffusion, T1 and T2 values in light oils diverge above 100 cP [0.1 Pa.s].
much more information is needed than was
provided by previous-generation NMR tools.9 For
this reason, fluid characterization was a key driver
in the development of the MR Scanner service.
In the past, there were two basic designs for
NMR tools: pad-contact tools and centralized
concentric-shell tools. The pad device, represented
by the CMR tool, measures NMR properties of a
cigar-sized volume of the reservoir fluids at a
Sensed region
fixed depth of investigation (DOI) of approxi-
mately 1.1 in. [2.8 cm]. The NUMAR MRIL
Permanent magnet
Magnetic Resonance Imager Log tool measures
concentric cylindrical resonant shells of varying
thickness and at fixed distances from the tool,
with the DOI determined by hole size and tool
position in the wellbore.
The MR Scanner design offers the fixed DOI
High-resolution
of a pad device with the flexibility of multiple antennas
DOIs of resonant shells.10 It consists of a main
antenna optimized for fluid analysis and two Antenna
shorter high-resolution antennas best suited for Main antenna
acquiring basic NMR properties (right). The
main antenna operates at multiple frequencies
corresponding to independent measurement
volumes (shells) at evenly spaced DOIs.

9. Heaton NJ, Freedman R, Karmonik C, Taherian R, > MR Scanner service. The MR Scanner tool has three antennas. The main antenna operates at
Walter K and DePavia L: “Applications of a New-
Generation NMR Wireline Logging Tool,” paper multiple frequencies and is optimized for fluid-property acquisition. The sensed region consists of
SPE 77400, presented at the SPE Annual Technical very thin shells that form arcs of approximately 100° in front of the 18-in. [46-cm] length of the antenna.
Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, The thickness of the individual shells is 2 to 3 mm. The two high-resolution antennas are 7.5 in. [19 cm]
September 29–October 2, 2002. long and provide measurements with a DOI of 1.25 in. [3.17 cm]. The MR Scanner tool is run eccentered
10. DePavia L, Heaton N, Ayers D, Freedman R, Harris R, with the antenna section pressed against the borehole.
Jorion B, Kovats J, Luong B, Rajan N, Taherian R,
Walter K, Willis D, Scheibal J and Garcia S: “A Next-
Generation Wireline NMR Logging Tool,” paper
SPE 84482, presented at the SPE Annual Technical
Conference and Exhibition, Denver, October 5–8, 2003.

Winter 2008/2009 13
 Borehole rugosity and thick mudcake can invali-
DOI date shallow NMR measurements but rarely affect
Decreasing B0 strength the readings from the deeper shells. NMR porosity
from a deep shell has been used as a substitute for
formation density porosity when that measure-
ment was compromised by borehole rugosity.
Fluid-property changes resulting from mud-
filtrate invasion may also be observed and
Borehole
ƒ0 quantified using radial profiling. Often more than
just filtrate from the drilling mud invades the
Magnet

Shell formation. Whole mud and mud solids can

No. 1 Shell replace existing fluids in the near-wellbore
No. 4 Shell
No. 8 region. NMR-derived porosity and permeability
Main may be reduced by the presence of these solids,
antenna 1.5 in. Distance from magnet
but the effects diminish deeper into the
2.7 in.
formation. Radial profiling identifies and
4.0 in. overcomes these effects.
Saturation profiling delivers advanced fluid-
characterization measurements such as oil, gas
> Gradient tool and DOI. The MR Scanner tool is referred to as a gradient and water saturations, fluid type and oil
tool because the magnetic-field strength (B0 , blue) from the permanent viscosity—all at discrete multiple DOIs. One
magnet, although uniform over the sample region, decreases monotonically application of saturation profiling is the
away from the magnet. The tool’s magnet extends along the length of the evaluation of heavy-oil reservoirs.
sonde section. A constant, well-defined gradient simplifies fluid-property
measurements. The DOI is determined by the magnetic-field strength and the
frequency of RF operation, f0 . Although multiple frequencies are available Viscosity and Rugosity
from the tool, standard operating procedure is to acquire data from the 1.5-in, Of the world’s known reserves, 6 to 9 trillion
2.7-in. and 4.0-in. DOI shells, referred to as Shell No. 1, Shell No. 4 and barrels [0.9 to 1.4 trillion m3], are found in the
Shell No. 8, respectively. Three shells are shown, with their respective DOI-
form of heavy- or extraheavy-oil accumulations.11
related operating frequencies. The frequency associated with Shell No. 1 is
shown in green. This is triple the amount of world reserves of
conventional oil and gas combined. Heavy-oil
reservoirs pose serious operational concerns for
Although multiple frequencies are available [3.8-cm, 6.8-cm and 10.2-cm] DOIs, respectively. proper evaluation of fluids and production
from the main antenna, the three most A recently introduced three-shell simultaneous potential. Sampling with wireline-conveyed tools
commonly used are Shells No. 1, No. 4 and No. 8, acquisition mode eliminates the need for multiple or drillstem tests may not be possible because
which correspond to 1.5-in., 2.7-in. and 4.0-in. passes to acquire data from all three DOIs. of the difficulties in getting the oil to flow.
NMR measurements can provide essential
Profiling Fluid Properties information on in situ fluid properties to evaluate
Shell No. 8 The three primary frequencies commonly used by heavy-oil reservoirs.
Shell No. 4
the MR Scanner tool correspond to three Located south of the Eastern Venezuelan
independent DOIs, providing measurements at basin, the Orinoco heavy-oil belt holds an
Shell No. 1 discrete radial steps into the formation. The estimated 1.2 trillion barrels [190 billion m3] of
frequency of the RF pulse, along with the field heavy oil. NMR logs have been an integral part of
strength of the magnet, determines the DOI of evaluation programs of the wells drilled in this
the shell (above). A key advantage of the MR region, but with recognized limitations.12 The
Scanner shells is that the measurement comes relaxation times of high-viscosity oils are very
from a thin cylindrical portion of the formation— short and may not be fully measurable using
.
4.0 in an isolated slice—and is not generally affected by NMR tools. Also, borehole conditions in the
.
2.7 in
1.5 in
. the fluids between the tool and the measurement Orinoco basin are often poor, with rugosity that
0 in.
volume. This allows interpretation of near- affects pad-contact tools.
DOI wellbore fluid properties in a manner that is Although the early introduction of NMR fluid
> Radial profiling. The MR Scanner tool senses unique in formation evaluation. characterization with the CMR tool showed
fluid from multiple, thin DOI shells. The spacing is Multiple DOIs introduce new concepts for promise, the measurements were limited to a
optimized to avoid shell interaction. Fluid NMR logging—radial profiling and saturation single, shallow DOI. Techniques were developed
properties vary in the first few inches into the profiling (left). Profiling incorporates to use NMR data to estimate the oil viscosity
formation as a result of flushing by mud filtrate.
measurements from successive DOIs to quantify throughout a sand interval based on the
Deeper shells are less affected by filtrate, mud
invasion and borehole rugosity than are shallow- changes in fluid properties occurring in the first logarithmic mean of T2 distributions. Encouraging
reading shells. few inches of formation away from the wellbore.

14 Oilfield Review
 Resistivity

10-in. Array
0.2 ohm.m 2,000
20-in. Array
0.2 ohm.m 2,000
30-in. Array
Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Permeability
0.2 ohm.m 2,000
60-in. Array Free Water Free Water Free Water Shell No. 1
0.2 ohm.m 2,000 100,000 mD 1
Oil Oil Oil
Caliper 90-in. Array T1 Distribution, T1 Distribution, T1 Distribution, Shell No. 4
6 in. 16 0.2 ohm.m 2,000 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 8 Bound Water Bound Water Bound Water 100,000 mD 1
Depth RXO T1 Cutoff T1 Cutoff T1 Cutoff Porosity, Shell No. 1 Porosity, Shell No. 4 Porosity, Shell No. 8 Shell No. 8
ft 0.2 ohm.m 2,000 1 ms 9,000 1 ms 9,000 1 ms 9,000 40 % 0 40 % 0 40 % 0 100,000 mD 1

X,100

X,150

X,200

X,250

> Radial profiling with filtrate and whole-mud invasion. The interval from beyond the whole-mud invasion and provide more-representative
X,170 to X,255 ft (red shading) is a clean water sand beneath a heavy-oil information (Track 7). The total porosity measurements from the three shells
reservoir in the Orinoco heavy-oil basin. The fluid properties from the appear to be unaffected by the presence of whole mud. Permeabilities
1.5-in. DOI, Shell No. 1 (Track 5) have spurious volumes of bound water calculated from the shallower shells (Track 8, blue, green) are lower than
(light brown). Even at 2.7 in., Shell No. 4 indicates more bound fluid than that of the deepest shell (Track 8, red) because the measurements are
expected for a clean sand (Track 6, light brown). The differences are affected by the solids that are filling the pore spaces.
attributed to whole-mud invasion. The Shell No. 8 data come from a region

results were obtained but fell short of true in situ measurement from Shell No. 1, which is affected by rugosity. The 4.0-in. Shell No. 8 data
viscosity. There was no calibrated transform to comparable to the CMR tool’s DOI. The 2.7-in. were not affected because they were acquired from
link the logarithmic mean of the T2 distributions measurement from Shell No. 4 was only slightly a region beyond the rugosity (above).
to the viscosity at downhole conditions that would
11. Alboudwarej H, Felix J, Taylor S, Badry R, Bremner C, 13. Carmona R and Decoster E: “Assessing Production
also account for the apparent hydrogen index (HI) Brough B, Skeates C, Baker A, Palmer D, Pattison K, Potential of Heavy Oil Reservoirs from the Orinoco Belt
of the oil.13 The importance of using HI and an Beshry M, Krawchuk P, Brown G, Calvo R, Cañas Triana JA, with NMR Logs,” Transactions of the SPWLA 42nd
Hathcock R, Koerner K, Hughes T, Kundu D, López de Annual Logging Symposium, Houston, June 17–20, 2001,
empirical transform was demonstrated by recent Cárdenas J and West C: “Highlighting Heavy Oil,” paper ZZ.
laboratory work.14 Oilfield Review 18, no. 2 (Summer 2006): 34–53. 14. Burcaw L, Kleinberg R, Bryan J, Kantzas A, Cheng Y,
The MR Scanner tool was included in a more 12. Decoster E and Carmona R: “Application of Recent NMR Kharrat A and Badry R: “Improved Methods for
Developments to the Characterization of Orinoco Belt Estimating the Viscosity of Heavy Oils from Magnetic
recent logging program, in part, to overcome some Heavy Oil Reservoirs,” Transactions of the SPWLA 49th Resonance Data,” Transactions of the SPWLA 49th
of the limitations of the CMR measurements. Annual Logging Symposium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Annual Logging Symposium, Edinburgh, Scotland,
May 25–28, 2008, paper VVV. May 25–28, 2008, paper W.
Radial profiling was found to be beneficial in
zones where rugosity affected the 1.5-in. DOI

Winter 2008/2009 15
 Standard 2D NMR Processing 4D NMR Processing

Standard Bound Fluid 4D Bound Fluid Standard Free Fluid 4D Free Fluid Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Heavy Oil
Shell No. 1 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 1 Oil Oil Oil Oil Oil Oil
Caliper 50 % 0 50 % 0 25 % 0 25 % 0
6 in. 16 Free Water Free Water Free Water Free Water Free Water Free Water
Shell No. 4 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 4
Washout 50 % 0 50 % 0 25 % 0 25 % 0 Bound Water Bound Water Bound Water Bound Water Bound Water Bound Water
Depth Shell No. 8 Shell No. 8 Shell No. 8 Shell No. 8 Porosity, Shell No. 1 Porosity, Shell No. 4 Porosity, Shell No. 8 Porosity, Shell No. 1 Porosity, Shell No. 4 Porosity, Shell No. 8
ft 50 % 0 50 % 0 25 % 0 25 % 0 50 % 0 50 % 0 50 % 0 50 % 0 50 % 0 50 % 0

More More
coherence coherence

X,100

X,150

Standard 2D NMR Processing 4D NMR Processing

Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 8 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 8
Diffusion

Diffusion
Oil Oil
Water Water
Amplitude

Amplitude

T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms

> 4D NMR processing. Standard processing results in a lack of coherence between bound-fluid volumes measured
by Shells No. 1, No. 4 and No. 8 (top, Track 1). The same is true for the free-fluid volumes (Track 3). Using 4D NMR
processing, the bound-fluid volumes, which should remain constant across each DOI, are constrained and the
porosity contributions are reassigned. The result is improved coherence for both the bound-fluid (Track 2) and free-
fluid (Track 4) volumes. The fluid properties are affected by hole conditions from X,120 to X,135 ft (red shading) as
evidenced by the increased porosity measured from the shallower shells (Tracks 5, 6, 8 and 9). Shell No. 8 (Tracks 7
and 10) senses from beyond the washout and provides more-accurate data. The D-T1 maps used for saturation
computation for each shell demonstrate the effectiveness of 4D processing. The standard 2D NMR processing
(bottom left panel ) results in similar fluid volumes in Shells No. 1 and No. 4. Shell No. 8 has less bound fluid, but all
three shells should have equivalent volumes because bound fluid should not change with DOI. The 4D NMR
processing (bottom right panel ) constrains the fluid volume to be the same below 30 ms. Reapportioning the
porosity to account for the bound-fluid volume delivers a more-accurate measurement from the deepest shell. As a
result, the 4.0-in. measurement furnishes fluid properties from a region less influenced by mud-filtrate invasion.

The independent measurements at various formation signals from the deeper shells are One solution to this dilemma comes in the
DOIs from the MR Scanner tool read deeper into weaker, noise has the potential to corrupt the form of four-dimensional (4D) NMR processing
the formation than the CMR tool. Not only has the processed data. Vertical resolution is degraded in which DOI is the fourth dimension.15 This
MR Scanner tool overcome rugosity problems, it because data must be averaged or stacked over a processing simultaneously inverts the NMR data
also has verified a condition—previously longer interval to overcome the noise effects. The within the portion of the relaxation-time
theorized from the CMR data—of partial- or measurement from deeper shells is also acquired distribution that should be common for all DOIs.
whole-mud invasion effects on the bound-fluid at longer echo spacings because of tool power For the Orinoco wells, the time interval to allow
volumes and permeability. These effects were limitations. The CMR tool uses 0.2-ms echo the oil signal to decay is always below 10 ms. The
especially noticeable in water zones. The mud spacing so that in 10 ms it generates 50 pulses. bad-hole and whole-mud effects begin after
solids did not appreciably alter NMR porosity, but This provides sufficient data to resolve some heavy 20 ms. Imposing a common solution on each shell
the bound-fluid measurement was too high. As an oils such as those found in the Orinoco wells. for the first 10 ms forces the deeper-reading
input to the NMR permeability calculation, However, the 1.0-ms echo spacing available from 4.0-in. shell measurement to be equivalent to the
incorrect bound-fluid volume resulted in the MR Scanner tool’s 4.0-in. shell provides only higher-resolution 1.5-in. shell reading in this
permeability outputs that were too low. 10 pulses and echoes in an equivalent time frame. common-data area. The result is improved
Deeper-reading NMR measurements overcome The result is a decrease in signal-to-noise ratio coherence between the shells and more-accurate
rugosity but have some trade-offs. Because the because there are fewer echoes to work with. readings from the deeper shell (above). This is

16 Oilfield Review
 Resistivity
10-in. Array Coal

0.2 ohm.m 2,000 Clay

20-in. Array
0.2 ohm.m 2,000 Magnetic Resonance 4D Fluid Analysis Clay Water

30-in. Array Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Heavy Oil Quartz

0.2 ohm.m 2,000
60-in. Array Oil Oil Oil Oil
T1 Distributions
0.2 ohm.m 2,000 Free Water Free Water Free Water Moved Oil
Caliper 90-in. Array Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 8
6 in. 16 0.2 ohm.m 2,000 Bound Water Bound Water Bound Water Water
Depth RXO T1 Cutoff T1 Cutoff T1 Cutoff Porosity, Shell No. 1 Porosity, Shell No. 4 Porosity, Shell No. 8 Pressure
ft 0.2 ohm.m 2,000 1 ms 9,000 1 ms 9,000 1 ms 9,000 40 % 0 40 % 0 40 % 0 700 psig 900
X,000

X,050

X,100

X,150

X,200

Depth X,040 Depth X,155

Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 8 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 8
Diffusion

Diffusion

Oil Oil
Water 100 ms Water 100 ms
Amplitude

Amplitude

T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms T1, ms

> The big picture in heavy oil. The D-T1 maps from X,155 ft show bound-fluid and heavy-oil signals in the Shell No. 1
plot (bottom right ). The free-water signal above 100 ms decreases progressively from shallow to deeper DOIs. The
fluid analysis (top, Tracks 5 through 7) shows a steady decrease in free water from Shell No. 1 to Shell No. 8. The
interpretation is that the source of the water signal is the mud filtrate, which displaced heavy but movable oil in the
reservoir; the water signal would remain constant if filtrate were displacing formation water. For the zone from X,020
to X,050 ft, the interpretation is more difficult. The resistivity is lower (Track 1), and there is a water signal at each DOI.
D-T1 maps from X,040 ft (bottom left ) provide fluid information. Because the water signal from filtrate invasion is
present in Shells No. 1 and No. 4 but disappears in Shell No. 8, the interpretation is that filtrate displaced heavy oil that
cannot be measured by the NMR tool. The strong water signal present in all three shells is from irreducible water,
so the zone should produce water-free oil.

valid for borehole-rugosity and thick-mudcake Despite this shortcoming, the effects of heavy constrained to be common across all three shells
effects, but heavy oil impacts the NMR oil on the measurement can still be used to because it is assumed that bound fluid and the
measurements even when the borehole is in understand the formation fluids. The measured heavy-oil signals are stable in this time range at
good condition. NMR porosity decreases with DOI as a result of each DOI. This is in contrast to the processing
Because heavy oils have short relaxation the missing heavy-oil signal. The measured used when borehole rugosity or whole-mud
times and rapidly decaying signals, NMR tools volume of immovable bound water will not invasion is a problem; here, only the first 10 ms
invariably fail to measure all the heavy oil. This is change with DOI. Invading filtrate will displace are constrained.
true even with the shortest echo spacings only movable water or movable hydrocarbon. Well data show the free-water signal above
currently available from downhole tools. Thus, the 4D inversion can be used in a manner 100 ms decreasing progressively from shallow to
Sequences with longer echo spacings miss even similar to that used with hole rugosity, but deeper shells (above). This leads to an
more of the heavy oil. The MR Scanner tool’s the interpretation focus will be on the changes interpretation that the source of the free-water
deeper shell measurements have longer echo in free fluid and total porosity rather than
15. Heaton N, Bachman HN, Cao Minh C, Decoster E,
spacings than those of the shallower shells. borehole effects. LaVigne J, White J and Carmona R: “4D NMR—
Consequently, the volume of heavy oil that is The 4D processing provides a marked Applications of the Radial Dimension in Magnetic
Resonance Logging,” Transactions of the SPWLA 48th
measured by the tool decreases with DOI. The oil improvement over that of conventional 3D Annual Logging Symposium, Austin, Texas, June 3–5,
volumes will always be underestimated in these inversion. The first 30 ms of the inversion are 2007, paper P.
heavy-oil environments.

Winter 2008/2009 17
 Depth, 823 ft However, many reservoirs contain more than one
Compressional ΔT
240 µs/ft 40 fluid type: Fluid composition may vary
Caliper continuously or discontinuously across a

Diffusion
Crossover
10 in. 20
reservoir interval. Fluid gradation is not always
Gamma Ray Deep Resistivity Density
0 gAPI 100 0.5 ohm.m 10 2.2 g/cm3 2.7
apparent with conventional well logs, and
Bit Size Depth Shallow Resistivity Neutron T1 time surprises can occur in both the early and later
10 in. 20 ft 0.5 ohm.m 10 30 % 0 stages of production.
Depth, 832 ft
A North Sea exploration well was drilled to
evaluate a reservoir that, based on an offset well,

Diffusion
Tony—Figure 10/11_1 was believed to contain gas condensate.17
Adjacent gas-handling infrastructure made the
800
prospect an inviting target. Resistivity and
T1 time
density-neutron logs clearly indicated that this
Depth, 847 ft exploration well had a significant hydrocarbon
deposit with approximately 48 feet [15 m] of net
gas pay.

Diffusion
MR Scanner data were then acquired in a
saturation-profiling mode. Diffusion and T1 distri-
T1 time butions, extracted from multiple wait time,
variable echo-spacing sequences, were derived
Depth, 874 ft from the data. T2 distributions were computed, but
850
T1 distributions proved better for analyzing the
Diffusion
long relaxation times of the fluids in this reservoir.
Water and hydrocarbon saturations at 1.5-,
2.7- and 4.0-in. DOIs were computed from the
T1 time
data acquired in two separate logging passes.
Depth, 886 ft
The D-T1 maps at sequential depths were plotted
and, although there is a clear gas signal in the
upper part of the reservoir, the NMR interpre-
Diffusion

tation concluded that a significant portion of the

reservoir contained light oil—not condensate
900 as originally anticipated (left).
T1 time
Closer analysis of the data and the D-T1 maps
> Determining fluid type. The resistivity and porosity data indicate a hydrocarbon interval from 822 to
872 ft. Mud logging during drilling suggested gas or condensate throughout the interval. D-T1 maps
identified the gas/oil contact in the reservoir, as
from data acquired from the MR Scanner tool provide a different fluid analysis. The lowest interval well as a stratigraphic feature assumed to be a
(bottom right ) contains connate water (white circle) and oil-base mud filtrate (OBMF). Successively vertical-permeability barrier. A 4D inversion
higher points indicate a transition from light oil to gas (black circles). Based on interpretation of the enhanced the deeper shell measurement. The
NMR D-T1 maps, this reservoir contains oil below 840 ft, rather than the expected condensate and gas.
1.5-in. shell data indicate a significant volume of
oil-base mud filtrate (OBMF), but the deep shell
output is less affected by the OBMF (next page).
signal is the mud filtrate and that it has in the 4.0-in. Shell No. 8 measurement, these The porosity and permeability derived from
displaced heavy oil in the reservoir, although the zones should produce water-free oil. A strong the MR Scanner data were immediately available
heavy oil is invisible to the MR Scanner tool. If water signal remains in the D-T1 maps at each to the client in the field. The acquired data were
the filtrate were displacing movable formation DOI, but its source is irreducible bound water.16 sent to a Schlumberger computing center for
water, the water signal would be constant at Based on the answers provided by the 4D advanced processing. NMR fluid-property data
deeper DOIs. processing, the operator can confidently produce were returned in time to assist in picking depths
In a lower interval, the resistivity is high, from the upper and lower sections with an for pressure and sample points. Pressure plots
exceeding 100 ohm.m, which leads interpreters expectation of little or no water production. indicated three different fluid gradients. Fluid
to conclude that filtrate displaced oil. However, Minimizing water production decreases upfront samples confirmed the presence of gas in the
for the upper zones with lower resistivity values, costs for surface equipment and, because water upper interval and oil in the lower interval.
the answer is less obvious. Lower resistivity removal and disposal are not required, reduces Unfortunately, filtrate contamination prevented
values would suggest the presence of water costs over the life of the well. an accurate PVT analysis.
rather than oil. NMR data provide the missing A two-stage drillstem test (DST), conducted
fluid information. Hydrocarbon in the form of Fluid Characterization after the well was completed, confirmed the
heavy oil was displaced by the filtrate. Because Fluid type directly affects the economic value of presence of oil in the lower interval. The NMR
the water signal from the filtrate is present in the a field, and surface facility decisions depend on data provided improved understanding of the
1.5-in. Shell No. 1 measurement but disappears an accurate understanding of reservoir fluids. complex nature of the reservoir fluids. The

18 Oilfield Review
 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 8

Gas Gas Shell No. 1 Shell No. 8

Oil Oil T1, Distribution T1 Distribution

0 63 0 63
Oil Filtrate Oil Filtrate
T1, Log Mean T1, Log Mean
Bound Water Bound Water 1 ms 9,000 1 ms 9,000
Depth Gamma Ray Permeability Oil Viscosity Porosity, 1.5-in. Shell Porosity, 4-in. Shell T1 Cutoff T1 Cutoff
ft 0 gAPI 100 0.1 mD 1,000 0.1 cP 10 40 % 0 40 % 0 1 ms 9,000 1 ms 9,000
810

820

830

840

850

860

870

880

> Gas, oil and water. The permeability (Track 2) is consistent throughout the zone from 820 to 880 ft except for two areas with
lower permeability at 845 and 860 ft. The viscosity (Track 3) indicates light oil, but its source is the OBM filtrate. The continuous
fluid-saturation logs from Shell No. 1 (Track 4) and Shell No. 8 (Track 5) show fluid changes occur with deeper DOI. The well was
drilled with oil-base mud, and OBMF (dark green shading) displaces native fluids. In contrast, the Shell No. 8 data show more
native oil (light green) and gas (red). There is very little free water in the wet interval below 880 ft, perhaps because the free
water has been flushed by OBMF. The well has more oil than originally anticipated, and consequently, less gas.

calculated volume of gas and condensate of the OWC directly affects reserves calculations, measurements from wireline-conveyed pressure-
available for export from the reservoir was completion designs and production decisions. sampling tools to determine fluid gradients. The
greatly reduced. The initial objective of the well, Mistakes are costly, especially when high water condition of the borehole often deteriorated during
to develop and produce a gas reservoir, was cut reduces oil production while adding addi- drilling, and pressures were difficult to obtain
modified along with the development plans for tional water-disposal costs. because of seal failures, yielding inconclusive
the field. Traditional evaluation techniques are based results. Costly and time-consuming DSTs were
on resistivity contrasts between oil and saline then performed to pinpoint the contact.
Finding the Oil/Water Contact formation water. Reservoirs containing fresh or Saudi Aramco discovered the subject field in
Laminated sand-shale sequences, referred to as brackish water may exhibit little or no resistivity the 1960s, but there had been no recent
low-resistivity, low-contrast (LRLC) pay, are contrast between the fluids. NMR fluid-
16. Irreducible bound water in the reservoir remains in
familiar to log analysts. They are often over- saturation measurements are based on the place during production, and hydrocarbons alone
looked or improperly evaluated because the pay volume of each fluid and are not dependent on are produced.
is not obvious using conventional logging tools. water salinity. Thus, oil and water saturations 17. White J and Samir M: “Continuous Characterization
of Multiple Fluids in a North Sea Gas Condensate
There are, however, high-resistivity, low-contrast derived from NMR data offer an ideal solution for Reservoir by Integrating Downhole NMR with
(HRLC) reservoirs where everything looks like evaluating HRLC reservoirs and determining Downhole Sampling,” Transactions of the SPWLA 49th
Annual Logging Symposium, Edinburgh, Scotland,
pay, and these provide an entirely different set of fluid contacts. May 25–28, 2008, paper X.
challenges. In HRLC reservoirs, resistivity In a Middle East HRLC reservoir drilled with 18. Akkurt R, Ahmad NA, Behair AM, Rabaa AS, Crary SF
and Thum S: “NMR Radial Saturation Profiling for
changes caused by water-salinity variations and oil-base mud (OBM), determination of hydro- Delineating Oil-Water Contact in a High-Resistivity
poor resistivity contrast between oil and water carbon saturation and the OWC was not possible Low-Contrast Formation Drilled with Oil-Based Mud,”
Transactions of the SPWLA 49th Annual Logging
zones make determination of an oil/water contact using resistivity and porosity logs.18 The method Symposium, Edinburgh, Scotland, May 25–28, 2008,
(OWC) extremely difficult. Correct determination for finding the OWC was to use pressure paper Y.

Winter 2008/2009 19
 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4
Density Correction Bound Fluid Bound Fluid
–0.2 g/cm3 0.2 50 % 0 50 % 0
Deep Resistivity Neutron Porosity Oil Oil

Bad Hole Flag

0.1 ohm.m 1,000 45 % 0 50 % 0 50 % 0
Gamma Ray Shallow Resistivity Depth Formation Density Free Water Free Water
0 gAPI 200 0.1 ohm.m 1,000 ft 1.95 g/cm3 2.95 50 % 0 50 % 0

X,100

X,200 OWC

X,300

X,400

X,500

> OWC not found. Early logging attempts with the MR Scanner tool produced inconclusive results.
In the well shown, the fluid saturations were computed using data from Shell No. 1 (Track 4) and Shell
No. 4 (Track 5). Oil (green) is indicated from top to bottom of the interval, but it is OBMF, not native oil.
Free water (blue) is also seen throughout the interval in data from both shells. A DST located the OWC
at X,204 ft. From the NMR data, its location is not obvious. The presence of free water above the OWC
was attributed to noise in the data and influenced the decision to take stationary measurements for
future wells.

production. The company reactivated the field MR Scanner tool. However, the saturations 1.5-in. and 2.7-in. shells (above). The results
and then drilled evaluation wells to properly indicated that the entire zone was pay, which was again indicated pay throughout the interval. OBM
characterize the reservoir and determine known to be incorrect based on production from filtrate had flushed out native water and oil
locations for horizontal multilateral producing offset wells. throughout the interval. Upon closer inspection of
wells. In the first well logged with the MR The inability of the NMR tool to identify the the results, a subtle increase in the computed
Scanner tool, the tool was part of a logging OWC was attributed to less-than-optimal acquisi- water volume was observed in the water leg from
suite that consisted of resistivity, density tion parameters for the challenging case of this the 2.7-in. shell data compared with that
porosity, neutron porosity, acoustic and HRLC pay. The reservoir contains low-viscosity computed from the 1.5-in. shell.
spectroscopy tools along with a formation light oil, and NMR experts concluded that the lack The presence of OBM filtrate explained the
pressure and sampling program. of success in locating the OWC resulted from using oil in the water leg. The 2 to 3% of free water seen
In the past, conventional logging tools had a wait time that was insufficient to fully polarize in the known oil leg was not so easily explained.
been unable to identify the OWC. Fluid gradients the native oil. A new acquisition sequence was It was assumed that the signal-to-noise ratio was
from pressure data were not conclusive. NMR created to address the underpolarization. insufficient for accurate volumetric calculations
saturations were acquired using data from the In the next well, the MR Scanner tool used and the increase in the computed water volume
this modified sequence, acquiring data from the was due to noise.

20 Oilfield Review
 Shell No. 1
Deep Resistivity Bound Fluid
Gamma 0.1 ohm.m 1,000 50 % 0
Ray
Shallow Resistivity Depth Oil
gAPI
0 200 0.1 ohm.m 1,000 ft 50 % 0 Shell No. 1 Shell No. 4 Shell No. 8
DOI = 1.5 in. DOI = 2.7 in. DOI = 4.0 in.

Diffusion

Diffusion

Diffusion
T1 time T1 time T1 time

Diffusion

Diffusion

Diffusion
X,100

T1 time T1 time T1 time

Diffusion

Diffusion

Diffusion
T1 time T1 time T1 time
X,200 Diffusion

Diffusion

Diffusion
T1 time T1 time T1 time

X,300
Diffusion

Diffusion

Diffusion

T1 time T1 time T1 time

> Pinpointing OWC with station logs. After the inconclusive results from early attempts to use MR Scanner data
to locate the OWC, stationary measurements were used. Station logs permit stacking of data to achieve higher
signal-to-noise ratios. Continuous fluid analysis from Shell No. 1 (Track 2) shows oil throughout the interval, but
the source is the OBM filtrate. A three-DOI sequence allows Shell No. 8 data to be acquired simultaneously with
Shells No. 1 and 4. The deeper shell detects native oil when invasion is not too deep. The two top stations, at
X,103 and X,138 ft, are in the oil leg and have a clear oil signature, with little or no water signal from all three
shells. The three bottom stations, at X,142, X,165 and X,185 ft, are in the water leg, as evidenced by a strong free-
water response. The absence of movable water in the upper two maps pinpoints the OWC at X,140 ft. Formation
samples confirmed the interpretation.

In a third well, the petrophysicists acquired response. However, the stationary data from the measurements were added to the standard
data from the 4.0-in. shell, and from the two 4.0-in. shell clearly indicated free water in the logging program. A first-of-its-kind triple-shell
shallower shells, using stationary measurements. water leg. Surprisingly, looking an additional activation sequence to simultaneously measure
Station data can be stacked to obtain a better 1.3 in. [3.3 cm] into the formation made a big all three DOIs in stationary and continuous
signal-to-noise ratio. Continuous data were difference in identifying the OWC. logging modes was also introduced. This replaced
acquired from the 1.5- and 2.7-in. shells. As Given the success of using the stationary multiple passes and multiple stations previously
before, the data from the two shallower shells measurements from the deep shell, which required to obtain three DOIs (above). Today, MR
looked similar, with a strong OBM filtrate clarified the fluid distributions and explained Scanner data play a critical role in the evaluation
vertical trends in the reservoir fluids, three-shell

Winter 2008/2009 21
 Phisand T2 Fsand Rt Scanner Rsand
Phisand NMR Neutron Density Rv , Rh Anisotropy Distribution Fsand NMR NMR Rsand NMR Fluids HC Volume
0 0.5 1 0.4 0.2 0 0 10 100 0 5 10 15 0 10 100 1,000 0 0.5 1 0 10 100 0 0.2 0.4 0 0.2 0.4
Cutoff 3
Fshale
GR Oil Rt Scanner 10
Data
OBM
700 Water AIT Data
OBMI NMR Data 2
Shale Total 10
Porosity
Sand
Rsand

Rv, ohm.m
1 Rshale-v = 3.4
10
Rshale-h = 0.58
Shale

800
0
10
Depth, m

Pay Zones

–1
10
20 ft

–1 0 1 2 3
10 10 10 10 10
900 Rh, ohm.m

1,000

> Integration of data in an anisotropic reservoir. A laminated reservoir is with free fluid as defined by the MR Scanner tool. The NMR fluid
inferred from the OBMI image data (between Tracks 1 and 2). Processing saturations indicate oil, water and OBM filtrate (Track 8). Hydrocarbon (HC)
began by calculating sand volumes (Track 1) from density-neutron and volumes are displayed for comparison (Track 9). They are computed from
NMR data. Horizontal, Rh , and vertical, Rv , resistivities (Track 3), derived NMR data (green), the Rt Scanner data (red) and Archie’s water saturation
from the Rt Scanner tool, were used to compute the electrical anisotropy equation using traditional AIT array induction imager tool outputs derived
(Track 4, green). The shales and the laminated sand-shale intervals exhibit from the Rt Scanner data (black). Traditional Archie saturation underestimated
anisotropy. The T2 distributions from the NMR data (Track 5) indicate bimodal the HC volume throughout the interval, significantly reducing the calculated
fluid distributions in the intervals where sand is present, but not in the net pay and hydrocarbon in place. Finally, the petrophysicist identified the
shales. Free fluid is to the right of the T2 cutoff, and clay-bound fluid laminated pay intervals using a modified Klein plot (inset ) that incorporates
associated with the shale is to the left. Sand fractions were computed with Rt Scanner data, NMR data and high-resolution porosity measurements.
inputs from both the NMR and the Rt Scanner data (Track 6). Sand Productive zones are highlighted on the log (Track 3, magenta).
resistivity (Track 7) was calculated from Rt Scanner data using intervals

program of the field, and use of three-shell data of anisotropic, laminated sand-shale sequences. Traditionally, imaging logs are used to characterize
has been adopted as a best practice. However, it is not possible to resolve extremely thin the laminations, separating sand from shale.
However, one limitation of the MR Scanner laminations with NMR tools because of the general Other, lower-resolution data are then deconvolved
tool’s ability to identify fluid type came to light requirement to stack successive measurements to using the higher-resolution image data. These
during the analysis of the data from this field. NMR achieve an adequate signal-to-noise ratio. With a outputs are used in Archie’s equation to compute
fluid properties, acquired from just a few inches CMR tool, the smallest aperture window is a 6-in. water saturation. One drawback to this method is
into the formation, can be of little help in [15.2-cm] station measurement. The MR Scanner that imaging tools make very shallow readings and
identifying fluid contacts when invasion exceeds tool’s main-antenna measurement window is 18 in. thus rely on good borehole conditions to acquire
the 4.0-in. DOI of Shell No. 8. In these cases, MDT Recent developments demonstrate that even at quality data. Furthermore, full quantitative
modular formation dynamics tester fluid gradients this lower resolution, NMR data are still useful in analysis, using deconvolution techniques, is often
and DSTs are required to provide the needed analyzing and interpreting laminated sequences. inconclusive, and fluid properties and type are
information. NMR data provide complementary petrophysical rarely quantifiable.
measurements of the reservoir fluid properties In a second method, NMR data quantify the
Resolution Solution that resistivity and porosity measurements type and volume of fluids in a reservoir section. But
The trend in log interpretation and tool design has cannot.19 since it is not possible to resolve thin beds with
been toward resolving and measuring increasingly There are three general methods used to NMR tools, this method lumps the fluids together
thinner beds. This is critical in the interpretation analyze thin-bed reservoirs using well logs.20 and differentiates bound fluid from free fluid.

19. Cao Minh C and Sundararaman P: “NMR Petrophysics 20. Claverie M, Azam H, Leech R and Van Dort G: “A 22. For more on the use of modified Klein plots: Cao Minh C,
in Thin Sand/Shale Laminations,” paper SPE 102435, Comparison of Laminated Sand Analysis Methods— Clavaud J-B, Sundararaman P, Froment S, Caroli E,
presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Resistivity Anisotropy and Enhanced Log Resolution from Billon O, Davis G and Fairbairn R: “Graphical Analysis
Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, September 24–27, 2006. Borehole Image,” presented at the Petroleum Geology of Laminated Sand-Shale Formations in the Presence
Cao Minh C, Joao I, Clavaud J-B and Sundararaman P: Conference and Exhibition (PGCE), Kuala Lumpur, of Anisotropic Shales,” Petrophysics 49, no. 5
“Formation Evaluation in Thin Sand/Shale Laminations,” November 27–28, 2006. (October 2008): 395–405.
paper SPE 109848, presented at the SPE Annual 21. Anderson B, Barber T, Leveridge R, Bastia R, Saxena KR, 23. Hürlimann MD, Freed DE, Zielinski LJ, Song YQ, Leu G,
Technical Conference and Exhibition, Anaheim, Tyagi AK, Clavaud J-B, Coffin B, Das M, Hayden R, Straley C, Cao Minh C and Boyd A: “Hydrocarbon
California, USA, November 11–14, 2007. Klimentos T, Cao Minh C and Williams S: “Triaxial Composition from NMR Diffusion and Relaxation Data,”
Induction—A New Angle for an Old Measurement,” Transactions of the SPWLA 49th Annual Logging
Oilfield Review 20, no. 2 (Summer 2008): 64–84. Symposium, Edinburgh, Scotland, May 25–28, 2008,
paper U.

22 Oilfield Review
Within laminated sands, bound fluid is associated With this workflow, the data analysis for this New enhancements to the software for
with shale laminations, and aggregate free-fluid well began with identifying laminations from the making 2D maps of reservoir fluids create static
volume is associated with sand laminations. image log of the OBMI oil-base microimager snapshots that can then be added to 2D logs. In
Diffusion data can provide fluid properties when (previous page). Rv values are greater than Rh addition, the software has the capability to
sufficient quantities are available in the reservoir values, indicating electrical anisotropy. But, the present saturations and fluid properties in a
rocks. Although the depth of investigation is Rv /Rh ratio is high in clean shales as well as in video format, allowing visualization of the
deeper than that of imaging tools, NMR laminated sand-shale sections. changes that take place laterally along the
measurements are still quite shallow. Shales have only bound fluids and thus a wellbore and horizontally into the formation.
A recently introduced third method of evalu- unimodal T2 distribution. Sand-shale sequences Laboratory-based NMR fluid measurements
ating laminated sand-shale sequences incorporates exhibit a bimodal distribution, indicative of have been and will continue to be transferred to
high-resolution porosity information and induction movable fluids in sand laminations. Thus, the the downhole environment. Obtaining the proper-
tool data, such as those from the Rt Scanner sand fraction, Fsand, can be derived from the free- ties of sampled fluids while tools are still downhole
triaxial induction service.21 This tool measures fluid portion of the NMR T2 data. This value is offers the closest approximation to in situ
horizontal, Rh, and vertical, Rv, resistivities. In then compared with the Fsand value derived from measurements available. An NMR oil classification
laminated sands, the hydrocarbon-bearing sand the density-neutron data. Rsand values are system exists based on molecular properties, and
laminations exhibit electrical anisotropy, indi- computed from the triaxial induction tool data applying that classification to downhole fluids will
cated by a high Rv /Rh ratio, whereas water- for both Fsand inputs. The NMR fluid analysis of aid in proper reservoir development.23
bearing sand-shale sequences have low ratios. data from the 2.7-in. shell indicates native oil and But one of the unique aspects of NMR
Reservoir evaluation based on the electrical OBM filtrate. measurements is that they offer the only
anisotropy alone is not sufficient to prove the Three analysis methods for water saturation technique that can see and distinguish different
presence of hydrocarbon. Anisotropic shales are used to calculate the hydrocarbon volume: fluids in situ, without flowing them. Even
exhibit high Rv /Rh ratios even in the absence of Archie’s water saturation equation, the Rv and Rh downhole samples may not provide true fluid
hydrocarbon-bearing sand layers because of method using triaxial induction tool data, and properties because of changes to the fluids
formation compaction. NMR fluid saturations. Rv and Rh crossplots are during flow. Sampled fluids do not reflect the
In an even newer technique, MR Scanner presented using a Schlumberger modified Klein true distribution of fluids in the reservoir, only
fluid measurements are combined with the Rt plot technique.22 The selected points from the those that are mobile. As NMR techniques are
Scanner Rv /Rh method to provide critical crossplot are transposed on the log, identifying applied, and fluid variations within reservoirs are
information for properly analyzing complex sand- quality reservoir intervals. Anisotropic shales plot identified, the complicated nature of oil and gas
shale reservoirs. This method yields sand in the nonpay region and may be ignored. With production is better understood. With reservoir
fraction (net-to-gross), sand porosity, sand this technique, the log analyst quickly assesses understanding come informed production
resistivity and hydrocarbon saturation. The key the reservoir and identifies potential pay zones. practices, greater efficiencies and higher
to maximizing the value of the information is This integrated approach resulted in an 80% recovery rates.
integration of the data from the various sources. increase in calculated net-to-gross values as Viable options exist for future development.
This complementary integration technique compared with classical resistivity-porosity Researchers continue to develop NMR-based
was recently demonstrated in a west Africa methods. An increase of 18 net hydrocarbon feet carbonate answers. Deeper measurements are a
reservoir. Characterized as having a thin sand- [5.5 m] is derived from the NMR-based satura- goal, but tools to acquire them are years away.
shale sequence, the well in this case study was tions, and there is an increase of 15 net feet [4.6 m] Although there may never be an NMR
evaluated with MR Scanner data, Rt Scanner using the triaxial induction technique without measurement from the virgin reservoir, fluid
information and high-resolution porosity data NMR data. The conclusion from the log evalua- properties from LWD tools offer a glimpse into the
from formation density and neutron logs. tion is that NMR data enhance the calculation for reservoir fluids unaffected by mud filtrate. Such a
Once thin beds with hydrocarbon potential hydrocarbons in place, while corroborating the solution would overcome the problem identified in
had been identified from image data, the results of triaxial induction-based laminated- the Saudi Aramco HRLC wells. Other challenges
petrophysicist followed an established workflow sand analysis. The technique offers the await further research and development.
to interpret them: petrophysicist the ability to identify quality It took 30 years to develop a workable
• Compute the sand fraction, Fsand, from the reservoir intervals and eliminate nonproductive magnetic resonance tool for downhole environ-
porosity data. anisotropic shale intervals from evaluation. ments. NMR measurements have continued to
• Derive sand resistivity, R sand, from R v and evolve along with the tools used to acquire the
Rh data. Mapping the Future of Magnetic Resonance data. The most recent developments put a
• Compute an NMR Fsand from the T2 distributions. Magnetic resonance logging has transcended its colorful visualization technique in the hands of
• Derive a new Rsand. niche market status and attained a high level of the petrophysicist. The art and science of NMR
• Compute the porosity of the sand layers, Phisand, acceptability within the petrophysical com- applications have been combined to provide an
from both the density-neutron data and the munity. It will never supplant resistivity and alternative to static 2D logs of the past. These
NMR T2 distributions. nuclear porosity measurements; nor should it. new dimensions in NMR logging have ushered in
• Compare water saturations computed with NMR data offer the oil and gas industry an a powerful tool for reservoir analysis. But the
inputs from the NMR data with those derived alternative source for certain measurements, best may be yet to come. —TS
from the Rt Scanner and high-resolution including porosity and fluid saturations, yet
porosity data. there are limitations inherent in the physics—as
there are in all petrophysical measurements.

Winter 2008/2009 23