Advanced Fluid Characterization

Hydrocarbon identification and analysis using NMR

Applications
s

What is the MRF method?

The MRF* Magnetic Resonance Fluid characterization method is a patented technique for direct identification and analysis of hydrocarbons. The station log measurement can be made using any CMR tool; special tools or modifications are not necessary. A modified CMR-Plus* tool is required for the fast 3-min data acquisition. The MRF technique integrates downhole data acquisition and wellsite inversion with a multifluid response model to determine fluid saturations, fluid volumes and oil viscosities. Lithologyindependent formation porosity and separate T2 distributions for brine and oil are also extracted. Hydrocarboncorrected bound-water volume and permeability are computed from the T2 distributions. This real-time analysis improves prediction of the wells producing capability and is vital for completion decisions.

When is an MRF analysis needed?

Viscosity, like permeability, greatly influences a wells producing capability. Viscosity can vary by orders of magnitude, and in many parts of the world it determines zonal production rates to a much greater extent than formation permeability. When hydrocarbon viscosity is varying or unknown, the MRF method can provide the answers you need. MRF technology can also provide solutions in fresh or varying formation waters, where Archie resistivity analysis is difficult. Using direct hydrocarbon characterization, pay intervals can be identified even in zones with low resistivity. The MRF method can overcome problems associated with Archie analysis, such as varying cementation exponent; dipping, thin or laminated beds that affect resistivity tools and unknown or varying water resistivity. This method also overcomes incorrect permeability calculations caused by hydrocarbon effects.

Determination of fluid storage volume based on lithologyindependent total porosity Quantification of pay based on oil, gas and water saturation Oil mobility determination based on in-situ oil viscosity Producibility calculation using hydrocarbon-corrected bound-water volume and permeability Oil viscosity versus depth mapping for perforation and completion design Direct hydrocarbon detection
q

Fresh, unknown or varying formation water resistivities Low-resistivity, low-contrast pay and thin beds

Residual oil saturation in water-based muds Residual water saturation in oil-based muds Mobility calibration for MDT* Modular Formation Dynamics Tester

Figure 1. Example of real-time MRF analysis performed at the wellsite. The direct, user-friendly analysis provides a comprehensive formation evaluation of the near-wellbore region and includes quality control indicators.

Benefits
s

Improved reserves estimates and increased reserves from location of bypassed pay Optimized well completions Worldwide availability using any standard CMR* Combinable Magnetic Resonance tool Real-time answers from automated wellsite inversion Independent analysis without need for resistivity measurements, Rw or Archie parameters

s s

Water porosity (%): 17.0 Water saturation (%): 54.3 Water T2LM (ms): 48.8 Free water (%): 14.9 Temperature (C): 24.6

Oil porosity (%): 14.3 Oil saturation (%): 45.7 Oil T2LM (ms): 180 Bound water (%): 2.1

Gas porosity (%): 0.0 Gas saturation (%): 0.0 Oil viscosity (cp): 6.6 T1/T2 ratio: 1.243

OBMF porosity (%): 0.0 OBMF saturation (%): 0.0 TCMR porosity (%): 31.3 Permeability (mD): 1652.4

0.09 0.08 0.07 0.06 Signal amplitude 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.01 0 0.1 1.0 10 100 1,000 10,000 Oil T2 distribution Water T2 distribution Water T2 log mean Oil T2 log mean

Features
s

Automated 3-min acquisition integrated with wellsite inversion Constituent Viscosity Model (CVM) based on fundamental physics Measurement without radioactive source

T2 relaxation time (ms)

How does the MRF analysis work?

Small or light-end hydrocarbon molecules move at rapid rotational and translational velocities as a result of thermally induced Brownian motion. Figure 2 shows this concept at the microscopic level. At the macroscopic level, the long distances small molecules can travel in a given time are observed as a high molecular diffusion coefficient. Fast molecular motions result in low fluid viscosity. As a result of the low viscosity, small molecules have long T2 decay times. Large molecules have small rotational and translational velocities and therefore move shorter distances through the fluid. This slow molecular motion results in a low diffusion coefficient for the fluid and a high viscosity value. As a result of the high viscosity, large molecules have short T2 times. A pure fluid composed of a single molecular species has a single diffusion coefficient value, a single viscosity value and a single value for its T2 decay. The fluid can be represented as a narrow peak in the T2 and diffusion spectra. A mixture containing both smalland large-molecule fluids exhibits one T2 value for the small molecules and another for the large molecules. However, individual T2 values in the mixture differ from those of the constituent pure fluids. The same result occurs with the diffusion rates. Components in the mixture retain their separate identities while their individual properties are modified. Crude oils are a complex mixture of many different hydrocarbon species with a broad range of molecular sizes. The CVM relates the T2 and diffusion properties of mixtures to molecular composition. Based on fundamental physics, the CVM properly accounts for the broad diffusivity and T2 spectra of bulk crude oils. The CVM has been empirically validated for both live and dead crude oils. Constituent viscosity is a phenomenological link between the T2 relaxation and the diffusion coefficient of each molecular species in a hydrocarbon mixture. The bulk viscosity observed with a viscometer reflects the broad distribution of microscopic or constituent viscosities.

Figure 2. Small or light-end member molecules move quickly; heavier long-chain molecules move more slowly. Hydrocarbon molecule relaxation rates and diffusion coefficients are related to the molecule size. With their wide range of molecular sizes, crude oils have a broad distribution of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation times and molecular diffusion coefficients. The Constituent Viscosity Model (CVM) relates molecular diffusivity and T2 relaxation of the individual components to bulk viscosity.

Large hydrocarbon molecule slow rotation leads to slow diffusion

Small hydrocarbon molecule fast rotation leads to fast diffusion

Mixture of C6 and C30 Pure C30 Amplitude Pure C6

10 6

105 Diffusivity (cm /s)

2

10 4

The CVM predicts an inverse relationship between the geometric mean of the bulk oil T2 distribution and the bulk oil viscosity. This relationship has long been observed in laboratory data (Fig. 3). Pore size information is available from T2 distributions measured in water zones. Brine T2 distributions are broad as a result of the range of pore sizes found in reservoir rocks. In an oil zone, the brine distribution typically overlaps with the broad T2 distribution of the oil to form the total T2 distribution seen on a standard log (right side of Fig. 4). This overlap often makes standard T2 interpretation difficult because the contributions of water and hydrocarbon are indistinguishable. Pore size information is mixed with hydrocarbon viscosity information. Largely because of this overlap of oil and water T2 distributions, previous hydrocarbon detection techniques have not been reliable.

Figure 3. For bulk crude oils, an inverse relationship exists between the geometric mean of the T2 distribution and the viscosity.

10 Light oil API: 4560 Density ~ 0.650.75 g/cc Medium oil API: 2540 Density ~ 0.750.85 g/cc Heavy oil API: 1020 Density ~ 0.850.95 g/cc

0.1 T2 (s) 0.01

0.001

0.0001 0.1

1.0

10

100 Viscosity (cp)

1,000

10,000

100,000

Figure 4. In a formation with no hydrocarbons, brine-filled porosity produces T2 distributions representative of pore-size distributions with associated bound and free fluids (left). The broad T2 distribution of a typical bulk crude is shown in the center. Because the rock is not present, the bulk crude oil T2 distribution is a function of molecular composition only. In a typical T2 log, the addition of the two distributions results in a mixed response that can be difficult to interpret (right).

Brine T2 Distributions Pore size

Oil T2 Distributions Constituent viscosity

Total Distribution

Clay-bound water Capillary-bound water Free water

Tar Heavy oil Intermediate oil Light oil

Tar plus clay-bound water Heavy oil plus capillary bound water Intermediate oil plus free water Light oil plus free water

The MRF method incorporates the fundamental physical principles of the CVM and a multifluid inversion algorithm to reliably extract oil and water signals from NMR data. To achieve this separation, the MRF method exploits molecular diffusion in the field gradient generated by the tool magnet. This process leads to an additional NMR decay proportional to the square of the echo spacing and to the diffusion constant of each fluid component governed by the simple equation shown in Fig. 5. Because water molecules are typically smaller and more mobile than the hydrocarbon molecules in crude oils, the water signal decays faster than the oil signal for long-echo spacings. By inverting a specially designed suite of NMR measurements with different echo spacings, the MRF method separates brine and oil signals even when the T2 distributions completely overlap. After separation, the individual T2 distributions are used to compute the volumes of water, gas and oil. Oil viscosity and hydrocarboncorrected bound-fluid volume are calculated. In addition to providing direct and resistivity-independent saturations and volumes, the T2 distribution of reservoir oil derived during the MRF inversion helps in interpreting the CMR depth log.

Figure 5. Schematic of the MRF data suite and simultaneous inversion to extract brine and oil volumes, oil viscosity, and T2 distributions. The equation describes the decay time of measured NMR signals ( T2D ) caused by molecular diffusion ( D) in the tool gradient ( G). The diffusion decay increases with increasing echo spacing ( TE).

Molecular Diffusion in Field Gradient Echo spacing = TE1

TE2

TE3

1 T2D

D ( G ) TE 2
2

12

Brine and Oil T2 Distributions X655 m 45 cp

Amplitude

X700 m

44 cp

X708 m

86 cp

0.3

10 T2 (ms) Water

100 Oil

1000

In what range of viscosities will the MRF method work?

The MRF method works in viscosities from less than 1 cp to more than 200 cp (Fig. 6). For viscosities below this range, the DMR* Density-Magnetic Resonance method should be used because hydrocarbons that are very light (such as gas and condensate) result in porosity deficits. Above 200 cp there is a lack of diffusion sensitivity. The shape of the T2 distribution must be analyzed using the CMR-Plus enhanced precision mode (EPM).

For the highest viscosities, hydrocarbons become invisible to NMR tools, which measure fluid only. The DMR method can be used to quantify tar content.

Where is the MRF method available?

Advanced fluid characterization using the MRF method is available worldwide. Any CMR tool can be used for data acquisition; specially equipped tools or modifications are not necessary. To achieve the fast 3-min station log measurement and perform the realtime wellsite inversion, a modified CMR-Plus tool and special software kit are required.

Has the method been tested?

Schlumberger has validated the MRF method in the laboratory using a broad range of live and dead crude oils and rock types. Its reliability and range of applications have been confirmed by extensive worldwide field tests in diverse environments.

Figure 6. The MRF method works within the range of approximately 1 to 200 cp. Outside this range, the indicated method should be used.

Low-MRF Sensitivity

MRF-Sensitive Regime 0.5 cp 2 cp 10 cp 100 cp

Low-MRF Sensitivity

1000 cp

0.1

10

100

1,000

10,000

Transverse relaxation time T2 (ms)

DMR 100,000 10,000

EPM 1,000 100 Viscosity (cp)

MRF 10 1

DMR 0.1

CMR-Plus Tool Specifications Physical specifications Length Weight Measure point Min hole size Max hole size Max tension limit Max compression limit Operational ratings Max pressure Max temperature Mud type and salinity Measurement specifications Max logging speed Long T1 environment Short T1 environment Bound fluid mode Vertical resolution Static Dynamic (high-resolution mode) Dynamic (standard mode)) Min echo spacing Measurement range Porosity T2 distribution Precision Total CMR porosity CMR free-fluid porosity Depth of investigation All hole sizes 15.6 ft 413 lbm 23 in. above bottom of tool 57 8 in. No limit 50,000 lbf 50,000 lbf 20,000 psi (25,000 psi with modified tools) 350F Unlimited

800 ft/hr 2700 ft/hr 3600 ft/hr 6-in. measurement aperture 9 in., three-level averaging 24 in., three-level averaging 0.2 ms 0100 p.u. 0.3 ms3.0 s 1-p.u. standard deviation, three-level averaging at 75F 0.5-p.u. standard deviation, three-level averaging at 75F 0.5-in. blind zone 1.1-in. 50% point 1.5-in. 95% point

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SMP-5905 September 2002 Schlumberger *Mark of Schlumberger