Lecture Presentation

Fundamentals of Well Logging

Fundamentals of
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
(NMR) Logging

Carlos Torres-Verdín, Ph.D.

Professor
The University of Texas at Austin

GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS

Rock Resistivity & Fluid Pore T2
Volume Permeability Saturation Volume Spectra
NMR APPLICATIONS

NMR CURVE DELIVERABLES

MODERN MEDICAL MRI SYSTEMS

MODERN MRI
 Logging Tools

INDUCTION LOG 80 cm

RESISTIVITY

RESOLUTION
LATEROLOG 80 cm

NEUTRON 40 cm
RADIOACTIVITY
GAMMA RAY 30 cm
DENSITY 20 cm
ACOUSTIC SONIC 60 cm
MICRO RESISTIVITY 5 cm
RESISTIVITY MICROLOG 2 cm
DIPMETER
0 cm
250 cm 200 150 100 50 0 cm

DEPTH OF INVESTIGATION

NMR vs. NEUTRON and/or DENSITY

f NMR = 20%
D

D
XX

XX
S

 = 20%  = 20% t
N or D N or D
 = 20%  = 20%
NMR NMR
Long T2 Short T2
 WILL THE WELL PRODUCE?

FREE FLUID vs. IRREDUCIBLE FLUID

NMR TRANSVERSE RELAXATION: An Overview

High Permeability Grainstone

 Low Permeability Wackestone

0.0120

9.0
0.0100
8.0
0.0080 7.0
6.0
0.0060
5.0
0.0040 4.0
3.0
0.0020
2.0
0.0000 1.0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
0.0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100

Sample 1 30 p.u. 97 md. NMR T2

Distributions
0.0018 6.0
0.0016
5.0
0.0014

0.0012 4.0
0.001

0.0008
3.0
0.0006
2.0
0.0004

0.0002 1.0
0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000 0.0
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100

Sample 2 18 p.u. 2 md.

 SPIN MAGNETIZATION

H
S Hydrogen
Proton

PRECESSION
Bo Bo

Parallel
100,006

Larmor Precession Antiparallel

100,000
Hz
freq. = 4258 Bo
Gauss
 LARMOR FREQUENCY

ELEMENTAL NMR RESPONSE

Nucleus  2 Natural Relative

[most common (Hz/Gauss) I abundance sensitivity
applications in log & (%)
core analysis]
1
H 4257.59 1/2 99.99 1.000
[core and log]
2
H 653.57 1 0.015 0.0097
[aqueous phase]
13
C 1070.5 1/2 1.10 0.0159
[need high freq.]
19
F 4005.5 1/2 100.00 0.833
[nonwetting phase]
23
Na 11.26 3/2 100.00 0.0925
[salinity]
TRANSVERSAL TIPPING and PROTON PRECESSION

 

 

LONGITUDINAL AND TRANSVERSE RELAXATION

BASIC NMR INSTRUMENTATION COMPONENTS

N
• A time-constant magnetic B0
field used to polarize the 

spins
S
B1
• A time-varying RF
magnetic field to excite
the spins

• A magnetic receptor to
measured the spin
response

NMR EXPERIMENTAL TIMING

 COMMERCIAL NMR WIRELINE TOOLS

MRIL CMR

Magnet

B0

B1

Gradient field vs. Homogeneous B0

SCHLUMBERGER’S
CMR, CMR-200,
CMR-Plus
 T1 BUILD-UP OF OILS

T1 Buildup
1
0.2 cP
0.9
0.4 cP
0.8
0.6 cP
0.7 0.8 cP
% Polarization

0.6 1 cP

0.5 2 cP

0.4 4 cP

Water (512 m)
0.3
Water (256 ms)
0.2
Water (64 ms)
0.1
Water (16 ms)
0

10.5

12.5

13.5

14.5
11.5
0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

5.5

6.5

7.5

8.5

9.5
10

12

13

14

15
11
1

9
0

Time (sec.)

T1: CRUDE OILS

NMR TRANSVERSE RELAXATION IN
WATER-FILLED PORES

TRANSVERSE RELAXATION
Amplitude Decay Explanation
Gradient Field and Diffusion

B0B0 B0 B0B0
M

T1

T
2

ff f f-f Time

Diffusion during the pulse sequence causes a reduction
in signal amplitude with time and decreases T2.

Elements of T2 Decay

(Wetting Phase Saturation = 100%)

Surface Relaxivity Pore Surface Area to Volume Ratio

1 S 1 1
   
T2 V T2b T2D

Bulk Fluid Relaxivity Diffusion Decay

 T2 Decay and Pore Size
(Wetting Phase Saturation = 100%)
100

Small Pore Size = Rapid Decay Rate

Echo Amplitude (pu)

80
Large Pore Size = Slow Decay Rate

60

40

20

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500

Time (ms)

Single Exponential Decay

y = por . e - t / T2


Incremental  (pu)

y = por . e -t/256
Amplitude (y)

256
ms y = por . e -t/64

y = por . e -t/16

64ms

16 ms
16 64 256

t T2 (ms)
Multi-exponential Decay

 =  por . e - t / T2
 = 30p.u.

Incremental  (pu)
y = 5 . e -t/16 + 10 . e -t/64 + 15 . e -t/256
256
ms

15
64 ms
10

5
16 ms
16 64 256

t T2 (ms)

TOTAL POROSITY vs. FRACTIONAL POROSITY

20 NMR porosity = echo amplitude at time zero and is

calibrated to the amplitude at 100 percent porosity
Echo Amplitude

All other NMR based information

15 is extracted from T2 decay using
models.

10

7
0 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150
Time
 Surface Relaxivity and T2 Decay
(Wetting Phase Saturation = 100%)

Low (Carbonates)
High  (Clastics)
NMR porosity

Incremental Porosity [pu]

2.00
Echo Amplitude [pu]

1.50

1.00

0.50

0.00
0.1 1.0 10. 100. 1000. 10000.

Time [ms] T2 [ms]

Surface Relaxivity and T2 Decay

2-phase Fluid System, Wetting Phase
@ Irreducible Saturation
Low (Carbonates)
High  (Clastics)
NMR porosity
Incremental Porosity [pu]

2.00
Echo Amplitude [pu]

1.50

1.00

0.50

0.00
0.1 1.0 10. 100. 1000. 10000.

Time [ms] T2 [ms]

Pore Volumetric Distribution

NMR Porosity T2 Cutoffs

Incremental Porosity (pu)

20
4.00 4.00

15 T2 Decay 3.00 3.00

Amplitude
Echo

2.00 2.00
10 Transform
1.00 1.00
5

CBW BVI BVM

0.00 0.00
0 15 30 45 60 75 105 120 135 150
0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000
90

Time (ms) T2 Decay (ms)

Clay- Capillary
Matrix Dry Mobile
Bound Bound Hydrocarbon
Clay Water Water
Water

GAS EFFECT
 NMR TRANSVERSE RELAXATION: An Overview

Basic NMR Field Deliverable

Resistivity &
GR T2 Spectra Pore Volumetrics
Permeability
FIELD LOG EXAMPLE

Patagonia Example
Patagonia
Example

Patagonia
Example
SUMMARY: HYDROCARBON EFFECTS ON NMR
SUMMARY: FORMATION AND FLUID EFFECTS

SUMMARY: ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

SUMMARY:
Petrophysical Applications of NMR Data

 Mineralogically-Independent Porosities (Total & Effective)

 Clay-Bound Water Volume
 Capillary-Bound Water & Free Fluid Volumes
 Pore Size Distribution (Single Phase Fluid Saturation)
 Permeability (With calibration to core or test data)
 Shale Volume & Distribution
 Flushed Zone Fluid Saturations (DTW analysis)
 Hydrocarbon Viscosity (DTE analysis)
 Electrical Properties & Water Saturation (Integrated Products)

Acknowledgements:

Baker Atlas
Schlumberger
Halliburton