Method to determine an uncorrupted nuclear magnetic resonance response from a sample

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11988620-B2
Application number	US-202217814170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2022
Priority date	Jul 21, 2022
Publication date	May 21, 2024
Grant date	May 21, 2024

Abstract

A method and system for determining an uncorrupted NMR response from a sample at a predetermined measurement pressure is provided. The method includes obtaining a sample and a filler fluid with a negligible NMR response, determining a volume of filler fluid based on a dimension of the sample and an interior volume of a pressure cell, injecting the volume of filler fluid at a first temperature into the pressure cell and then changing the temperature of the volume of the filler fluid to a second temperature. The method also includes inserting the sample into the volume of filler fluid within the pressure cell, displacing an upper surface of filler fluid to a predetermined level within the interior volume of the pressure cell. The method still further includes establishing the predetermined measurement pressure within the pressure cell and determining the uncorrupted NMR response from the sample at the predetermined measurement pressure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for determining an uncorrupted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) response from a sample at a predetermined measurement pressure, comprising:
obtaining the sample;
obtaining a filler fluid, wherein the filler fluid has a negligible NMR response;
determining a volume of filler fluid based on a dimension of the sample and an interior volume of a pressure cell;
introducing the volume of filler fluid into the pressure cell, wherein the volume of filler fluid is at a first temperature;
changing the temperature of the volume of filler fluid to a second temperature;
inserting the sample into the volume of filler fluid within the pressure cell, displacing an upper surface of filler fluid to a predetermined level within the interior volume of the pressure cell, wherein the predetermined level is located above a top NMR coil surface and below a top surface of the sample;
establishing the predetermined measurement pressure within the pressure cell; and
determining the uncorrupted NMR response from the sample at the predetermined measurement pressure.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a reservoir characteristic of the sample based, at least in part, on the uncorrupted NMR response, wherein the reservoir characteristic comprises a porosity, a composition, a water and a hydrocarbon content, a permeability, or a behavior of an injected fluid.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
generating a reservoir model using a reservoir modeler based, at least in part, on the reservoir characteristic;
performing a reservoir simulation, using a reservoir simulator, to determine a drilling target based, at least in part, on the reservoir model;
planning a wellbore path using a wellbore path planning system to intersect the drilling target; and
drilling a wellbore guided by the wellbore path using a drilling system.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the injected fluid is not dissolvable in a filler fluid at the predetermined measurement pressure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample is a rock core sample.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the filler fluid comprises a hydrogen-free filler fluid.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the hydrogen-free filler fluid comprises Halocarbon 1000N.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined measurement pressure comprises a hydrocarbon reservoir pressure.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein inserting the sample into the pressure cell further comprises inserting the sample through an open end of the pressure cell into the filler fluid disposed at a closed end of the pressure cell.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein a viscosity of the filler fluid at the first temperature is sufficiently low to enable an injection of the filler fluid into the pressure cell and the viscosity of the filler fluid at the second temperature is sufficiently high to prevent invasion of the filler fluid into pores within the sample.

11. An NMR system, comprising:
a pressure cell comprising a sealable open end, a closed end, and an interior volume;
a volume of filler fluid configured to be introduced injected inside the interior volume of the pressure cell at a first temperature, wherein a filler fluid has a negligible NMR response;
a sample, configured to be insertable into the pressure cell through the sealable open end and into the filler fluid at a second temperature, wherein the sample displaces an upper surface of filler fluid to a predetermined level within the interior volume of the pressure cell, wherein the predetermined level is located above a top NMR coil surface and below a top surface of the sample;
an NMR pressure and injection system configured to establish a predetermined measurement pressure within the pressure cell; and
an NMR control and data acquisition system configured to:
determine an uncorrupted NMR response from the sample at the predetermined measurement pressure, and
determine a reservoir characteristic of the sample based, at least in part, on the uncorrupted NMR response, wherein the reservoir characteristic comprises a porosity, a composition, a water and a hydrocarbon content, a permeability, or a behavior of an injected fluid.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a reservoir modeler configured to produce a reservoir model based, at least in part, on the reservoir characteristic;
a reservoir simulator configured to:
produce a reservoir simulation based, at least in part, on the reservoir model, and
determine a drilling target based, at least in part, on the reservoir simulation;

a wellbore path planning system configured to plan a wellbore path to intersect the drilling target of a subterranean region of interest; and
a wellbore drilling system configured to drill a wellbore guided by the wellbore path.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the injected fluid is not dissolvable in the filler fluid at the measurement pressure.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the volume of filler fluid is determined based on a dimension of the sample and the interior volume of the pressure cell.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the sample is a rock core sample and the predetermined measurement pressure comprises a hydrocarbon reservoir pressure.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the filler fluid comprises a hydrogen-free filler fluid.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the hydrogen-free filler fluid comprises Halocarbon 1000N.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein a viscosity of the filler fluid at the first temperature is sufficiently low to enable injection of the filler fluid into the pressure cell and the viscosity of the filler fluid at the second temperature is sufficiently high to prevent invasion of the filler fluid into pores within the sample.

Assignees

• Aramco Services Co
• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Chen jin-hong
• Althaus Stacey M
• Boudjatit Mohammed
• Eppler Gary

Classifications

• E21B7/04

  Directional drilling · CPC title

• E21B2200/20

  Computer models or simulations, e.g. for reservoirs under production, drill bits · CPC title

• G01N24/081 Primary

  Making measurements of geologic samples, e.g. measurements of moisture, pH, porosity, permeability, tortuosity or viscosity · CPC title

• E21B44/00

  Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions · CPC title

• E21B47/06

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title