HSR-NMR Scanner for High-Throughput Measurement of Fluids Distribution in Whole Cores

Core retrieval, preservation, and analysis provide direct evidence on the presence, quantity, distribution, and deliverability of hydrocarbons of a reservoir. Currently, very little information on the included fluids is measured from the extracted whole cores before they undergo destructive procedure such as slabbing and plugging. Here we present a high-throughput measurement technology, high-spatialresolution nuclear magnetic resonance (HSR-NMR) Scanner, which measures hydrocarbon and water distribution in whole cores. The HSR-NMR Scanner synchronizes NMR data acquisition with controlled stepwise motion of the whole core through the sensor with the step equal to the desired resolution, deconvolves the acquired NMR relaxation data to obtain HSR fluid distribution in the whole cores. The method overcomes the intrinsic axial averaging of the NMR sensor of a finite length, thereby improving the spatial resolution of measurements. The HSR-NMR Scanner is a high-throughput non-destructive and noninvasive measurement technology. It can measure 3-foot sample in about 70 minutes and provides highresolution continuous fluid distribution in the whole cores. The HSR-NMR Scanner is especially useful for unconventional source rock whole cores where mud invasion is minimum and majority in situ fluids remain in the cores. This scanning technology represents a significant advancement over current industry standard practices in obtaining fluid information from whole cores, which generally are destructive, expensive, and time consuming while only providing sporadic data in the whole cores where plugs or subsamples were taken.