Selection of Optimal Acquisition Parameters for MRIL Logs

R. Akkurt
NUAL4R, New Orleans. Loirisiana
M. G . Prammer
NUMAR. Mnlverii, Periiw~hariin
M. A. Moore
Shell Ojfihorebic., New Orlemu. Loirisiaiia

Abstract: Recently introduced NMR-based logging tech-
niques. such as the differential and shifted spectrum methods
and the time domain matched filter analysis. have added hydro-
carbon typing and calculation of near-borehole water saturation
to the suite of available NMR applications. The keys to the new
applications are the exploitation of the relaxation and diffusion
properties of reservoir fluids by utilizing the single-valued
magnetic field gradient and depth of investigation of the Mag-
netic Resonance Imaging Logging tool (MRIL).
Reservoir, fluid, and borehole properties determine the op-
timum mode of operation for the MRIL. Temperature, pressure,
hydrogen index, oil viscosity. mud type, and invasion charac-
teristics can impact the information available from the log. This
complexity. considering the variety of the applications avail-
able from the MRIL log, requires the careful selection of opti-
mal acquisition parameters based on expected logging
conditions.
The objective of this paper is to establish the background to
develop basic guidelines that can be used to identify and screen
particular applications for reliable and robust MRIL-only inter-
pretation. The mechanics of selecting the optimal acquisition
paranieters are demonstrated for a differential spectrum method
application i n the Gulf of Mexico, where the primary objective
is the detection and quantification of free gas by relying on
MRIL as the primary log.
There must be T I contrast between the hydrocarbon and
brine phases. This condition requires that the formation
is water wet and that the hydrocarbon is relatively light.
0 There must be T. contrast between the gas and oil phases.
The T, contrast is introduced by the MRIL tnagnetic field
gradient (typically in the order of 18 G/cni), which in-
duces rapid depliasing in the gas phase.
0 The brine phase must be h l l y polarized.
It is also assumed that the hydrocarbon phases relax
uni-exponential]y.
Assuming these requirements are satisfied, the next criti-
cal step is to ensure that the amount of signal left in the
differential spectrum is large enough to allow robust inter-
pretation. Recalling that the method utilizes the difference
of two porosity measurements acquired with two different
wait times, the apparent hydrocarbon-filled porosity left in
the differential spectrum A$; is given by
A$; HI. (e-w&h -e-lxlfqh 1 9 (1)
where is the hydrocarbon-filled porosity, HI is the
hydrogen index of the hydrocarbon, T , , is the spin-lattice
relaxation time of the hydrocarbon, t,,,/ is the long wait time,
and f,, is the short wait time. Defining

INTRODUCTION Aa = (e-,-sqh- e-lf&h 1 3

The differential spectrum method (DSM) (Akkurt et al.,
1995), as well as NUMARs time-domain method (Pram-
nier et al., 1995), exploits the linear magnetic field gradient
of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Logging tool (Miller et
al., 1990; Chandler et al.. 1994) to differentiate gas from oil.
With a two-point partial recovery sequence in a single
logging pass (Pranimer et al., 1995), these methods use the
T , contrast behveen the brine and hydrocarbons to identify
pay and the diffusion contrast between the liquid and gas
phases to type the hydrocarbon.
For a successful DSM application. the following condi-
tions must be met:
0)
the following equation is used throughout the text instead
of Equation ( 1 ):
A$; = $ a - HI. A a . (3)
Equation (3) is actually a simple mathematical repre-
sentation of a very complex process. Each of the variables
in Equation (3) is dependent on a number of other parame-
ters. As an example, consider TI/,.The spin-lattice relaxa-
tion time of the hydrocarbon phase (in the first order) is
dependent on temperature and pressure if the hydrocarbon
is gas or on in-situ viscosity if the hydrocarbon is oil. The

November-December 1996 The Log Analyst 43

 Akkurt ct al.
temperature also affects tlie dii1tIieter of investigation of the
measureinents :is well as the magnetic field gradient of the
logging tool. The magnetic field gradient directly impacts
the ciiffiisive component of T, relaxation. There is a siiiiilar
chain of comples effects for the other parameters listed i n
E q i ~ t t i (~1 ~). i
Escept for the choice of the wait tiincs. most o f the
variilbles in Equation ( 1 ) are beyond the control ol'the iiser.
The wait times must be chosen such that tlie quantity Au is
tnasiiiiizecl. Ho\vever. the ideal pair of wait times inay
soinetimes violate thc basic requirements o f B DSRil appli-
cation. For csample, masimization of the gas signal may
require a wait time that is too short to fully polarize the
brine signal.
All these issues prove the importance of tlie prejob plan-
ning. which involves defining the formation cvaluation ob-
_icct i ves sough t from DSM ond deternii niiig the opt iiiial
acquisition parameters based on niasiiiiiaing A+/: \vhile not
\ iolating the DSM requireiiients.
It is possible that some objectives cnn not be met. If this
is the cnsc, the original evaluation objectives may be cur-
tailed o r additional ucquisitiun strategies such as the shifted
spectrum method (SSM) or stntionary iiicnstireiiieiits csn be
addcd to the logging program.
The iiiechanics of selecting the optimal set of:icquisition
parameters is demonstrated here Ibr ;I Cittlf of Mexico \\.ell
hy highlighting the ef-fects of various parameters 011 the tool
response. walking the readcr though thc process nfauquisi-
tion parameter selection, and presenting the interpreted re-
sults. The well atirilyzed in this paper is tlic second of a
series where the main objective is to detect and qiiantify
free gas by running MRIL as tlie pritnary openhole wireline
logging tool. The datn from tlie MRIL were analyzed Lit the
\\:cllsite and both the gasinil mil oiliwater contacts \ % w e
identified before thc logging tool was rigged down. The
datn ere processed in the time domain (Prammer et nl..
19'15) instead of the T, domain. as implied by the DSM.
since the umount of gas signal was too sm:i11 to be detected
in the T, dom:iin. Details from tlie first well, where the
rcsults from MRIL-only analysis are comparcd to coiiven-
tional wireline logs. c ' m be tixmcl iii Moore and Akktlrt
( 1W b ) .
Although the concepts disciissed here apply to N M R
log_riiig i n general. the reader is urged to generalize the
conclusions cstablished here with care since sonic of the
issues are application and/or harilwarc specific.
FORMATION PROPERTIES
Before the acquisition pnrameters Lire set, one must de-
terinine the fcasibility of tlie DSM application by cnsuring
that the eupected hydrocarbon-tilled porosity is large
enough. Going back to Equation ( I ). the foIlo\viiig relatioii
44 l ' h c Lug ..iniilpt
cati be written to highlight the coupling between the forma-
tion properties and tlie signal detected,
A+;) = 9,.
( 1 - S.,<,
) . H I . AU . (4)
where 0 , is total porosity and S,,, is flushed-zone Lvater
saturation. Ohviously, the signal detected decreases as the
product 0, . ( 1 S,,,) decreases, which limits the range of
~
app I i c nt i o 11 s .
I n a laminated snndishale sequence. :tssutning that tlie
clean sand porosity is constant, 9,iti Eqiiation ( 4 ) can bc
replaced by
(1, =(t ' ( N i G') , (5)
where $, is the porosity of 100% clean sand end-member,
and NiG is the net-to-gross ratio. If Equation ( 5 ) is used
instead, S,,,should also be adjiistecl to reflect the saturation
in the clean sand lamination. rather than that of the
snndishale mix. This substitution is possible because the
shale signal clecuys too fast lo be detccted by the MRIL and
the effective response is duc to the net sand contained in the
volume probed by the tool (Akkiirt. 1900). After all. ~ , I i ; i t
is needed for volumetric calculations is the porosity of the
.
iict sand ti ot i t s d i st r i b II t i o ti.
The Ibrination considered in this paper is ;i highly lami-
ii nt ed t ti rb id i t e re s ervo i r. Th i c kn c ss es n f tlie I ;1111i na t i o 11s
vary from millimeters to several centimelers. The clean
sand laiiiinatjons have porosities of approximately 38 p.11..
while the ( N i G )is typically ;ibout 5C)".;l.
The other formation variable ( 1 - S,,,) in Eqt1;iticm ( 4 ) is
much harder to estimate. Although one can estimate S,,, by
studying conventional logs. there is no guarantec that n n y
assumptions made will be valid because of the strong co11-
p I i ti g bet w ern th is pa ra iii eter arid i n vas i o 11.
The well presented in this paper w a s drilled with a11
oil-based m i i d (OBM') with an overbalance of about 1,500
psi. and i t was expected that gas would be flushed down to
residuul gas saturation. Therefore. based on field know-
edge of3O"o for residual gas saturation. s,,,w;is set to 70",,,.
rcsulting in
= + , ' ( N i C ) .( 1 - S , , , ) . (0)
= 28. 0 . 5 0 . 0.3.
= 4.2 p.11.
FLUID PROPERTIES
The next step is to understand two ofthe most important
reservoir fluid properties, HI and T1,).The properties of the
mud filtrate of an oil-based mud system should also be
studied. If Hf is too small (typically the case for shallow
~ i d i o rdepleted gas) o r TI,, I S such that there is iio T ,
contrast between the hydrocarbon and brine phases ( t o n
Nu\eiiibrr-Urccnibcr I996
 Selection of Optimal Acquisition Parameters for MRIL Logs

gravity/viscous oil), then a DSM application should not be

pursued. The reason is that the product HI will be too
small regardless of A a in the first case, and separation of
the pay from nonpay on the basis of T I will not be possible
in the second case.
If the hydrocarbon phase is gas, its NMR properties can
be obtained fiom charts published by Akkurt et al. (1995)
or from formulas derived by Prammer et al. ( 1 995) using
reservoir temperature and pressure. Both sources assume
the dominant component in the gas is methane.
If the hydrocarbon phase is oil, the best source of infor-
mation is laboratory measurements under reservoir condi- 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
tions. In the absence of laboratory data, the following Wait time ( 5 )
formula can be used to estimate the NMR properties of
reservoir crudes based on viscosity (Vinegar, 1995). Figure 1: Amount of polarization versus wait time for the
fluids listed in Table 1. While a wait time of 3 s almost fully
1.2T 1.3T
T=-
298q
,D,, = -.
298q
(7)
polarizes both the brine and the OBMF, the wait time required
for complete polarization of gas and oil is longer than 10 s.

where T , is the longitudinal-relaxation time in seconds, 11 is

the in-situ oil viscosity in centipoise, and T is the absolute
reservoir temperature in OK, a n d D,) is the diffusion
coefficient in x lo- cm/s. Care must be taken in the use of
these formulas since they are based on dead-oil
~~ieasurenients (Hardwick, personal communication, 1996).
For the well considered in this paper, the properties of
natural gas were obtained using the relations provided by
Prammer et al. ( 1995) for reservoir temperature and pres-
sure of 180F and 4,900 psi, respectively. Native oil prop-
erties were estimated using Equation (7) based on an in-situ
viscosity of 0.4 cp. The TI and T2 of the oil-based mud
filtrate (OBMF) were measured in the laboratory and ex-
I
trapolated to borehole temperature. Hydrogen index for all short wait time (s)
liquids was assumed to be unity. The estimates for brine
parameters were based on local experience. Table 1 summa- Figure 2: Apparent hydrocarbon porosity A& as a function
rizes the estimated NMR properties of the reservoir fluids of the short wait time while keeping the long wait time constant
prior to running the job. at 8 s. $s = 28 P.u., (NIG) = 0.50, and Sxo = 0.70. TI and HI
values for oil and gas are those given in TaFle 1. The short wait
time has to be about 1 s so that A+h > 1 p.u. for gas.
SELECTION OF WAIT TIMES Therefore, a 1-s wait time is the optimal choice for achieving
The last step of computing A$; for a DSM application the main objective of the logging program even if it may result
in incomplete polarization of the brine phase.
involves selecting the wait times. The long and short wait
times t,,,!and t,,, should be chosen such that the brine phase
is fully polarized by the short wait time f,,,s and the quantity
A a in Equation (2) is maximized. Unfortunately, these two
requirements sometimes conflict with each other and cotn-
Table 1: Estimated fluid properties.
plicate the selection process. Other factors such as logging
Fluid T , (ms) HI speed, antenna loading, etc. may also limit the choices.
Figure 1 shows [ 1 - e-ii,Tf),
the amount of polarization,
Gas 4.600 0.4 1
as a function of the wait time for all the fluids listed in Table
Native oil 3.715 1
1. It can be seen from Figure 1 that a wait time of 3 s yields
OBMF 1.O50 1
95% polarization for brine and the OBMF. On the other
Brine 1,000 1
hand, a wait time of 10 s results in 90% polarization for gas

Noveni her-Decernher 1996 The Log Analyst 45

 Akkurt et al.

and oil, and one has to use a much longer wait time for more
po 1ar iza t i on.
Wait times longer than 8 s are not Imctical because the
incrementnl gain i n polarization, which is in the order of
I0l0, comes at tlie cost of reduced logging speeds (dis-
cussed later). A practical choice for the long wait time t,,., is
s s.
Although it may appear from the xgtinient above that the
ideal wait-time pair is 3 and 8 s. it can be seen from Figure
2 that 3 s is not optimal for gas detection. Figure 3 is ;i
numerical simulation of Equation ( I ) and shows the appar-
ent hydrocnrbon porosity A+,' for gas and oil as a fitnction
ofthe short wait time while keeping the long wait time fixed
at 8 s. I t is clear from Figure 3 that A$,: for gas can be
doubled by lowering t,,., from 3 to 1 s. Therefore. the opti-
mal wait-time pair for gas detection is
t,,, = 1 s, f,,, = 8 s.
Even though this set of wait times enhances the possibil-
ity of Icaving brine signal in the differential spectrum,
incomplete polarization of brine becomes a secondary issue
when the main n1,jectivr of the logging progriim is the
speed, after ensuring the selected parameters will result i n
an adequate number of nieasuretiieiits per foot, is to consult
with a service representative who has access to speed
charts. The speed charts address all the issues related to
logging speed and are specific to different tool contigurii-
tions (outside diameter of the tool) and modes of operation
(number of frequencies utilized). Operational constraints
such ;is pipe-conveyed logging arid slowest winch speed
available must also be considered before setting the logging
speed.
DEPTH OF INVESTIGATION AND INVASION
Invasion is a complex phenomenon controlled by a large
number of variables that are mostly beyond the control of
the user. Despite this, MRIL offers the user the tlexibility
to minimize the effects of invasion by increasing the depth
(8) of investigation (DOI) of the tool by varying the operating
frequency.
I n dual-frequency mode. the MRIL excites two shells
that are a few niillinieters apart and are concentric with tlie
borehole axis. The shells operate ;it f'.+ Af and f , . - A f
kHz. where varies from 600 to 900 kHz and A f is on the
fk.

clctcction and quantification of gas.

order of several killohertz. The diameter of excitation ( i n
Thc solution for tiinximized gas detection while attaining
inches) is given by
i i t l l polarization for brine is outside the context of this paper
id is discussed in other publications.
for a 6-in.-diainctcr tool .
LOGGING SPEED
[It =
The M R l L acquisition system is time driven. An echo
for a 4.5-in.-diameter tool . (11)
train is generated at the end ofeach wait time. regardless of
the depth or tlie logging speed of the tool. For a given set o i
wait times. the sampling i n depth becomes more sparse as The relations in Equation ( 1 1 ) apply for rooni-teniperu-
tlie logging speed increases. In dual-frequency. dunl-wait- ture conditions and t l , is reduced at elevated temperatures.
timc mode, a complete set of nieasitrenients (echo trains The change i n t l , is about -10% when temperature is in-
acquired with t,,,,,and t,,,,) is effectively acquired every A / creased from 25C to 135C.
seconds : Thus, i t is possible to increase the depth of investigation
by decreasing the operating frequency, which results in
At = 4-
3
.
+ ( Np . ) (9) slightly reduced signal-to-noise ratio and logging speed.
The first well in the program was logged with a tool
\\..liere NLJis the number of echocs collected and Tt>is the operating at 750 kHz. After analyzing the results, it was
I ti terecho time. If N is the req it ired nuniber of measurements
decided that a tool operating at 600 kHz would be preferred
pcr foot and u the logging speed, then the following because of its greater depth of investigation. A comparison
ineq iial I ty must be met: of the DO1 as a function of frequency is given in Table 2 .

For the I - and 8-s wait time combination. with Tr = 1 .2

tiis and Nc = 400, the logging speed niust be less than 6 Table 2: Frequency versus DOI.
i't/mIn to guarantee t n o measurements per foot. The aver- Frequency DO1 Gradient Teniperature Bit size
ngc logging speed for the log presented in this paper is 5.5 (kHzl (in.) (Gicin) (OF) (111.)
ft/niin (330 ft/hr). For further details of dual-frequency,
dual-wait-time acquisition, see Pramnier et al. ( 1995). 600 3.0 13.45 180 10 518
I n addition to wait time, a multitude offactors affects the 750 3.0 18.8 180 10 51s
logging speed. The best approach to determining logging

56 The Log Analyst Novrmbcr-December 1996

 Selection of Optimal Acquisition Parametersfor MRIL Logs

Depth of investigation is defined as The effect of increased depth of investigation can be seen
d, - bS in Figure 3. The DO1 is 2 in. for the log on the left and
DOI = - (12) approximately 3 in. for the log on the right. Although the
2
porosities are comparable, more gas is detected when the
where bs is the bit size.
DO1 is 3 in. The average gas saturation computed from

GR LWD Res. PHlE GR LWD Res. PHlE

I
I
1
I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I
I I

2030 15 0 20 120 0.2 20 30 15 0

Figure 3: Gas detection as a function of depth of investigation. The first set of logs on the left was acquired with a 750-kHz
tool where the DO1 was approximately 2 in. The MRlL effective porosity is broken into its fluid components in track 3 (G for gas,
0 for OBMF, B for brine). Logs from a comparable zone from the well studied in this paper are shown on the right. The operating
frequency for the MRlL log in this case is 600 kHz and the DO1 is approximately 3 in. The deeper DO1 has resulted in detection
of more gas.

November-December 1996 The Log Analyst 47

 Akkurt et al.

MRIL is significantly higher in the second case. All the Table 3: Transverse relaxation times.
formation and drilling parameters (such as depth, mud type,
mud fluid loss, drilling rate, temperature, overbalance, po- Fluid T2 (ms)
rosity, N G ) are almost identical. The only difference be- Gas 60
tween the two logs is the depth of investigation.
Native oil > 1000
Tz CONTRAST OBMF 700
Brine < 500
There must be sufficient T2contrast between the gaseous
and liquid phases in the differential spectrum so that hydro-
carbon typing can be done unambiguously. Although this
requirement is usually satisfied in most applications, it is there is a good chance that the gas signal may be inter-
still recommended practice to estimate the T2values before preted as oil because of the long T2values. Highly pres-
deciding on an application. sured reservoirs logged with short interecho times are
There are three relaxation mechanisms that contribute to candidates for this complication.
transverse relaxation: If the T2 of gas can not be adjusted to be within a
reasonable range by varying either the operating frequency
_1 ---+-+-,
1 1 1 or the interecho time, the application should be deemed an
& G B T2S G D inappropriate DSM candidate.
The transverse relaxation times for the fluids listed in
where the subscripts B, S, D refer to bulk, surface, and Table 1 are given in Table 3. The interecho time is 1.2 ms.
diffusiye relaxation, respectively. The diffusive component The sources for the estimates are identical to those of Tl and
of transverse relaxation time is given by HI. One can see that there is good separation between the
1L gas and liquid phases (oil or OBMF).
GD =
-
(y G. Te)2.D INCOMPLETE POLARIZATION OF BRINE
where D is the diffusion coefficient, and G is the magnetic Figure 4 shows the amount of polarization as a hnction
field gradient. The magnetic field gradient of the MRIL of T2 for a water-wet rock when the wait time is I s. It is
depends on the operating frequency f, and the diameter of assumed in this figure that the Tl/T2ratio for the brine phase
excitation d,: is 1.5 (Kleinberg et al., 1993). It can be seen from Figure 4
that polarization is in excess of 95% for T2 I 250 ms, while
G = 0.37-,f,
(15) loss in polarization may be as much as 25% for a T2 com-
de ponent of 500 ms.
where G is in gausshentimeter, f ,is in killohertz, and d, is If the formation is 100% wet and the T2 distribution
in inches. The range of G is 15 to 25 gauss/cm for a
6-in.-diameter tool operating at 750 kHz.
Diffusion is the dominant transverse relaxation mecha-
nism for gas and results in short T2 values, typically in the
30- to 60-ms range. This is mostly due to the high diffusion
coefficient of gas as well as the large G of the MRIL. Given
that the formation is water wet, bulk relaxation is the domi-
nant mechanism for oil. The transverse relaxation times for
oil are in the order of several hundred milliseconds, pro-
vided the Tl of the oil is also long. Therefore, there is
usually sufficient T2 contrast between the gaseous and liq-
uid phases. Nevertheless, there are two cases when one
must be careful:
0 If D is high, and/or Te is long, T,, for gas may be very
short and robust gas detection may be problematic. This
is typically the case for shallow gas reservoirs where Figure 4: Effects of incomplete brine polarization. The wait
pressures are low. time is 1 s and the TilT2 ratio is assumed to be 1.5.
0 If D is low, and/or Te is short, T2Dfor gas may be very Polarizationis in excess of 95% for T2 I 250 ms, while it is less
long. Although gas detection is not an issue in this case, than 75% at 500 ms.

48 The Log Analyst November-December 1996

 Selection of Optimal Acquisition Parameters for MFUL Logs
I
0
I , ' I
200
t
62
a
0
1
.. .
100
. . ~ . ~
Tirne(rns)
0 200 1 100
Tirnetrns) T2 trns)
Figure 5: Line Broadening due to noise: (a)noiseless 32 m s
decay, (b)Tz distribution for noiseless data, (c) noisy 32 m s
decay, (d) T2 distribution of noisy data. Note that t h e
distribution is smeared and blurred in (d) because of the noise.
contains components that are longer than 250 nis, one may
mistakenly interpret the signal in the differential spectrum
as oil. Also, if the formation is partially saturated with oil,
all the signal in the differential spectrum may be mistakenly
interpreted as oil. resulting in unrealistically low values of
s,,,.
SIGNAL PROCESSING
The differential spectrum method. by definition, implies
interpretation in the T2 domain. The echo trains are first
converted into T, distributions by inversion and subtracted
from one another.
The data acquired always contain noise, which results i n
line-broadening as shown in Figure 5. The echo train in
Figure 5a contains a noiseless signal decaying at 32 Ins.
The associated T, distribution is shown in Figure 5b. All the
energy in Figure 5b is concentrated around 32 ms.
The echo train in Figure 5c is identical to that in Figure
5a except that it contains noise. The additive noise is zero-
mean Gaussian. Its T, distribution is shown in Figure 5d.
Because of line-broadening. the energy in the T. distribu-
tion of Figure 5d is not focused anymore. The signal is
smeared into the adjacent bins and the distribution is
blurred.
The effects of line-broadening can be severe when A$;
is small. The signal may be smeared unequally into ad-jacent
bins and the differential spectrum may appear to contain no
hydrocarbon signal. In some cases, the differential spec-
trum may even contain negative energy, which is a theoreti-
cal impossibility.
Figure 6 illustrates the problem by using real data from
the well considered in this paper. The zone analyzed in this
tigure contains gas decaying at 60 ins and OBMF decaying
Novem her-Decem ber 1996
10000
Time Time Time
10000
'r
- (f)
nP
N
-
I-
0
T2 T2 T2
Figure 6: Time-domain versus Tz domain processing: (a)
echo train from the 8-s wait time measurement, (b) echo train
from the I-s wait time measurement, (c) difference of the echo
trains, (d)Tz distribution of the 8-s wait time measurement, (e)
T2 distribution of the I-s wait time measurement (b), (f) the
differential spectrum. Although gas is very hard to identify in
(f), t h e sharp decay resulting from gas is obvious in (c).
at 375 nis. The signals from 8- and 1-s wait time nieasure-
nients are shown in the lefttnost and middle echo trains in
the top row, respectively. Each echo train is actually the
stack of data contained within a 1 0 3 window. A 10-ft win-
dow has been chosen here for display purposes only. Typical
window sizes for actual time-domain processing is about 4 ft.
The T, distribution associated with these echo trains is shown
immediately below them. The differential spectnirn is shown
on the right. The OBMF dominates the differential spectnitn
and there is no clear evidence of gas.
The echo train on the right in the top row provides the
hint for the solution of this problem. This echo train is the
difference of the two echo trains shown to its left. One can
clearly see the short decaying signal from gas and the long
decaying signal from OBMF. A detailed description of the
principles that form the basis of time-domain processing
can be found in Pranimer et al. (1995).
Since TI domain signal processing in the first well
logged yielded unsatisfactory results, it was decided to
switch to time-domain processing and the results shown in
the next section have been obtained in the time-domain. A
The Log Analyst 49

detailed coinparison of time versus T, domain processing
from the first well in the program can be foiuid i n Muore
and Akkurt ( 1996).
INTERPRETATION
The logging program for this \\..ell consisted of LWD
ganima-ray, resistivity, and neutron logs. MRIL \vas the
only wireline log in the program. A formation tester \vas
kept at standby for the case of inconclusive results from the
MRIL. Tlie data from MRlL \\:ere processed at tlie well-site
and interpretation w i s completed bttt'ore tlie tool was rigged
down. The forniatioii tester was Ihen rtin only to establish
i~eservoi r pressures,
Tlic LWD gainmu-ray and resistivity logs are shown i n
the lirst t\vo tracks i n Figure 7. Effective porosity from
M R I L. ob t ii i tied from t i ni e-do mui ii nnul y sis. is shown in the
third track. l h e gasioil and oiliwater contacts identiiicd by
MRIL are also shown in Figure 7.
rence plot in Figure 7a is representative of
the signal i n the gas-bearing zone. There are two fluids i n
Figure 7;i. a short decay from gas and ;i longer decay from
the OBMF. Although the T, for gas is 60 ins ;is expected,
tlie T, o f t h e OBMF, which is iiboiit 375 nis. is much shorter
tlinn espected. This is not a suprise since the OBMF con-
tains gas dissolved i n solution (1. F r e e i i i ~ i ,personal com-
munication, 1996) and dissolved gas lowers the viscosity of
the OBMF. which in turn increases the diffiision coefficient
:II 1d sti o r t e n s the apparen t T, .
Figim 7b is a stacked echo difference plot from tlie oil
leg. I.lnlike Ilie gas-bearing zone. there is only one fluid in
tlic oil leg. The decay time ofthe fluid is in tlie order of250
ins. shorter than tlie O B M F and much shorter than what was
cspccted from tlie criide oil. The csact reason for the shorter
than expected T, in the oil leg is still under investigation.
Dissolved gas i n the OBMF and changes in wettability are
t\vo of the possibilities being considered.
.An echo-difference plot froiii the wet zone is shown in
Figure 7 c . Again. the decay in this zone i s iini-exponeiitinl;
i.c.. tlierc is only cine tluid. Howc\,er. unlike tlie oil leg, tlie
decay time is much longer. The T, in Figure 7 c is in excess
01' 5 0 0 nis. This signal origiiiates from the OBMF. sup-
porled by the presence of an invasion profile i i i the LWD
resistivity logs. The T, o f tlie O B M F in this zone is longer
cotiip;ired to the other zones because the OBMF contains
much Icss dissolved gas.
CONCLUSIONS
The single-valuccl mugnutic field gradient and deeper
depth-of-investigation of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Logging tool ( M R I L )allo\v direct typing and quantification
of hydrocarbons in the near-borehole region by exploiting
I 11 c i r re I;I s;I t i u t i and d i ifu s i o ti p ropert i cs . G i ve ti the c o ti117 I e Y
50
.Akkurt el al.
array of factors that influence the NMR tiie;isurciiietit und
the variety of the answer products available, job screening
and acquisition parameter selection are of critical impor-
tance for robust and reliable interpretation.
The flexibility provided by the design of the MRIL (such
as choice of operating frequency, range of wait times avail-
able. etc.) provides the user with choices that expand tlic
range o f applications to cases where the objectives sotiglit
may initially appear tinacliievable. Close cooperation be-
tween the client and tlie service company that results in
well-defined formation evaluation objectives and optimnl
acquisition parameters is often the key to sticcess.
Altliottgli tlie emphasis here is i n acquisition, i t is clelir
there ;ire choices to be made i n processing and interpret:i-
tion. For example. time-domain processing is preferred
c) ver con ve 11 t i n tia I 'r, do m ; i n processing , 1x1r t i c ti 1:I r I y in
i
npp 1 i c a t i o ti s i ti vol v i ii g tli e detect i oti a t i d qua tit i tic:) t i oti c) f
gas.
Tlie focus of this paper is on DSM because of its wiclc
acceptance and ease o f implenietit,?tioii. The DSM exploits
tlie T , contrast of the reservoir fluids and the reader should
not forget that exploitation o f the diffusion properties p r ~ ) -
vides a wealth of information that may be unique as well ;IS
c.oiiiplementary to that available from DSM. As a result o f
the advances being made in the ;ireas of hardu.are and
interpretation. i t is not unreascinable to speculatc that tlic
i nd 11stry is ready for itlea sure me ti t s t hnt s i 111ii 1 t a i i e 11~s I y
exploit the relaxation and diffusion properties of resenjoir
flu ids.
.A CK N OW L ED G EM EN TS
The :iuthurs thatik the tii:inagenlcnt of Shell C)ffshure Inc. rind
Murphy Oil for tlie irelease ofthe clata. as \veil ;is NLJMAK empluy-
ccs Charlie Siess iind S t e w Sark for their active invulwmcnt.
REFERENCES
Akkiirt. R.. 1900. Effccts ufmotiun in pulsed NMR lugging. PhD
thesis: Colorado Scliuol uf hlincs.
Akkurt. K.. Vincgor. H. J.. Tutunjian. P. N.. and Gitillory. A. .I.
1995. N M R logging of natural gas reservuirs. paper N. iu 3htli
Annual Logging Sympositiiii Transactioiis: Society of Prufes-
sional Well Lug .Analysts.
Chandler. R. N.. Drrick. E. 0.. Miller. M .N..and Praniiiier. M.(3,.
1994. Inipro\/ed log quality with a tlual-frccluency pulsed N M R
tool. SPE-28365: Society of Petroleum Engineers. prtlsented at
the 69th Annual Tcchnical Conference a i c 1 Esliihition.
Klcinberg. R. L.. Straley. C.. Kenyon, \V. E.. Akhutt. K.. a1111
Farooqui, S. A.. 1 YQ3. Nuclear inagnetic resonance o f r o c k s : T ,
vs T,. SPE-2b370: Society o f Petroleum Engineers. prcscnted
a t the 68th Anntial Technical Conferencc and Eshibitioti.
Miller, M. N., Palticl, Z., Gillen. M. E.. Ciranot. J., nnd Hutiton. .I.
C.. 1 9W. Spin eclio ningnctic resonance logging: porosity :lncl
ticc fluid index detemiinatiun. SPE-105(;1: Suclety of Pctru-
The Log Analjst No\ ember-December 1996
 Selection of Optimal Acquisition Parameters for MRIL Logs

GR LWD Res. PHIE

I
I
I
I
Gas zone
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
1
I
rot1 00 I
I
I
I

!
I time
!
I
I
I
I
I
I Oil zone
d o 0 I
I
I
I
I

I
I
I
I
I
I
1
I
I I
lot300 1
I time

Wet zone

lot400

time

20 120 0.2 20 30 15 0

Figure 7 : LWD gamma ray and resistivity in tracks 1 and 2; PHIE from MRIL broken into gas, oil, and brine components in
track 3. Echo difference plots: (a) gas zone, (b) oil zone, (c) wet zone.

November-December 1996 The Log Analyst 51

 Akkurt et al.
leum Engineers, presented at the 65th Annual Technical Con-
ference and Exhibition.
Moore, M. A. and Akkurt, R., 1996, Nuclear magnetic resonance
applied to gas detection in a highly-laminated Gulf of Mexico
turbidite invaded with synthetic oil filtrate, SPE-3652 1: Soci-
ety of Petroleum Engineers, to be presented at 71st Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition.
Prammer, M. G., Mardon, D., Coates G . R., and Miller, M. N.,
1995, Lithology-independent gas detection by gradient-NMR
logging, SPE-30562: Society of Petroleum Engineers, pre-
sented at the 69th Annual Technical conference and Exhibi-
tion.
Vinegar, H. J., 1995, Short course notes, SPWLA short course on
NMR: Society of Professional Well Log Analysts, Houston,
Texas.
52 The Log Analyst
ABOUT THE AUTHaRS
Ridvan Akkurt is a senior research scientist with NUMAR in
New Orleans. Prior to NUMAR, Ridvan worked for Shell Offshore
Inc. as a geophysicist, for Schlumberger in Africa as a wireline
field engineer and later in the US in research, and also for GSI in
the Middle East as a field seismologist. He has a BS in electrical
engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a
PhD in geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Akkurt
is a member of SPWLA.
Manfred G. Prammer received the Diplom-Ingenieur degree
in electrical engineering and a PhD in the technological sciences
from the University of Technology, Vienna, Austria, in 1982.
From 1980 to 1985 he held research positions with Siemens A.G.
and from 1987 to 1991 he was assistant professor at the University
of Pennsylvania. His research interests include image and signal
processing; MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and super-
'
computer applications. Dr. Prammer joined NUMAR Corp. in
1991, where he currently serves as vice president, Research.
M. Andrei Moore is a senior petrophysical engineer working
in the Deepwater Division of Shell Offshore Inc. (SOI). His current
role includes rock and fluid properties predictiodseismic calibra-
tion for the maturation of prospects and formation evaluation
planning and execution in deep water of Gulf of Mexico explora-
tion and development wells. Prior to joining SO1 in 1990, he
worked in the tertiary recovery steam floods of the southern San
Joaquin Valley in California for Shell Western Exploration and
Production Inc. Andrei has a degree in physics from the State
University of New York College at Potsdam. He is a member of
SPE and SPWLA.
November-December 1996