Western Gas Sands Project: Los Alamos NMR Well Logging Tool Development. Progress Report. Final Report

摘要

This document is the final report on the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Well Logging Tool Development Program, part of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Western Gas Sands Project, most recently supported through DOE's Morgantown Energy Technology Center. The report covers the entire progress of the program from initial conception of the technique in 1978 to field testing of a prototype tool and contract termination in mid-1983. First, a theoretical development of the concept of a remotely-produced region of homogeneous magnetic field is presented, with its verification through laboratory measurements. The results provided confirmation of the concept and estimates of performance of a full-scale tool. A discussion of laboratory experiments undertaken to characterize the NMR response of saturated porous media is then given. The detailed results, presented in Appendix A, describe the limits of applicability of the NMR relaxation data acquired from the new logging tool. The development of the prototype downhole tool is then described, including magnet performance, development of NMR signal processing electronics, and an automated data acquisition system designed for use in downhole testing. Described next is the first downhole test of the prototype tool carried out in May 1983. The raw data acquired from this test, preliminary analysis, and a discussion of the result are then presented. Finally, preparations for extending the performance of the NMR logging tool by using superconducting magnets are described. A description of cryogenic equipment required for construction and testing of a laboratory mockup superconducting tool and initial performance data are given in detail. A summary of the project results and a discussion of potential improvements and inherent limitations of the technique complete the report. 14 references, 78 figures, 4 tables. (ERA citation 10:023492)