Oxford Instruments, supplier of Magnetic Resonance solutions for core analysis laboratories in the oil and gas industries, reports on the work of Professor Carl Sondergeld and his students from the Mewbourne School of Petroleum & Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma.
The Mewbourne School of Petroleum & Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma is regarded as a leading petroleum industry research institution. It has developed a strong tradition in teaching, research and service which are regarded as inseparable components of the academic goal.
Carl Sondergeld (Professor and Curtis Mewbourne Chair) has used Oxford Instruments NMR spectrometers in his laboratories for a number of years. He has recently added two new GeoSpec systems bringing the number of instruments in the labs to nine.
Describing their use, Professor Sondergeld says “they are accurate and robust and have been integrated into our Petroleum Engineering curriculum within a Reservoir Rock Properties laboratory course. One of the laboratory experiments our students perform is the measurement of porosity, bound and free water on core samples using NMR. They also evaluate the NMR based permeability predictions with actual measurements. In addition, these instruments are used by both undergraduate and graduate students to do research on the petrophysical properties of reservoir rock and, more recently, unconventional shale reservoirs. Our growing enrolment required more instruments.”
Oxford Instruments' GeoSpec system.
Continuing, he described how they evaluated their options for new instrumentation. “We evaluated a number of vendors and settled on the GeoSpec instruments for three reasons: 1) compatibility with existing instruments, 2) reliability and robustness and 3) shorter tau capabilities. Furthermore, the Green Imaging Technologies software unified the instrument interfaces and made the experiments easier for inexperienced students. The shorter tau capabilities were something we needed for our shale research. Last year, we had over 180 students using these machines and, in 2013, we will have over 275.
Our students use conventional analysis techniques to measure petrophysical properties but part of our challenge is to introduce them to new and beneficial technologies such as NMR so that when they go out into the industry then can request and use the technology. From a research perspective, we have been successfully using NMR on shales to evaluate pore size distributions, where fluids go and wettability. NMR is shedding new light on shales and is being recognized as a tool for shale wettability and porosity measurements.
Additionally, the short tau capabilities will allow us to explore and quantify the porosity contributions from nanometer-size pores. We look forward to accessing new NMR technologies and software through a continuing cooperative agreement with Green Imaging Technologies and Oxford Instruments.
Support is also critical to such a comprehensive program. Professor Sondergeld says “It has been incredibly refreshing to deal with Dr. Derrick Green and Mark Mackenzie from Green Imaging Technologies. Derrick's knowledge, openness and cooperation have been unequalled in any dealing I have had with instrument companies. We are working with Derrick to debug and augment some existing and needed software capabilities. We see tremendous benefit in continuing and increasing our interactions with Green Imaging and in particular with Dr. Green and I hope they feel the same.”
About Oxford Instruments
Oxford Instruments designs, supplies and supports high-technology tools and systems with a focus on research and industrial applications. It provides solutions needed to advance fundamental physics research and its transfer into commercial nanotechnology applications. Innovation has been the driving force behind Oxford Instruments’ growth and success for over 50 years, and its strategy is to effect the successful commercialisation of these ideas by bringing them to market in a timely and customer-focused fashion.
The first technology business to be spun out from Oxford University over fifty years ago, Oxford Instruments is now a global company with over 1900 staff worldwide and is listed on the FTSE250 index of the London Stock Exchange (OXIG). Its objective is to be the leading provider of new generation tools and systems for the research and industrial sectors.
This involves the combination of core technologies in areas such as low temperature, high magnetic field and ultra-high vacuum environments, Nuclear and Electron Magnetic Resonance, X-ray, electron and optical based metrology, and advanced growth, deposition and etching.
Oxford Instruments aims to pursue responsible development and deeper understanding of our world through science and technology. Its products, expertise, and ideas address global issues such as energy, environment, security and health.
About Green Imaging Technologies
Green Imaging Technologies (GIT) is committed to providing innovative solutions for lab-based analysis of rock core via Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). GIT’s products and services offer fast, accurate, non-destructive analysis of rock core samples used by the oil and gas industry in exploration and reservoir characterization.
Beginning with a patented capillary pressure measurement technique in 2005, GIT has the goal of making NMR core analysis more accessible and expanding the analysis that can be done with NMR. GIT's product offerings have evolved and expanded to include a full suite of routine and advanced core analysis tools. A culture of continual innovation has driven the company to be the industry leader in NMR core analysis.
Green Imaging Technologies also offer commercial testing services which allow clients to take advantage of a unique suite of non-destructive testing protocols without setting up their own lab. The GIT team are experts in NMR rock core analysis ensuring clients get the best data possible from their core. Visit http://www.greenimaging.com for more information on GIT's products and services.