Determination of In Situ Wettability Using Wavelet Analysis and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Log Data

Abstract

Knowledge of reservoir rock wettability is crucial for the understanding of fluid displacement mechanisms and for adopting feasible solutions to enhance oil recovery. Highly sensitive to the strength of fluid–rock interactions, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements are a well-suited candidate for in situ wettability determination. Changes in correlation coefficients between NMR porosity $$\left( {\phi_{\rm NMR} } \right)$$ and transverse relaxation time $$\left( {T_{2} } \right)$$ can be used as a diagnostic parameter to determine in situ wettability. This paper aimed to take advantage of this promising feature to specify the downhole wettability of an oil well running through two carbonate reservoirs. In this regard, the correlation coefficient between $$\phi_{\rm NMR}$$ and $$T_{2}$$ was first computed at each depth. As a superior technique in analyzing nonstationary signals, the wavelet transform was then applied to the correlation coefficient log to remove shale content. Finally, the wavelet transform was re-applied to the modified correlation coefficient log to derive the detail coefficients. Scrutiny of the detail coefficients revealed a strong correlation with experimental wettability results. The results obtained from this investigation indicated that positive detail coefficients are associated with water-wet, and negative ones with oil-wet media.