Novel low-field NMR method for characterization content and SARA composition of bitumen in rocks

Abstract

In the oil industry, there is a need for fast and non-invasive methods for determining the bitumen content and group composition in rock samples. Determination of bitumen saturation of reservoir or source rocks has some difficulties due to existing methods limitations. For this purpose, the novel method is based on a combination of free induction decay (FID) and modified Carr-Purcell-Meilboom-Gill (CPMG) measurements using a low-frequency nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation technique was developed. It allows obtaining the content and group composition (SARA fractions) of bitumen directly in the porous media without extraction. FID data fitting based on a combination of Voigt and exponential functions for liquid phase, as well as Abragam and exponential functions for solid phase components respectively was proposed. The developed method was tested on 20 rock samples collected from the productive formation (horizon M) located at the depth of 601–708 m of the wellbore 3001 of the Boca de Jaruco oilfield (Republic of Cuba). The bitumen content in the samples was obtained and compared with data determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Rock-Eval pyrolysis. A good agreement of NMR results with TGA and pyrolysis was shown (R2 = 0.99 and 0.97 respectively). The values of liquid HC components (saturates, aromatics and resins) and solid HC components (asphaltenes) were compared with TGA data (R2 = 0.97 and 0.98 respectively). Finally, the proposed NMR method was applied to determine the SARA composition of the bitumen in the samples. To assess the accuracy of determining the SARA composition by the NMR method, SARA analysis (ASTM D4124-09) of extracts from the samples 632, 638, 658, 676, 689, 708 was carried out. NMR and conventional SARA analysis showed close results. To assess the completeness of the bitumen extraction from the mineral matrix, microCT and FIB-SEM were performed before and after extraction. It was found that after extraction the part of the bitumen remains in the pores, which distorts the results of SARA analysis. The proposed NMR method can be used to calculate the bitumen saturation and SARA composition for characterization of bitumen, selecting and modeling the effectiveness of applying the optimal EOR without destroying the samples. Also, the method is promising for the operational control of technological processes of oil production.