Determination of surface relaxivity for tight sandstone cores based on T2 cut-off value

Abstract

The surface relaxivity for tight cores is commonly determined by the methods of average pore radius (ARS) or surface-to-volume ratio (SVR). The ARS method is time-consuming, and permanent damage to core samples will occur due to the injection of mercury. In this study, a non-destructive method is proposed, instead of the ARS method, to calculate the surface relaxivity of tight core samples based on T2 cut-off value. Firstly, surface relaxivity is calculated using the new method (pseudo T2 cut-off, PTC). Secondly, the calculated surface relaxivity of ARS and SVR methods are compared. Thirdly, the T2 spectrum is converted into pore diameter distribution by choosing appropriate surface relaxivity. Finally, residual oil distribution can be obtained. The ultimate surface relaxivity values for tight sandstone core samples are 5.85, 2.98, 4.66, and 2.17 μm/s. Moreover, we obtained the pore diameter distribution in mesopores and macropores by jointly using these three methods. Residual oil is mainly distributed in micropores and mesopores. The new method proposed in this study is nondestructive and is helpful to quickly and efficiently determine the surface relaxivity of tight cores.

Keywords

• t2 cut-off value
• nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr)
• pore diameter distribution
• surface relaxivity
• tight cores