Frontier Application | Professional Empowerment for Oilfield Development: Outstanding Performance of Portable NMR in Field Operations

Published on: 2025-02-18 10:19

Portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis technology for oilfield sites has emerged as a major breakthrough in oil and gas exploration in recent years. Traditional NMR instruments rely on lab-based conditions, are bulky, and complex to operate—making them unsuitable for real-time field data acquisition. As resource development moves into more complex formations, the need for accurate, on-site reservoir characterisation—such as porosity, permeability, and fluid saturation—has become increasingly urgent. This has led to the rise of compact, field-deployable NMR systems.

The value of this technology lies in three key areas: First, on-site real-time analysis enables fast reservoir assessment, guiding drilling, fracturing, and other operations without delays caused by lab testing. Second, its non-invasive nature preserves core integrity, offering significant advantages in unconventional reservoirs such as shale oil and tight gas. Third, its integrated design is rugged and suitable for harsh field environments—deserts, offshore, and mountainous regions—significantly improving operational efficiency. Today, portable NMR has become a critical part of intelligent oilfield development, supporting a shift toward more efficient and low-carbon operations. Below are representative application scenarios and value highlights:

1. Rapid Evaluation of Reservoir Rocks

Scenario: Real-time analysis of cores, cuttings, or sidewall samples during drilling.

Function: Measures key reservoir parameters such as porosity, permeability, fluid saturation (oil/gas/water ratio), and movable fluid content.

Advantage: Replaces time-consuming lab analyses, enabling quick evaluation of reservoir quality and guiding optimisation of completion designs. For example, real-time trajectory adjustment during horizontal drilling to avoid low-permeability zones.

2. Monitoring of Drilling and Completion Fluids

Scenario: On-site testing of drilling fluids, fracturing fluids, or injected chemicals.

Function: Evaluates fluid viscosity, oil/water ratio, emulsion stability, and detects degradation of additives such as polymers.

Advantage: Enables dynamic fluid formulation optimisation, helps prevent wellbore instability and reservoir damage, and reduces chemical waste.

3. Fracture Network and Pore Structure Analysis

Scenario: Post-fracture evaluation of unconventional reservoirs such as shale and tight sandstone.

Function: Quantifies fracture aperture, connectivity, and matrix pore structure to identify effective flow channels.

Advantage: Supports optimisation of fracturing parameters like cluster spacing and proppant volume, ultimately enhancing single-well production.

4. Re-Evaluation of Mature Wells

Scenario: Diagnostics for shut-in or low-productivity wells.

Function: Identifies changes in reservoir properties (e.g., pore blockage, wettability shifts) and locates untapped oil zones.

Advantage: Supports sidetracking, re-fracturing, or injection-production adjustments, extending the economic life of mature fields.

The following showcases a field case study using Niumag’s portable NMR system on a wellsite:

In this well, the target formation is a low-porosity, low-permeability sandy conglomerate, dominated by micropores with some mesopore development. Based on the 2D NMR relaxation map, a clear movable oil signal was identified. Combined analysis confirmed this interval as an oil-bearing zone.

Niumag’s portable NMR analyser supports samples up to 1.5 inches in diameter and is highly recognised for its robust stability and excellent repeatability. It essentially brings lab-grade NMR into the field—ideal for flexible, mobile use inside logging trucks by individuals or small teams. It greatly improves turnaround time for reservoir data acquisition and boosts field operational efficiency.

While continuing to improve hardware performance, Niumag also focuses on intelligent software development. The system supports automated testing for different core states at the wellsite, smartly integrates multi-mode results, and instantly generates industry-standard reports—freeing oilfield engineers from tedious data handling.