Method of characterizing hydrocarbon reservoir fractures in situ with artificially enhanced magnetic anisotropy
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorMohammed S. Ameen
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Abstract
Reservoir fractures are characterized directly in situ without need to acquire and analyze formation sample cores. A magnetic fluid is injected into an isolated section of the reservoir. The magnitude and directional properties of the enhanced magnetic susceptibility in the section where magnetic fluid injection occurs is measured with a down hole magnetometer. Logs obtained of the enhanced magnetic susceptibility are analyzed to characterize fractures, and petrophysical properties of interest, such as porosity, permeability, and permeability anisotropy of the formation in the vicinity of the fluid injection.
Claims23
A method of analyzing a subsurface hydrocarbon reservoir of interest to characterize fractures in formation rock in the reservoir, comprising the steps of:
- isolating a formation test section adjacent a borehole in the reservoir from fluid flow from other portions of the reservoir;
- determining a base magnetic parameter of the formation test section;
- injecting a magnetic fluid into the formation test section to enhance the magnetic parameters of the formation test section;
- determining an enhanced magnetic parameter of the formation test section with the injected magnetic fluid;
- determining from the base magnetic parameter and the enhanced magnetic parameter a characterization of fractures in the subsurface hydrocarbon reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.