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AssigneeParaMagnetic Logging, Inc.
InventorWilliam B. Vail, III
Estimating the term…
A new method and apparatus is described which allows remote sensing and in-situ volumetric measurement of liquid petroleum reserves. A small fraction of the nuclear magnetic moments of protons in a liquid oil reserve align in the earth's magnetic field. This nuclear paramagnetism slightly alters the strength of the earth's static magnetic field above the oil reservoir. The size of the paramagnetic contribution to the earth's magnetic field is proportional to the volume of the petroleum reserve. An artificial A.C. magnetic field is applied to the bulk oil reserve at the Larmor frequency. This A.C. magnetic field causes the condition appropriate for nuclear magnetic resonance which under certain circumstances, causes the paramagnetic contribution to the earth's magnetic field to vanish. Different phenomena causing this paramagnetic contribution to vanish include saturation effects and the conditions described by rapid passage. Under these circumstances, frequency sweeping the A.C. magnetic field through magnetic resonance while simultaneously measuring the variation earth's magnetic field yields a direct measure of the total volume of the oil reserve. Numerous means are utilized to produce the appropriate A.C. magnetic field including simply passing an A.C. current through the oil formation between two boreholes. In this case, a sensitive induction magnetometer senses the change in the earth's magnetic field as the A.C. current is frequency swept through resonance. Methods are disclosed which also allow the determination of some characteristic dimensions of the oil deposit. Appropriate measurement of the relaxation of the earth's magnetic field after passage through resonance yields the oil/water ratio under certain circumstances.
The apparatus for remote detection and volumetric measurement of a petroleum reservoir which comprises:
The method for remote detection and volumetric measurement of a petroleum reservoir which comprises the steps of:
The apparatus for remote detection and volumetric measurement of at least a portion of a petroleum reservoir in a formation which comprises:
The method for remote detection and volumetric measurement of a petroleum reservoir in a formation which comprises the steps of applying an A.C. magnetic field to a portion of the formation at a frequency substantially equal to the Larmor frequency of the nucleons within formation thereby placing a significant portion of any petroleum reservoir in the formation into a state of nuclear magnetic resonance which therefore causes a change in the paramagnetism of the formation thereby resulting in a change in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the petroleum reservoir and simultaneously measuring the resulting change in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the formation to provide an indication of the presence of a petroleum reservoir in the formation and the quantity of oil present.
The apparatus of the remote detection and volumetric measurement of at least a portion of a petroleum reservoir which comprises a means of sweeping a portion of a petroleum reservoir through a state of nuclear magnetic resonance in a duration of time which is less than the longitudinal relaxation times of fluids in formation thereby substantially disturbing the paramagnetism of that portion of the reservoir placed into the condition of nuclear magnetic resonance thereby causing a change in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the reservoir and simultaneously measuring the resulting change in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the petroleum reservoir to indicate the presence or absence of petroleum in formation and the quantity of oil present.
The method for the remote detection and volumetric measurement of at least a portion of a petroleum reservoir which comprises the steps of sweeping a portion of a petroleum reservoir through a state of nuclear magnetic resonance in a duration of time which is less than the longitudinal relaxation times of the fluids in formation thereby substantially disturbing the paramagnetism of that portion of the reservoir placed into the condition of nuclear magnetic resonance thereby causing a change in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the reservoir and simultaneously measuring the resulting change in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the petroleum reservoir to indicate the presence or absence of petroleum and the quantity of oil present.
The apparatus for remote detection and volumetric measurement of a petroleum reservoir in a formation which comprises a means for placing a significant portion of a petroleum reservoir in the formation into a state of saturation and a means for simultaneously measuring the resulting variation in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of the formation.
A method of detecting the presence of petroleum reserves in a formation which comprises the steps of:
Apparatus for the remote detection of unknown petroleum reservoirs and volumetric measurement of petroleum reserves in a formation comprising means for generating and applying an A.C. magnetic field to a portion of the formation at frequencies near and including the Larmor frequency of the nucleons within any petroleum present at an angle with respect to the earth's magnetic field, means for measuring the total magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the formation, and means for indicating a change in the earth's magnetic field in the vicinity of said portion of the formation whereby to indicate the change in the nuclear paramagnetism of said portion of the formation to indicate the presence and volume of the fluid contained within said portion of the formation.
Apparatus for remote detection of unknown petroleum reservoirs and volumetric measurement of petroleum reserves which comprises a means for placing a significant portion of the petroleum reservoir into a state of nuclear magnetic resonance to reduce its nuclear paramagnetism and means for measuring the resultant change in the earth's magnetic field adjacent to said portion of the formation caused by the reduction of the nuclear paramagnetism of said portion of the formation which is caused by the state of nuclear magnetic resonance within said portion of the formation to thereby indicate the presence and volume of petroleum contained within said portion of the formation.
Apparatus for the remote detection of unknown petroleum reservoirs and the volumetric measurement of a petroleum reservoir which comprises a means of sweeping a portion of the petroleum reservoir through a state of nuclear magnetic resonance in a time less than the longitudinal relaxation times of the fluids in said portion of the reservoir thereby substantially disrupting the nuclear paramagnetism of said portion of the reservoir and a means for measuring the resulting change in the magnetic field of the earth in the vicinity of said portion of the reservoir to measure the change in the nuclear paramagnetism of said portion of the oil bearing formation thereby indicating the presence or absence of petroleum and the volume of oil present.
Apparatus for measurement of oil reserves in a geological formation including:
The method of determining the relative amounts of oil and water contained in an oil reservoir in a geological formation which comprises the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.