New Technique for Evaluating Fracture Geometry and Preferential Orientation Using Pulsed Field Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

In-situ evaluation of fracture tortuosity (i.e., pore geometry complexity and roughness) and preferential orientation is crucial for fluid flow simulation and production forecast in subsurface water and hydrocarbon reservoirs. This is particularly significant for naturally fractured reservoirs or postacid fracturing because of the strong permeability anisotropy. However, such downhole in-situ characterization remains a challenge. This study presents a new method for evaluating fracture tortuosity and preferential orientation based on the pulsed field gradient (PFG) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. Such an approach provides diffusion tortuosity, sd, defined as the ratio of bulk fluid diffusion coefficient to the restricted diffusion coefficient in the porous media. In the PFG NMR technique, the magnetic field gradient can be applied in different directions, and therefore anisotropy in diffusion coefficient and sd can be evaluated. Three 3D printed samples, characterized by well controlled variable fracture tortuosity, one fractured sandstone, and three acidized carbonate samples with wormhole were used in this study. PFG NMR measurements were performed using both 2- and 12-MHz NMR instruments to obtain sd in the three different principal directions. The results obtained from the NMR measurements were compared with fracture tortuosity and preferential orientation determined from the microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) images of the samples. The results showed that sd increases as the fracture tortuosity and pore geometry complexity increases, showing good agreement with the image-based geometric tortuosity values. Moreover, the lowest sd values were found to coincide with the preferential direction of fracture surfaces and wormhole body for a given sample, whereas the maximum sd values correspond to the nonconnected pathway directions. These results suggest that the implantation of directional restricted diffusion measurements on the NMR well logging tools would offer a possibility of probing tortuosity and determining preferential fluid flow direction via direct downhole measurements.