Characterization of shale using T₂-T₂^∗ relaxation correlation measurements

Area of Science:

• Geophysics
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Complex porous media are crucial in industries like energy.
• Organic shale is a key example of such media.
• Magnetic resonance relaxation correlation measurements effectively characterize porous materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the characterization of an organic shale sample.
• To introduce and validate a novel T2-T2* correlation measurement.
• To explore the analytical potential of this technique for composite porous media.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a new T2-T2* magnetic resonance 2D relaxation correlation measurement.
• Applied the technique to an organic shale sample.
• Investigated the influence of magnetic field strength on measurements.

Main Results:

• The T2-T2* measurement successfully distinguished between different hydrogen environments within the shale.
• Observed peak migrations away from constant T2/T2* contours indicated T2* is not always a direct analogue to T2 in heterogeneous media.
• Demonstrated the analytical potential for characterizing composite porous media.

Conclusions:

• The novel T2-T2* correlation measurement is effective for characterizing organic shale.
• The technique offers valuable insights into hydrogen environments in complex porous materials.
• Findings highlight the limitations of using T2* as a T2 analogue in heterogeneous systems, especially under varying magnetic fields.