Calculation of porosity from nuclear magnetic resonance and conventional logs in gas-bearing reservoirs

The porosity may be overestimated or underestimated when calculated from conventional logs and also underestimated when derived from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logs due to the effect of the lower hydrogen index of natural gas in gas-bearing sandstones. Proceeding from the basic principle of NMR log and the results obtained from a physical rock volume model constructed on the basis of interval transit time logs, a technique of calculating porosity by combining the NMR log with the conventional interval transit time log is proposed. For wells with the NMR log acquired from the MRIL-C tool, this technique is reliable for evaluating the effect of natural gas and obtaining accurate porosity in any borehole. In wells with NMR log acquired from the CMR-Plus tool and with collapsed borehole, the NMR porosity should be first corrected by using the deep lateral resistivity log. Two field examples of tight gas sandstones in the Xujiahe Formation, central Sichuan basin, Southwest China, illustrate that the porosity calculated by using this technique matches the core analyzed results very well. Another field example of conventional gas-bearing reservoir in the Ziniquanzi Formation, southern Junggar basin, Northwest China, verifies that this technique is usable not only in tight gas sandstones, but also in any gas-bearing reservoirs.