The application of Gaussian distribution deconvolution method to separate the overlapping signals in the 2D NMR map

The 2D NMR(T_(1)-T_(2))mapping technique,which can be used to separate different proton populations from various sources(hydroxyls,solid organic matter,free water,and free HC)has gained attention in petroleum industry.To separate proton contributions,a fixed straight line is commonly employed to separate different regions representing proton sources on the map.However,some of these regions(Region 1 and 2)might overlap which makes extracting the NMR signal amplitude from these regions inaccurate.In order to solve this issue,in this study,we applied the Gaussian distribution deconvolution method to separate the T_(1)and T_(2)relaxation distributions and then derived the signal amplitude of each region instead of following the common fixed line approach.Next,we employed this method to analyze several shale samples from the literature and compared the results following both methods to verify our methodology.Finally,samples from the Bakken Shale were studied to separate signals from Region 1 and Region 2 and corelated the results with geochemical properties that were obtained from programmed(Rock Eval)pyrolysis.Results demonstrated an improvement in their relation when our approach is employed compared to the fixed line technique to differentiate signal from overlapping regions.This means the Gaussian distribution deconvolution method can be used with confidence to provide us with more accurate petrophysical and geochemical understanding of complex formations.

Microstructural analysis of organic matter in shale by SAXS and WAXS methods

Characterizing the kerogen-hosted pore structures is essential to understand the adsorption,transport and storage potential in organic-rich shale reservoirs.In this paper,we first separated the organic matter(kerogen)from the mineral matrix in four different shale samples of the Bakken Formation with different thermal maturities and then analyzed their chemical compositions using the wide-angle X-ray scattering(WAXS)method.Next,we acquired small-angle X-ray scattering(SAXS)to characterize the structure of the organic matter and see how these two will relate.The WAXS results showed that the isolated kerogens have high purity(free of inorganic minerals)and retain different chemical compositions.Moreover,SAXS analysis revealed that the isolated kerogens have similar radius of gyration(R_(g))which is around 90Åand the molecules are in the compact mode.Based on the pore size distribution analysis from the SAXS data,two main peaks were found in all of these four samples with one peak less than 40Åand the other one larger than 1000Å.Also,the TEM images revealed that Sample 1 is abundant in pores with sizes around 20 nm while Sample 2 does not have pores of that size,which agrees with the results from the pore size distribution that was obtained from the SAXS method.Ultimately,this study exhibits how different analytical instruments can provide us with useful information from complex structures of geomaterials.