Services

It has been widely acknowledged that core handling is critical to the maintenance of core integrity. Unfortunately, cores often don’t undergo adequate handling procedures

The rig site handling of unconsolidated core is a risky process that might hamper core integrity if appropriate procedures are utilized.

The main purpose of core preservation is to retain the pore fluids in the undisturbed core samples thus preventing saturation and wettability alteration.

Cases of invasion of core-stabilization products into fractures are often seen. This represents a common and often serious problem in the subsequent geological description of slabbed cores.

The fundamental objective of coring is to obtain core that is representative of the reservoir rock properties.

StoreCore primarily serves the Oil Industry but also provides services to numerous Universities and Research Institutions.

Kirk Petrophysics provides expert on-site core handling services.

Mini permeameter

Permeability data has traditionally been measured in the laboratory on cleaned and dried samples utilising Nitrogen gas as the flowing medium to obtain routine gas permeability. This measured value has been subjected to various statistical adjustments using either empirical values from historical datasets or measured correction factors on a small subset of samples to obtain the equivalent liquid or Klinkenberg permeability.

Permeability data is often required by the operator within a time-scale that precludes “routine” gas permeability determination in the laboratory.

The necessity for fast accurate data for decisions such as well test and perforation intervals has lead Kirk Petrophysics to provide a wellsite portable hand-held air permeameter for them easurement of rock matrix permeability or effective fracture apertures on outcrops and at the core scale.

Operation:
The operator pressures a rubber nozzle against the specimen and withdraws air from it with a single stroke of a syringe. As air is pulled from the sample, a micro-controller unit simultaneously monitors the syringe volume and the transient vacuum pulse created at the sample surface. Using signal processing algorithms the micro-controller computes the response function of the sample/instrument system.

Key characteristics of this response are displayed on the liquid crystal display (LCD).

Theory shows how the response function is related to permeability and either matrix permeability or effective fracture flow aperture can be determined from the calibration charts and tables provided.

For intact rock, the permeability measurement range is from approximately 1 milliDarcy to 10 Darcy's. Similarly, fracture apertures from approximately 20 microns to 2 millimeters can be determined.