Evaluation of Models for Estimating Hydraulic Conductivity in Glacial Aquifers with NMR Logging

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging is a promising method for estimating hydraulic conductivity (K). During the past similar to 60 years, NMR logging has been used for petroleum applications, and different models have been developed for deriving estimates of permeability. These models involve calibration parameters whose values were determined through decades of research on sandstones and carbonates. We assessed the use of five models to derive estimates of K in glacial aquifers from NMR logging data acquired in two wells at each of two field sites in central Wisconsin, USA. Measurements of K, obtained with a direct push permeameter (DPP), K-DPP, were used to obtain the calibration parameters in the Schlumberger-Doll Research, Seevers, Timur-Coates, Kozeny-Godefroy, and sum-of-echoes (SOE) models so as to predict K from the NMR data; and were also used to assess the ability of the models to predict K-DPP. We obtained four well-scale calibration parameter values for each model using the NMR and DPP measurements in each well; and one study-scale parameter value for each model by using all data. The SOE model achieved an agreement with K-DPP that matched or exceeded that of the other models. The Timur-Coates estimates of K were found to be substantially different from K-DPP. Although the well-scale parameter values for the Schlumberger-Doll, Seevers, and SOE models were found to vary by less than a factor of 2, more research is needed to confirm their general applicability so that site-specific calibration is not required to obtain accurate estimates of K from NMR logging data.

Automated summary

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging is a promising method for estimating hydraulic conductivity (K). In this study, five models were used to derive estimates of K in glacial aquifers based on NMR logging data acquired in central Wisconsin. The sum-of-echoes (SOE) model showed the best agreement with direct push permeameter (DPP) measurements. The Timur-Coates model provided significantly different estimates of K compared to DPP measurements.