Multi-dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Characterizations of Dynamics and Saturations of Brine/Crude Oil/Mud Filtrate Mixtures Confined in Rocks: The Role of Asphaltene

We propose multi-dimensional one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques for probing quantitatively the different saturations and dynamics of brine/crude oil/mud filtrate mixtures confined in a rock system that could be used potentially down-hole. The rock samples and petroleum fluids have been characterized by standard petrophysical techniques. Electron spin resonance (ESR) quantitatively measured levels of the paramagnetic vanadyl ions VO2+ and organic radicals trapped in the used crude oils with and without asphaltene. Size-exclusion microchromatography with a high-resolution inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometric detection technique has demonstrated the trapping of metalloporphyrine (MP) by asphaltene nanoaggregates. These two latter techniques have shown that around 2/3 of VO2+ is trapped in MP embedded within asphaltene nanoaggregates, while 1/3 stayed in the bulk. Standard gas chromatography (GC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) have exten...