Evolution of the Chemistry of NanoTags for Improved Reservoir Characterization Accuracy

Abstract

Abstract Mud logging is a technology with great potential for evaluating formations, but with subpar accuracy in depth assignment for cuttings. We have demonstrated the feasibility of pumping styrenic nanoparticles (NanoTags) into a drilling mud and labelling the drill cuttings with improved accuracy in depth assessment.1 Over the years, we have developed several generations of new tags2-5 that have minimum accumulation in the mud and require fewer steps of sample preparation before detection, thus promising a potential solution for in-field tag detection. Here we report the evolution of the chemistry and the corresponding detection methods that we have developed for NanoTags to label drill cuttings for improved depth assignment.