The ability to determine both the matrix mineral composition and total organic carbon (TOC) can be invaluable to the geoscientist, the petrophysicist, and the reservoir engineer. A new application of neutron-induced gamma-ray spectroscopy provides these critical data in a single logging pass.

The technological advances of the Litho Scanner high-definition spectroscopy service support robust mineralogy and lithology interpretation in formations with complex mineralogy, including the determination of TOC, which is a key indicator of reservoir quality for unconventional resources.

In the example of determining the hydrocarbon content in a bitumen-rich sandstone for a Canadian operator, the results of measurements provided by the new service demonstrated the accuracy of the saturation interpretation by the new service in a well that was logged in both water- and oil-based mud. The second example is a heavy oil sandstone in California that is under enhanced recovery by steamflood. The HD spectroscopy service helped an operator evaluate the heavy oil zones independent of the water salinity for an accurate interpretation.