Nuclear magnetic resonance surface relaxation mechanisms of kerogen

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry is an excellent tool for probing the interactions between solid pore surface and pore fluids in porous media. Surface relaxation is a key component of NMR relaxation. It is well-known that in conventional rocks, paramagnetic centers contribute most to the surface relaxation phenomenon. However, the interactions between organic pore surfaces and pore fluids, and the mechanism of surface relaxation in organic shale pores, are not well-understood. We tackle the issue using deuterated compounds to adjust the proton density in the liquid phase and monitoring the transverse relaxation rate changes of kerogen-fluid mixtures. With the Barnett and Eagle Ford kerogen isolates, we found that for alkanes, it is intramolecular dipolar coupling that dominates among the magnetic interactions. As a result, the transverse relaxation rate of alkane proton spins is more likely to be dependent on the concentration of active adsorption sites on the kerogen surface, rather than the kerogen proton density. For water inside organic pores, surface relaxation most likely originates from hydrogen bonding and intermolecular dipolar coupling. We also examined the temperature effect on kerogen surface relaxation and found temperature-dependent behavior that is consistent with surface relaxation by hydrogen bonding and homonuclear dipolar coupling interactions.