Apparatus and Method for In-Situ Stabilization of Unconsolidated Sediment in Core Samples

• US 20190195037A1
• Filed: 12/27/2017
• Published: 06/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Michael, Nikolaos A., Marhoon, Maher I., Lu, Peng
• Granted Patent: US 10,428,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 25/08 Coating, freezing, consolidating cores E21B25/06 takes precedence; Recovering uncontaminated cores or cores at formation pressure

Abstract

Apparatus and method for in-situ stabilization of unconsolidated sediment in core samples are disclosed. The core sampling apparatus includes a corer having an inner wall, an outer wall, and a plurality of impregnation tubes disposed between the inner and the outer wall, wherein the impregnation tubes are parallel to a central axis of the corer. The method for sampling a core includes extracting a core sample using a corer, and in-situ stabilizing unconsolidated sediment in the core sample within the corer by impregnating the core sample with a resin. The resin is supplied through a plurality of impregnation tubes disposed between the walls of the corer.

Claims

1. A core sampling apparatus comprising:

a corer having an inner wall, an outer wall, and a plurality of impregnation tubes disposed between the inner and the outer wall, wherein the impregnation tubes are parallel to a central axis of the corer.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of impregnation tubes have a plurality of holes.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the inner wall comprises a plurality of holes corresponding to the plurality of holes formed on the impregnation tubes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of holes on the impregnation tubes or inner wall are separated by a distance of 0.5 cm or more.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outer wall has a smooth outer surface to facilitate drilling into the sediment.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a corer cap configured with a pump connection, the pump connection adapted to be connected to a vacuum pump for creating a vacuum to ease sampling of the core.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a removable resin container; and

a ring configured to connect to the removable resin container on top and the corer at the bottom, the ring comprising a plurality of inlets corresponding to the plurality of impregnation tubes in the corer.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the ring comprises a pump connection, the pump connection adapted to be connected to a vacuum pump for facilitating resin impregnation and minimizing undesired air bubbles.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the resin comprises at least one of epoxy, vinylester, and polyester.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a resin gun; and

a ring configured to connect to the resin gun on top and the corer at the bottom, the ring comprising a plurality of inlets corresponding to the plurality of impregnation tubes in the corer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a core catcher attached to a lower end of the corer, the core catcher configured to collect and secure a core sample.

12. A method for sampling a core, the method comprising:

extracting a core sample using a corer; and

in-situ stabilizing, within the corer, unconsolidated sediment in the core sample.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of stabilizing unconsolidated sediment comprises impregnating the core sample with a resin.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

introducing the resin through a plurality of holes formed on an inner wall of the corer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

providing the corer with an outer wall; and

disposing a plurality of impregnation tubes between the inner and the outer wall, wherein the impregnation tubes are disposed parallel to a central axis of the corer.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

providing each of the plurality of impregnation tubes with a plurality of holes.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of holes on the inner wall correspond with the plurality of holes formed on the impregnation tubes.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing a corer cap with a pump connection; and

connecting the pump connection to a vacuum pump for creating a vacuum to ease sampling of the core.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

removing the corer cap after the core sample has been collected; and

connecting a removable resin container to the corer via a ring configured to connect to the removable resin container on top and the corer at the bottom, the ring comprising a plurality of inlets corresponding to the plurality of impregnation tubes in the corer.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

connecting the pump connection to a vacuum pump for facilitating resin impregnation and minimizing undesired air bubbles.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

removing the corer cap after the core sample has been collected; and

connecting a resin gun to the corer via a ring configured to connect to the resin gun on top and the corer at the bottom, the ring comprising a plurality of inlets corresponding to the plurality of impregnation tubes in the corer.

22. A corer comprising:

an inner wall;

an outer wall; and

a plurality of impregnation tubes disposed between the inner and the outer wall, wherein the impregnation tubes are parallel to a central axis of the corer.