The Natural Resources Business Unit of FEI Company reports the availability of the QEMSCAN WellSite™ analysis solution that enables surface logging service providers to greatly enhance the quality, consistency and value of their mudlogging services for the oil & gas industry. The QEMSCAN WellSite system is rugged and portable―designed for and tested at remote locations, such as on- and off-shore drilling rigs. FEI will demonstrate the system during the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, taking place October 30-November 2, 2011 in Denver.

Rock cuttings, returned in the drilling fluid on every well, are the most cost-effective method of obtaining valuable data on the underlying geological stratigraphy, and as a result, provide critical formation evaluation information to oil & gas companies. The QEMSCAN WellSite solution can quickly separate and classify the rock types (lithologies) represented in a cuttings sampling interval with much greater accuracy, analytical sensitivity and textural resolution than existing manual methods. It permits a highly-detailed analysis of cuttings properties, such as clay type, matrix density or grain size, on a lithology basis. It enables better understanding of the rock properties, especially when combined with LWD (logging while drilling) and wireline log data.

Prior to the launch of FEI’s new QEMSCAN WellSite solution, the main cuttings analysis method was optical inspection to identify lithologies, mineralogy and grain size. This process is manual, labor-intensive, and qualitative. The QEMSCAN WellSite solution is a fast, more accurate method for obtaining detailed information from cuttings.

Paul Scagnetti, vice president and general manager of FEI’s Natural Resources Business Unit, stated, “The mudlogging market, which comprises approximately $1billion in services annually, is an important deviation for FEI from its traditional laboratory markets. The QEMSCAN WellSite solution is an extension of our proven QEMSCAN technology, taking it out of the laboratory and onto the well site to get data to customers faster, making it available for critical decision making. We worked closely with leaders in the oil & gas industry―advanced mudlogging service providers and the oil & gas companies themselves―to test the system at operating wells.”

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