Niumag Shines at the 67th SPWLA Annual Symposium: OnSite Report of LowField NMR Technology Debut at Lake Conroe, Texas

May 16–20 – The 67th Annual Symposium of the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA) was grandly held at the Margaritaville Lake Conroe Resort in North Houston, Texas. As the world‘s largest international academic conference in rock physics and formation evaluation, the SPWLA annual symposium brings together top petroleum industry experts, service companies, and research institutions to discuss hot topics ranging from conventional and unconventional reservoir evaluation to cutting‑edge logging technologies and energy transition.

As a representative of China’s high‑end analytical instruments, Suzhou Niumag Analytical Instrument Corporation (“Niumag Analysis”) actively participated in this year’s SPWLA symposium, showcasing its independently developed low‑field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF‑NMR) core analysis equipment and solutions to the global rock physics community. The company demonstrated the unique value of low‑field NMR technology in rock physics, porous media evaluation, and unconventional reservoir characterization.

Three Major Technical Highlights of the SPWLA Symposium

This year’s SPWLA symposium focused on “technical exchange and industry collaboration,” featuring three full technical days with multiple technical sessions, poster presentations, and workshops. General Chair Veronica Montoya (SLB) delivered the opening remarks, and Thaimar Ramirez, President and General Manager of Oxy‘s Midland Basin business and 57th SPWLA President, served as the keynote speaker.

Three technical trends stood out throughout the conference:

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: From Theory to Large‑Scale Deployment

AI has become an indispensable topic in rock physics. The symposium featured multiple AI technical sessions covering automated log processing, deep learning‑based reservoir parameter prediction, and AI‑assisted geological modeling. In addition, a workshop on “Applied Machine Learning for Formation Evaluation” provided systematic training from theory to practice.

2. Energy Transition and CCUS: A New Mission for Rock Physics

Against the backdrop of global energy transformation, this year’s symposium established for the first time a dedicated session on “Rock Physics in Energy Transition” (CCUS and geothermal applications), highlighting the critical supporting role of rock physics in carbon capture, utilization, and storage as well as geothermal development. Notably, real‑time monitoring of CO₂ injection using distributed fiber optic sensing (DTS/DAS) emerged as one of the most closely watched technical highlights at this year’s symposium.

3. Advanced Logging and Formation Evaluation: Continued Deepening of NMR Technology

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging and core analysis remained a key topic in formation evaluation. The symposium featured a technical session on “NMR Innovations in Formation Evaluation,” and the SPWLA NMR Special Interest Group hosted a workshop titled “From Core to Borehole: Understanding NMR LWD and Its Relationship to Wireline and Core NMR,” systematically interpreting the connections and differences among NMR LWD, wireline NMR, and laboratory core NMR measurements.

China‘s Strength – Niumag’s Presence

Over the five‑day conference, Niumag Analysis presented its independently developed low‑field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF‑NMR) technology and application solutions to global attendees.

Low‑field NMR technology offers high sensitivity to hydrogen nuclei, enabling rapid and accurate differentiation and quantification of fluids in different occurrence states (e.g., free water, bound water, oil, gas) within rock pores. It can derive key reservoir petrophysical parameters such as porosity, permeability, and fluid saturation. In formation evaluation, this technology has become one of the core methods from laboratory research to log interpretation.

Niumag Analysis‘s multiple instruments cover a full range of applications from precise laboratory experiments to rapid on‑site screening. Representatives from international oil companies, service providers, and research institutions stopped by the booth to exchange ideas and discuss the latest advances of low‑field NMR technology in unconventional reservoir evaluation.

The global energy industry is undergoing profound changes – from conventional to unconventional oil and gas, and from traditional fossil energy to new scenarios such as CCUS and geothermal. These shifts demand higher performance from rock physics evaluation tools: faster analysis speed, higher data accuracy, and richer multi‑dimensional information.

Niumag Analysis remains committed to advancing the deep application and widespread adoption of low‑field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF‑NMR) technology in rock physics and formation evaluation through independently developed high‑end scientific instruments and solutions. From laboratory precision analysis to on‑site real‑time screening, from conventional core analysis to multi‑scale characterization of unconventional reservoirs such as shale, Niumag‘s low‑field NMR analyzers are steadily translating the advantages of “fast, accurate, and visual” NMR technology into real‑world industry scenarios.

The successful participation in this year‘s SPWLA symposium marks another important appearance of Niumag Analysis in the international rock physics community. Moving forward, Niumag will continue to fulfill its mission of “advancing the technological progress of domestic scientific instruments,” working closely with rock physics researchers and industry experts worldwide to contribute Chinese wisdom to unconventional reservoir evaluation, energy transition, and sustainable development.