Abstract: Provided is an NMR arrangement, including an NMR device, a storage system for storing sample tubes, and a transport system for transporting the sample tubes from the storage system to the NMR device and from the NMR device to the storage system. The storage system is mechanically decoupled from the NMR device. Furthermore, the transport system includes a first guiding element that is mechanically coupled to the storage system; a second guiding element that is mechanically coupled to the NMR device; and a sample tube carrier that can be moved between the first guiding element and the second guiding element so as to transport the sample tubes from the storage system to the NMR device and from the NMR device to the storage.

Abstract: A method for performing an NMR measurement on a sample contained in a sample tube by using an NMR spectrometer includes: a) feeding a first measuring sample tube in a guiding direction to a pre-measuring area being located, in the guiding direction, before a measuring area of the NMR spectrometer, the pre-measuring area being arranged and designed for measuring a sample parameter of a sample contained in the first measuring sample tube to determine or to estimate an NMR parameter; b) feeding the first measuring sample tube in the guiding direction towards the measuring area; c) setting the NMR parameter previously determined or estimated; and d) carrying out an NMR measurement of the sample contained in the first measuring sample tube on the basis of the set NMR parameter.

Abstract: A method for determining proper functioning of an analytic system includes: a) measuring a control composition with an analytic system, the functioning of which is to be determined, to obtain a control result; b) analyzing the control result for predefined test criteria; and c) determining the functioning of the analytic system based on the analysis of step b). The control result includes signals distributed over a whole result space that equals a result space of the analytic system resulting from a measurement of a sample on the analytic system.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for analyzing an NMR spectrum of a lipoprotein-containing sample. The method includes the following steps: a) defining a spectral range to be analyzed of at least 0.5 ppm of an NMR spectrum of a lipoprotein-containing sample; b) fitting a first spectral function of a first individual lipid component and at least one further spectral function of a further individual lipid component into the whole spectral range to be analyzed; and c) determining a concentration or an amount of the first individual lipid component and the further individual lipid component and therefrom a concentration or an amount of the first defined lipoprotein class or lipoprotein subclass in the lipoprotein-containing sample and optionally of each other defined lipoprotein class or lipoprotein subclass based on the fitting operations of step b).

Abstract: A method for characterizing a sample is disclosed, having the following steps: providing at least one analysis result having a plurality of values, wherein the analysis result was generated by the analysis of a sample by at least one analysis method; determining the value of at least one mathematic relation between at least two values of the plurality of values; generating a characterizing signature of the sample on the basis of the value of the at least one mathematic relation. Furthermore, a method for characterizing a system is disclosed in which method the preceding method is used.

Abstract: A method for extracting information encoded in a result of an NMR measurement, including the following steps: providing a first result of an NMR measurement of a sample; providing a second result of an NMR measurement of a calibration sample; calculating a conversion factor being indicative for a dependency between encoded information on the calibration sample and the concentration of at least one constituent of the calibration sample, applying the conversion factor to information encoded in the first result, calculating a validity value for a subset of the encoded information of the first result, the validity value being representative for a fitness of a first subset of the encoded information to be separated from a second subset of the encoded information, and assigning the validity value to the subset of the encoded information for which it was calculated.

Abstract: Provided is a method for supplementing a sample with specific information. This method includes the following steps: intrinsically marking a sample by adding a chemical marker having a defined composition to the sample; storing data reflecting the composition of the chemical marker and information assigned to the chemical marker, wherein this marker-assigned information is not related to the composition of the chemical marker itself; analyzing the sample with an analysis method, wherein the analysis method is suited to detect the composition of the chemical marker, to obtain a marker-related result; comparing the marker-related result with the stored data; and assigning the marker-assigned stored information to the sample based on the preceding comparison.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method which allows for an automatic substance identification on the basis of an NMR spectrum. In the scope of the method, determining a multitude of integral ratio values, in each case from at least two integral values of the NMR spectrum, takes place, wherein each integral ratio value specifies the ratio of the height and/or area of the underlying spectral values, and determining a multitude of distance values, in each case from at least two position values of the NMR spectrum, takes place, wherein each distance value specifies the spectral distance between the underlying spectral values. The integral ratio values and the distance values are then used for substance identification.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method which allows for an automatic substance identification on the basis of an NMR spectrum. In the scope of the method, determining a multitude of integral ratio values, in each case from at least two integral values of the NMR spectrum, takes place, wherein each integral ratio value specifies the ratio of the height and/or area of the underlying spectral values, and determining a multitude of distance values, in each case from at least two position values of the NMR spectrum, takes place, wherein each distance value specifies the spectral distance between the underlying spectral values. The integral ratio values and the distance values are then used for substance identification.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing NMR measurement-while-drilling tool having the mechanical strength and measurement sensitivity to perform NMR measurements of an earth formation while drilling a borehole, and a method and apparatus for monitoring the motion of the measuring tool in order to take this motion into account when processing NMR signals from the borehole. The tool has a permanent magnet with a magnetic field direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the borehole, a steel collar of a non-magnetic material surrounding the magnet, antenna positioned outside the collar, and a soft magnetic material positioned in a predetermined relationship with the collar and the magnet that helps to shape the magnetic field of the tool. Due to the non-magnetic collar, the tool can withstand the extreme conditions in the borehole environment while the borehole is being drilled.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing NMR measurement-while-drilling tool having the mechanical strength and measurement sensitivity to perform NMR measurements of an earth formation while drilling a borehole, and a method and apparatus for monitoring the motion of the measuring tool in order to take this motion into account when processing NMR signals from the borehole. The tool has a permanent magnet with a magnetic field direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the borehole, a steel collar of a non-magnetic material surrounding the magnet, antenna positioned outside the collar, and a soft magnetic material positioned in a predetermined relationship with the collar and the magnet that helps to shape the magnetic field of the tool. Due to the non-magnetic collar, the tool can withstand the extreme conditions in the borehole environment while the borehole is being drilled.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing NMR measurement-while-drilling tool having the mechanical strength and measurement sensitivity to perform NMR measurements of an earth formation while drilling a borehole, and a method and apparatus for monitoring the motion of the measuring tool in order to take this motion into account when processing NMR signals from the borehole. The tool has a permanent magnet with a magnetic field direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the borehole, a steel collar of a non-magnetic material surrounding the magnet, antenna positioned outside the collar, and a soft magnetic material positioned in a predetermined relationship with the collar and the magnet that helps to shape the magnetic field of the tool. Due to the non-magnetic collar, the tool can withstand the extreme conditions in the borehole environment while the borehole is being drilled.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing NMR measurement-while-drilling tool having the mechanical strength and measurement sensitivity to perform NMR measurements of an earth formation while drilling a borehole, and a method and apparatus for monitoring the motion of the measuring tool in order to take this motion into account when processing NMR signals from the borehole. The tool has a permanent magnet with a magnetic field direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the borehole, a steel collar of a non-magnetic material surrounding the magnet, antenna positioned outside the collar, and a soft magnetic material positioned in a predetermined relationship with the collar and the magnet that helps to shape the magnetic field of the tool. Due to the non-magnetic collar, the tool can withstand the extreme conditions in the borehole environment while the borehole is being drilled.

Abstract: Proposed is a new method and system to obtain enhanced-resolution NMR data by merging, in the time domain, different NMR pulse echo trains into a single echo train. The input echo trains can be acquired with different inter-echo spacing, wait time, and signal-to-noise ratio parameters that are optimized to correspond to both fast and slow portions of the T2 spectrum. The merged echo trains are inverted into complete T2 spectra in a single step thereby overcoming ambiguities and other limitations of prior art methods. In a preferred embodiment the merging process does not require a priori information about T1, and the merged echo trains are optimized in with respect to T2 resolution. The method of this invention is preferably practiced with the latest generation of multi-volume NMR logging tools, that allow simultaneous recordation of NMR data with different inter-echo spacing Te, wait time Tw, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) parameters.

Abstract: An NMR measurement-while-drilling tool having the mechanical strength and measurement sensitivity to perform NMR measurements of an earth formation while drilling a borehole, and a method and apparatus for monitoring the motion of the measuring tool in order to take this motion into account when processing NMR signals from the borehole. The tool has a permanent magnet with a magnetic field direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the borehole, a steel collar of a non-magnetic material surrounding the magnet, antenna positioned outside the collar, and a soft magnetic material positioned in a predetermined relationship with the collar and the magnet that helps to shape the magnetic field of the tool. Due to the non-magnetic collar, the tool can withstand the extreme conditions in the borehole environment while the borehole is being drilled.

Abstract: A novel method and system is disclosed for the separation of fluid phases in NMR borehole measurements. The method is based on forcing diffusion as the dominant relaxation mechanism for certain fluid phase by adjusting certain user controlled parameters. The invention is more specifically applicable to separation of brine from hydrocarbons, using enhanced diffusion to establish an upper limit for the T2 spectral distribution of the brine. Parameters that can be modified to enhance the diffusion relaxation during the measurements include the interecho spacing TE and the magnetic field gradient G of the measurement tool.

Abstract: An NMR measurement-while-drilling tool having the mechanical strength and measurement sensitivity to perform NMR measurements of an earth formation while drilling a borehole, and a method and apparatus for monitoring the motion of the measuring tool in order to take this motion into account when processing NMR signals from the borehole. The tool has a permanent magnet with a magnetic field direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the borehole, a steel collar of a non-magnetic material surrounding the magnet, antenna positioned outside the collar, and a soft magnetic material positioned in a predetermined relationship with the collar and the magnet that helps to shape the magnetic field of the tool. Due to the non-magnetic collar, the tool can withstand the extreme conditions in the borehole environment while the borehole is being drilled.

Abstract: A well logging system and method are disclosed for detecting the presence and estimating the quantity of gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons in the near wellbore zone. The system uses a gradient-based, multiple-frequency NMR logging tool to extract signal components characteristic for each type of hydrocarbons. To this end, a new data acquisition method is proposed in which measurements at different frequencies are interleaved to obtain, in a single logging pass, multiple data streams corresponding to different recovery times and/or diffusivity for the same spot in the formation. The resultant data streams are processed to determine mineralogy-independent water and hydrocarbon saturations and porosity estimates. Gas and oil saturations are used to obtain accurate estimates of the water content, permeability and other parameters of interest.

Abstract: A logging while drilling (LWD) and measuring while drilling (MWD) method and device are disclosed for reducing the sensitivity of NMR measurements to tool motions. The invention is based on NMR relaxation measurements determining longitudinal relaxation times T1 instead of the standard T2 measurements, and involves saturating a relatively wide sensitive region of the formation and processing NMR echo signals which originate approximately from the center of the sensitive region.

Abstract: Novel pulse sequence and data acquisition method are disclosed which eliminate the effects of spurious NMR signals caused by mechanical resonances within the measurement apparatus. The proposed method alleviates interference problems typically arising from strong “excitation” pulses in a sequence, and enables the use of the corresponding data points to increase the resolution of the measurement. The method is based on changing the measurement frequency between pulse sequences and averaging out data points obtained from the different sequences in a way that effectuates cancellation of the spurious signals. The novel cycle of ulse sequences and a data acquisition method can be used, or example, with any existing NMR logging instruments.