Hydro-Log™
Hydro-Log™ measures the water in the rock. High-resolution, in-situ hydrogeological characterisation for dewatering, inflow risk, seepage, water supply and aquifer management.
What Hydro-Log™ answers
Hydro-Log™ is high-resolution, in-situ hydrogeological characterisation by wireline logging: flowmeter, fluid temperature and conductivity, and borehole magnetic resonance (BMR) tools locate aquifers and flow zones and measure porosity, permeability, hydraulic conductivity, saturation and clay type directly in the borehole.
Key answers
- AquifersAquifer and flow-zone location along the hole
- FlowVertical flow profiles under ambient or induced (pumped) conditions
- PorosityTotal porosity, specific yield and specific retention from BMR, independent of lithology
- PermeabilityPermeability and hydraulic conductivity from BMR and flowmeter logging
- SaturationWater content and saturation, including adsorbed gas in coal and helium plays
- ClayClay mapping and typing that controls storage and flow
Applications
- Mine dewatering design
- Pit and tunnel inflow risk
- Dam seepage studies
- Water supply boreholes and wellfields
- Aquifer management and licensing
- Solution mining, lithium brines and geothermal
BMR and the flowmeter
BMR uses an advanced and completely safe, non-ionising magnetic resonance technique to directly measure the hydrogen found in water. The result is a lithology-independent porosity measurement, with specific yield and specific retention read directly in-situ.
Applications: hydrogeology (specific retention, yield and hydraulic conductivity mapping) · in-situ adsorbed gas mapping in coal and helium deposits · brine and solution mining, including lithium brines · CCUS reservoir characterisation. Supplied in partnership with NMR Services Australia.
- PorosityTotal porosity, specific yield and specific retention, lithology-agnostic
- ConductivityMeasured hydraulic conductivity from induced flowmeter logging, to site packers or replace packer testing
- FlowVertical flow profiles under ambient and pumped conditions
- FluidTemperature and conductivity profiles that reveal inflow and mixing zones
- StorageStorage properties and dry bulk density along the hole
Focused on the distribution and movement of groundwater in the subsurface, Hydro-Log employs wireline logging technologies to rapidly acquire in-situ, high resolution datasets that dewatering, inflow and seepage models can use directly.
Hydro-Log™ questions
Is BMR logging safe?
Yes. BMR uses a non-ionising magnetic resonance technique, the same physics as medical MRI, with no radioactive source. It measures the hydrogen in water directly.
Can flowmeter logging replace packer testing?
Often, yes. Measured hydraulic conductivity from induced flowmeter logging can site packers where they are needed, fill gaps between tests or replace packer testing altogether, at a fraction of the rig time.
What is specific yield and why does it matter?
Specific yield is the fraction of a saturated rock volume that drains under gravity. BMR reads it directly, together with specific retention (the water that stays bound), so the water actually available to a dewatering scheme or wellfield is known before pumping starts.
Which holes are suitable for Hydro-Log?
Open hole is best for BMR and flowmeter logging. PVC-cased monitoring wells can be logged with BMR; steel casing cannot. Tell us the completion and hole diameter and we will confirm the suite.
How does Hydro-Log help with pit or tunnel inflow?
By locating the flow zones and measuring their hydraulic conductivity in the hole, the inflow model is built on measured properties rather than assumed ones, and dewatering wells are placed where the water actually is.
More in the FAQ & glossary.
Field results
In-situ porosity & permeability from BMR
Characterising a CO₂ storage reservoir directly in the hole.
Open the studyHydro-LogCase studyBMR for lithium brines
Total porosity, specific yield and specific retention read in-situ.
Open the studyHydro-LogCase studyHydraulic conductivity from flowmeter logging
Siting, supplementing or replacing packer tests.
Open the study