Title: Practical Aspects of Core Acquisition, Handling & Preservation: Ensuring Measurement Quality and Project Certainty

Date: October 15, 2026

Time: 8:30am - 5:00pm

Location: Stratum Reservoir 5200 North Sam Houston Pkwy W #500, Houston, TX 77086

Cost: Members: $250; Honorary and Students: $150; Non-members: $350

* 8 Professional credit hours will be received upon completion of the course

Objective

This course presents the principles, protocols, and best practices for the acquisition, handling, preservation, and preparation of core samples, aiming to ensure the quality of conventional, geological, and special core analyses (SCAL). The primary objective is to demonstrate how each stage—from the design of the acquisition program to plug preparation—directly influences data reliability and the reduction of uncertainty in reservoir characterization.

The course integrates concepts from petrophysics, geology, reservoir engineering, and drilling operations, highlighting the importance of obtaining samples representative of *in-situ* conditions. Procedures for both consolidated and unconsolidated cores are covered, alongside preservation techniques that minimize physical and chemical alterations. Finally, the course reviews the applications of core analysis in integrated studies and its relationship with well logs and reservoir models.

Target Audience Professionals: • Production and operations geology • Reservoir engineering • Petrophysics • Log analysis • Sedimentology • Drilling engineering • Geophysics applied to field development.

What participants will gain

• Understanding of the critical value of core acquisition and handling protocols • Preservation techniques to minimize physical, chemical, and capillary alterations • Knowledge of conventional, geological, and special core analyses (SCAL) • Ability to design efficient and cost-effective core acquisition programs • Understanding of how sample quality impacts data quality • Integration of core data with logs, geology, and simulation.

Training Methodology

• 40% technical presentations • 30% practical exercises and case studies • 30% group discussions and eventual software demonstrations.

Course Outline

• Importance of cores in reservoir characterization • Core acquisition program design • Coring process and tools • Sample handling, preservation, and transport • Plug preparation and sample selection • Conventional analyses • Geological analyses • Special analyses (SCAL) • Integration with logs and multidisciplinary studies • Case studies and best practices.