MLchartDataset catalogue

Optical index

Term · Oil and gas · MLC-T-OAG-002636

A measurement of a fluid's refractive index, used by downhole optical probes to differentiate between hydrocarbon and water phases. The probe emits a light beam into the wellbore fluid and measures how much the light bends, or refracts, as it passes through. Because oil, gas, and water each have distinct refractive indices, the measurement can identify the fluid type at the sensor tip, providing a high-resolution picture of phase distribution.

Table 1. Record
IdentifierMLC-T-OAG-002636
FieldOil and gas
SubjectProduction Logging
Record as JSON 
{
  "id": "MLC-T-OAG-002636",
  "term": "Optical index",
  "field": "Oil and gas",
  "definition": "A measurement of a fluid's refractive index, used by downhole optical probes to differentiate between hydrocarbon and water phases. The probe emits a light beam into the wellbore fluid and measures how much the light bends, or refracts, as it passes through. Because oil, gas, and water each have distinct refractive indices, the measurement can identify the fluid type at the sensor tip, providing a high-resolution picture of phase distribution.",
  "subject": "Production Logging",
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/oil-and-gas/optical-index/"
}

Record 2,810 of 4,469 in Oil and gas terminology (MLC-0103). Request the full dataset.