A method for protecting integrity of a core sample during transport from a subterranean formation to the surface comprising: cutting a core sample from the subterranean formation using a drilling fluid; encapsulating the core sample with an encapsulating material that is separate from the drilling fluid and comprises a property which renders the encapsulating material capable of protecting the chemical integrity of the core sample during transport from the subterranean formation to the surface, wherein the property is other than a property selected from the group consisting of a viscosity which increases in response to a decrease in temperature and an ability to solidify in response to a decrease in temperature; and, transporting the encapsulated core sample from the subterranean formation to the surface.
Pierre E. Collee; Steven R. Radford; William A. Mallow; Dorothy P. Enright