Progress in Physical Rock Matrix Characterization: Structure of the Pore Space

1997 ◽  
Vol 506 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sütari-Kauppi ◽  
E.S. Flitsiyan ◽  
P. Klobes ◽  
K. Meyer ◽  
K-H. Hellmuth
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
Transport Properties ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Quantitative Autoradiography ◽  
Probe Molecule ◽  
Rock Matrix ◽  
Porous Rock ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Physical Rock

ABSTRACTQuantitative autoradiography for the investigation of rock matrices has been further developed by use of tritium-labeled polymethylmethacrylate (3H-PMMA), the use of thin sections and image analysis functions allowing correlations of mineralogic-petrographical and analytical or porosity information. The autoradiographic system was studied experimentally and theoretically. The autoradiography could achieve a resolution down to 10 and 20 μm for 3H and 14C, respectively. Possible candidates for intact, low-porous rock standard materials were studied and the measurement of their transport properties discussed. Porosities and diffusivities measured in rock types dominated by very small pores were depending on the probe molecule used. The effect was most pronounced in flint which gave low porosities for MMA, Hg and He and no diffusivities at all for He.

Correlation of Pore Structure and Permeability by SEM-Image Analysis

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 428-429
Author(s):  
C. A. Callender ◽  
Wm. C. Dawson ◽  
J. J. Funk
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
Pore Structure ◽  
Imaging System ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Image Analyzer ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Sem Images ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Rock Types

The geometric structure of pore space in some carbonate rocks can be correlated with petrophysical measurements by quantitatively analyzing binaries generated from SEM images. Reservoirs with similar porosities can have markedly different permeabilities. Image analysis identifies which characteristics of a rock are responsible for the permeability differences. Imaging data can explain unusual fluid flow patterns which, in turn, can improve production simulation models.Analytical SchemeOur sample suite consists of 30 Middle East carbonates having porosities ranging from 21 to 28% and permeabilities from 92 to 2153 md. Engineering tests reveal the lack of a consistent (predictable) relationship between porosity and permeability (Fig. 1). Finely polished thin sections were studied petrographically to determine rock texture. The studied thin sections represent four petrographically distinct carbonate rock types ranging from compacted, poorly-sorted, dolomitized, intraclastic grainstones to well-sorted, foraminiferal,ooid, peloidal grainstones. The samples were analyzed for pore structure by a Tracor Northern 5500 IPP 5B/80 image analyzer and a 80386 microprocessor-based imaging system. Between 30 and 50 SEM-generated backscattered electron images (frames) were collected per thin section. Binaries were created from the gray level that represents the pore space. Calculated values were averaged and the data analyzed to determine which geological pore structure characteristics actually affect permeability.

Physical Rock Matrix Characterization: Structural and Mineralogical Heterogeneities in Granite

2008 ◽  
Vol 1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikko Voutilainen ◽  
Suvi Lamminmäki ◽  
Jussi Timonen ◽  
Marja Siitari-kauppi ◽  
Daniel Breitner
Keyword(s):  
Pore Space ◽  
3D Structure ◽  
Rock Matrix ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Small Pore ◽  
Waste Repositories ◽  
Granite Samples ◽  
Space Characterization ◽  
Physical Rock

AbstractEvaluation of the transport and retardation properties of rock matrices that serve as host rock for nuclear waste repositories necessitates their thorough pore-space characterization. Relevant properties to be quantified include the diffusion depth and volume adjacent to water conducting features. The bulk values of these quantities are not sufficient due to the heterogeneity of mineral structure on the scale of the expected transport/interaction distances. In this work the 3D pore structure of altered granite samples with porosities of 5 to 15%, taken next to water conducting fractures at 180 200 m depth in Sievi, Finland, was studied. Characterization of diffusion pathways and porosity were based on quantitative autoradiography of rock sections impregnated with C14-labelled polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Construction of 3D structure from PMMA autoradiographs was tested. The PMMA method was augmented by field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses (FESEM/EDAX) in order to study small pore-aperture regions in more detail and to identify the corresponding minerals. The 3D distribution of minerals and their abundances were determined by X-ray microtomography. Combining the mineral specific porosity found by the PMMA method with these distributions provided us with a 3D porosity distribution in the rock matrix.

Impregnation technique using colored epoxy to define porosity in petrographic thin sections

1980 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 1104-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth L. Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Pore Space ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Sensitive Material ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Impregnation Technique

This vacuum-assisted technique for colored impregnation of all rock types clearly defines porosity, even in low-permeability, very fine grained, or semifriable material. The technique is also suitable for use with water-soluble and heat-sensitive material. The technique is trouble-free and provides a practical way of visually reproducing rock pore space less than 1 μm in size.

scholarly journals The Role of Rock Matrix Permeability in Controlling Hydraulic Fracturing in Sandstones

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Fazio ◽  
Peter Ibemesi ◽  
Philip Benson ◽  
Diego Bedoya-González ◽  
Martin Sauter
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Hydraulic Fractures ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Fluid Viscosity ◽  
Rock Matrix ◽  
Porous Rock ◽  
Sleeve Fracture ◽  
Matrix Permeability ◽  
Fracturing Process

AbstractA concomitant effect of a hydraulic fracturing experimenting is frequently fluid permeation into the rock matrix, with the injected fluid permeating through the porous rock matrix (leak-off) rather than contributing to the buildup of borehole pressure, thereby slowing down or impeding the hydro-fracturing process. Different parameters, such as low fluid viscosity, low injection rate and high rock permeability, contribute to fluid permeation. This effect is particularly prominent in highly permeable materials, therefore, making sleeve fracturing tests (where an internal jacket separates the injected fluid in the borehole from the porous rock matrix) necessary to generate hydraulic fractures. The side effect, however, is an increase in pressure breakdown, which results in higher volume of injected fluid and in higher seismic activity. To better understand this phenomenon, we report data from a new comparative study from a suite of micro-hydraulic fracturing experiments on highly permeable and on low-permeability rock samples. Experiments were conducted in both sleeve fracture and direct fluid fracture modes using two different injection rates. Consistent with previous studies, our results show that hydraulic fracturing occurred only with low permeation, either due to the intrinsic low permeability or due to the presence of an inner silicon rubber sleeve. In particular, due to the presence of quasi-impermeable inner sleeve or borehole skin in the sleeve fracturing experiment, fracturing occurs, with the breakdown pressure supporting the linear elastic approach considering poroelastic effects, therefore, with low stress drop and consequently low microseismicity. Rock matrix permeability also controls the presence of precursory Acoustic Emission activity, as this is linked to the infiltration of fluids and consequent expansion of the pore space. Finally, permeability is shown to mainly control fracturing speed, because the permeation of fluid into the newly created fracture via the highly permeable rock matrix slows down its full development. The application of these results to the field may help to reduce induced seismicity and to conduct well stimulation in a more efficient way.

scholarly journals Stress sensitivity of porosity and permeability under varying hydrostatic stress conditions for different carbonate rock types of the geothermal Malm reservoir in Southern Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Bohnsack ◽  
Martin Potten ◽  
Simon Freitag ◽  
Florian Einsiedl ◽  
Kai Zosseder
Keyword(s):  
Effective Stress ◽  
Hydraulic Properties ◽  
Rock Strength ◽  
Pore Network ◽  
Stress Sensitivity ◽  
Stress Conditions ◽  
Rock Matrix ◽  
Effective Stresses ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Porosity And Permeability

AbstractIn geothermal reservoir systems, changes in pore pressure due to production (depletion), injection or temperature changes result in a displacement of the effective stresses acting on the rock matrix of the aquifer. To compensate for these intrinsic stress changes, the rock matrix is subjected to poroelastic deformation through changes in rock and pore volume. This in turn may induce changes in the effective pore network and thus in the hydraulic properties of the aquifer. Therefore, for the conception of precise reservoir models and for long-term simulations, stress sensitivity of porosity and permeability is required for parametrization. Stress sensitivity was measured in hydrostatic compression tests on 14 samples of rock cores stemming from two boreholes of the Upper Jurassic Malm aquifer of the Bavarian Molasse Basin. To account for the heterogeneity of this carbonate sequence, typical rock and facies types representing the productive zones within the thermal reservoir were used. Prior to hydrostatic investigations, the hydraulic (effective porosity, permeability) and geomechanical (rock strength, dynamic, and static moduli) parameters as well as the microstructure (pore and pore throat size) of each rock sample were studied for thorough sample characterization. Subsequently, the samples were tested in a triaxial test setup with effective stresses of up to 28 MPa (hydrostatic) to simulate in-situ stress conditions for depths up to 2000 m. It was shown that stress sensitivity of the porosity was comparably low, resulting in a relative reduction of 0.7–2.1% at maximum effective stress. In contrast, relative permeability losses were observed in the range of 17.3–56.7% compared to the initial permeability at low effective stresses. Stress sensitivity coefficients for porosity and permeability were derived for characterization of each sample and the different rock types. For the stress sensitivity of porosity, a negative correlation with rock strength and a positive correlation with initial porosity was observed. The stress sensitivity of permeability is probably controlled by more complex processes than that of porosity, where the latter is mainly controlled by the compressibility of the pore space. It may depend more on the compaction of precedented flow paths and the geometry of pores and pore throats controlling the connectivity within the rock matrix. In general, limestone samples showed a higher stress sensitivity than dolomitic limestone or dolostones, because dolomitization of the rock matrix may lead to an increasing stiffness of the rock. Furthermore, the stress sensitivity is related to the history of burial diagenesis, during which changes in the pore network (dissolution, precipitation, and replacement of minerals and cements) as well as compaction and microcrack formation may occur. This study, in addition to improving the quality of input parameters for hydraulic–mechanical modeling, shows that hydraulic properties in flow zones largely characterized by less stiff, porous limestones can deteriorate significantly with increasing effective stress.

Permeability-porosity transforms from small sandstone fragments

Geophysics ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. N11-N19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayako Kameda ◽  
Jack Dvorkin ◽  
Youngseuk Keehm ◽  
Amos Nur ◽  
William Bosl
Keyword(s):  
Pore Space ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Rock Physics ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Absolute Permeability ◽  
High Porosity ◽  
Drill Cuttings ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Numerical Experimentation ◽  
The Absolute

Numerical simulation of laboratory experiments on rocks, or digital rock physics, is an emerging field that may eventually benefit the petroleum industry. For numerical experimentation to find its way into the mainstream, it must be practical and easily repeatable — i.e., implemented on standard hardware and in real time. This condition reduces the size of a digital sample to just a few grains across. Also, small physical fragments of rock, such as cuttings, may be the only material available to produce digital images. Will the results be meaningful for a larger rock volume? To address this question, we use a number of natural and artificial medium- to high-porosity, well-sorted sandstones. The 3D microtomography volumes are obtained from each physical sample. Then, analogous to making thin sections of drill cuttings, we select a large number of small 2D slices from a 3D scan. As a result, a single physical sample produces hundreds of 2D virtual-drill-cuttings images. Corresponding 3D pore-space realizations are generated statistically from these 2D images; fluid flow is simulated in three dimensions, and the absolute permeability is computed. The results show that small fragments of medium– to high-porosity sandstones that are statistically subrepresentative of a larger sample will not yield the exact porosity and permeability of the sample. However, a significant number of small fragments will yield a site-specific permeability-porosity trend that can then be used to estimate the absolute permeability from independent porosity data obtained in the well or inferred from seismic techniques.

Micromorphology of soil structure - Description, quantification, application

Soil Research ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 777 ◽  
Author(s):  
AJ Ringrose-Voase
Keyword(s):  
Soil Structure ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Physical Measurements ◽  
Undisturbed Samples ◽  
Structure Description ◽  
Management Techniques ◽  
Pore Types ◽  
Soil Behaviour

Micromorphological observation can provide insights into soil structure and aid interpretation of soil behaviour. Undisturbed samples are taken in the field and impregnated. They are used to prepare thin sections or images of the macropore structure using fluorescent photography. Sections can also be obtained at macro, meso and submicroscopic scales. The various elements of soil structure observed micromorphologically can be classified into pore space, physical, distribution and orientation fabrics, and associated structures. Examples of the importance of features in each category are given. Image analysis, especially when computerized, provides a way of parameterizing micromorphological observations. To date it has been used primarily on images of macropore space at the meso and microscopic scales. Such images can be digitized and segmented to show pore space and solid. The pore space can be allocated to pore types. This aids the estimation of 3-D parameters from I-D and 2-D measurements made on the image using stereology. Various ways of using structural parameters to compare structures are discussed. Applications for micromorphological observations, especially when quantitative, include comparison of structures formed by different management techniques. Structural measurements can aid interpretation of soil behaviour as described by physical measurements. They also have a role in estimating the representative elementary volume, on which physical measurements should be made, and in calibrating field estimates of soil structure.

QUANTIFICATION OF POROSITY IN SUBSTRATES USING THIN SECTIONS AND IMAGE ANALYSIS

2012 ◽  
pp. 105-110
Author(s):  
L. Pineda-Marín ◽  
M.C. Gutiérrez-Castorena ◽  
R. Anicua-Sánchez ◽  
L. Cajuste-Bontemps ◽  
E.V. Gutiérrez-Castorena
Keyword(s):  
Image Analysis ◽  
Thin Sections

scholarly journals Ionic Transport Properties of P2O5-SiO2 Glassy Protonic Composites Doped with Polymer and Inorganic Titanium-based Fillers

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 3004
Author(s):  
Maciej Siekierski ◽  
Maja Mroczkowska-Szerszeń ◽  
Rafał Letmanowski ◽  
Dariusz Zabost ◽  
Michał Piszcz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transport Properties ◽  
Continuous Wave ◽  
Electrochemical Impedance ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Poly Vinyl Alcohol ◽  
Proton Mobility ◽  
Polymeric Additives ◽  
Wave Technique ◽  
Poly Ethylene

This paper is focused on the determination of the physicochemical properties of a composite inorganic–organic modified membrane. The electrical conductivity of a family of glassy protonic electrolytes defined by the general formula (P2O5)x(SiO2)y, where x/y is 3/7 are studied by Alternating Current electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (AC EIS) method. The reference glass was doped with polymeric additives—poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and additionally with a titanium-oxide-based filler. Special attention was paid to determination of the transport properties of the materials thus modified in relation to the charge transfer phenomena occurring within them. The electrical conductivities of the ‘dry’ material ranged from 10−4 to 10−9 S/cm, whereas for ‘wet’ samples the values were ~10−3 S/cm. The additives also modified the pore space of the samples. The pore distribution and specific surface of the modified glassy systems exhibited variation with changes in electrolyte chemical composition. The mechanical properties of the samples were also examined. The Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio were determined by the continuous wave technique (CWT). Based on analysis of the dispersion of the dielectric losses, it was found that the composite samples exhibit mixed-type proton mobility with contributions related to both the bulk of the material and the surface of the pore space.

scholarly journals The transport of liquids in softwood: timber as a model porous medium

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Burridge ◽  
G. Wu ◽  
T. Reynolds ◽  
D. U. Shah ◽  
R. Johnston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Porous Medium ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Transport Properties ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Construction Material ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Natural Material ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Treatment Processes

AbstractTimber is the only widely used construction material we can grow. The wood from which it comes has evolved to provide structural support for the tree and to act as a conduit for fluid flow. These flow paths are crucial for engineers to exploit the full potential of timber, by allowing impregnation with liquids that modify the properties or resilience of this natural material. Accurately predicting the transport of these liquids enables more efficient industrial timber treatment processes to be developed, thereby extending the scope to use this sustainable construction material; moreover, it is of fundamental scientific value — as a fluid flow within a natural porous medium. Both structural and transport properties of wood depend on its micro-structure but, while a substantial body of research relates the structural performance of wood to its detailed architecture, no such knowledge exists for the transport properties. We present a model, based on increasingly refined geometric parameters, that accurately predicts the time-dependent ingress of liquids within softwood timber, thereby addressing this long-standing scientific challenge. Moreover, we show that for the minimalistic parameterisation the model predicts ingress with a square-root-of-time behaviour. However, experimental data show a potentially significant departure from this $$\sqrt{{\boldsymbol{t}}}$$t behaviour — a departure which is successfully predicted by our more advanced parametrisation. Our parameterisation of the timber microstructure was informed by computed tomographic measurements; model predictions were validated by comparison with experimental data. We show that accurate predictions require statistical representation of the variability in the timber pore space. The collapse of our dimensionless experimental data demonstrates clear potential for our results to be up-scaled to industrial treatment processes.

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