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Characterization of Pore Geometry in Limestones Using X-ray Computed Microtomography
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 78th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2016, May 2016, Volume 2016, p.1 - 5
Abstract
Summary
In this study we selected three limestones (Tavel, Indiana and Majella) with porosity ranging from 11 to 31% and investigated to what extent X-ray microCT can be used to characterize the macropores and indirectly infer the geometry and spatial distribution of the microporosity. Our new CT images with 4 microns resolution were segmented into three distinct domains (void, solid, intermediate). We found that the cumulative microporosity in the intermediate domain represented in all cases more than half of the total porosity of the studied rocks. This has important implications for inelastic compaction in these rocks. Morphological processing was then performed on the segmented microCT images, so as to identify individual clusters of interconnected voxels that correspond to blobs of solid, macroporosity or microporosity. We used a “marching cubes” algorithm to map out the surfaces of these blobs. Our analysis revealed that in Tavel and Indiana limestones most of the macropores are isolated. In contrast, in Majella limestone of 31% porosity, there is a backbone of macroporosity that may contribute to significant enhancement of its permeability, in agreement with laboratory measurements.
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