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Analysis of ZTE MRI Application to Sandstone and Carbonate
  • +3
  • Kyle Covington,
  • Alexander Goroncy,
  • Teresa Lehmann,
  • Zuhao Kou,
  • Heng Wang,
  • Vladimir Alvarado
Kyle Covington
University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Alexander Goroncy
University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences
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Teresa Lehmann
University of Wyoming College of Arts and Sciences
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Zuhao Kou
University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Science
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Heng Wang
University of Wyoming
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Vladimir Alvarado
University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Science
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Abstract

Micro-tomography (µCT) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been used to characterize porous media for decades. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) enables direct visualization of pore architecture and many pulse sequences exist. In this work, we tested the MRI pulse sequence Zero Echo Time (ZTE) to study sandstone and carbonate for its ability to address short relaxation times. We aimed at resolving two fluid conduit scales, i.e. pores and fractures. In this research, we study tighter porous systems than those previously reported using ZTE. Additionally, Pore Cluster Analysis (PCA), combined with ZTE, can be used to analyze pore-fracture connectivity of relatively large core plugs. We show that ZTE can resolve two-scale pore systems simultaneously, i.e. fractures and pores. By combining Time-Domain NMR pore-size analysis and PCA, we show that careful selection of resolution is necessary to understand transport in porous media.