Abstract
Techniques such as micro-tomography (µCT) and nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR) methods have been used to characterize porous media for decades.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers direct visualization of pore
architecture through a vast number of pulse sequences. In this work, we
tested the MRI pulse sequence Zero Echo Time (ZTE) in the study of
sandstone and carbonate. ZTE has been used previously to image highly
porous geological material with relative success. In this research, ZTE
was used to study porous systems tighter than those previously reported.
We show that ZTE can resolve not only pore systems, but also a
combination of fractures and pores simultaneously. Additionally, Pore
Cluster Analysis (PCA), combined with ZTE, can be used to analyze
connectivity of relatively large volume core plugs. 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.