Author(s)

Yudan Wang, Yushuang Yang, Tiqiao Xiao, Keyu Liu, Ben Clennell, Guoqiang Zhang, Haipeng Wang

College of Physics & Electronics Engineering, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, China.
Earth Science & Resource Engineering, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Bentley, Australia.
Earth Science & Resource Engineering, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Bentley, Australia Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing, China.
Materials Science & Engineering, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Clayton, Australia.
Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.

Three dimensional (3D) microscopic distributions of dolomite and calcite in a limestone sample have been analyzed with a data-constrained modeling (DCM) technique using synchrotron radiation-based multi-energy X-ray computed tomography (CT) data as constraints. In order to optimize the experimental parameters, X-ray CT simulations and DCM analysis of a numerical phantom consisting of calcite (CaCO₃) and dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂) have been used to investigate the effects on the predicted results in relation to noise, X-ray energy and sample-to-detector distance (SDD). The simulation results indicate that the optimal X-ray energies are 25 and 35 keVs, and the SDD is 10 mm. The high resolution 3D distributions of mineral phases of a natural limestone have been obtained. The results are useful for quantitative understanding of mineral, porosity, and physical property distributions in relation to oil and gas reservoirs hosted in carbonate rocks, which account for more than half of the world’s conventional hydrocarbon resources. The case studied is also instructive for the applicability of the DCM methods for other types of composite materials with modest atomic number contrasts between the mineral phases.

X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT); Synchrotron Radiation (SR); Data-Constrained Modeling (DCM); Microstructure; Limestone

Y. Wang, Y. Yang, T. Xiao, K. Liu, B. Clennell, G. Zhang and H. Wang, "Synchrotron-Based Data-Constrained Modeling Analysis of Microscopic Mineral Distributions in Limestone," International Journal of Geosciences, Vol. 4 No. 2, 2013, pp. 344-351. doi: 10.4236/ijg.2013.42032.