Speaker
Description
Micro-CT is a unique technology to non-destructively investigate the internal structure of geological samples, spanning a range from centimeter to micrometer scale. The non-destructive nature makes the technique ideal for studying dynamic processes, allowing to visualize geological material behavior when exposed to external conditions like temperature, pressure or to certain fluids. Time resolved or dynamic micro-CT has been applied in a wide variety of fluid flow studies, providing valuable information on pore scale fluid dynamics. Especially when investigating reactive fluid flow in complex geological materials, time resolved micro-CT imaging can provide valuable information inside the sample, as it can pinpoint where chemical reactions are occurring in the pore space and which minerals are associated with these reactions.
In order to locally pinpoint compositional changes in the fluid or associated minerals inside a geological material, conventional micro-CT has some inherent limitations. The contrast observed within a micro-CT scan arises from a multitude of factors. The attenuation coefficient of a material is influenced mainly by its atomic number and density, but also other parameters like X-ray energy, the X-ray spectrum, and the characteristics of the employed detector can play a role. With all these factors collectively contributing to the observed contrast, extracting compositional and density information from conventional micro-CT data, can be a challenging endeavor.
In this research, a new and emerging technique called spectral X-ray computed micro-tomography (spectral CT) is used in combination with time resolved imaging to obtain better insights in leaching processes and extract compositional changes in 3D throughout the leaching process. Spectral CT is used to monitor local compositional changes in grain pack while a leaching solution (acid) is pumped through the grain pack. By utilizing a spectral detector, providing attenuation information for each energy in the X-ray spectrum, a more precise quantification of mineralogical changes in the grain pack and the compositional changes in the leaching fluid in the pore space can be obtained. In this work we will illustrate how time resolved spectral micro-CT can be utilized to improve our understanding of complex reactive fluid flow processes.
| Country | Belgium |
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