Evaluation of sandstone surface relaxivity using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry is a common technique used to assess the pore size of fluid-filled porous materials in a wide variety of fields. However, the NMR signal itself only provides a relative distribution of pore size. To calculate an absolute pore size distribution from the NMR data, the material's surface relaxivity needs to be known. Here, a method is presented using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to evaluate surface relaxivity in sandstones. NMR transverse and longitudinal relaxation was measured on a set of sandstone samples and the surface relaxivity was calculated from the pore size distribution determined with MICP measurements. Using multivariate analysis, it was determined that the LIBS data can predict with good accuracy the longitudinal (R²∼0.84) and transverse (R²∼0.79) surface relaxivity. Analysis of the regression coefficients shows significant influence from several elements. Some of these are elements previously established to have an effect on surface relaxivity, such as iron and manganese, while others are not commonly associated with surface relaxivity, such as cobalt and titanium. Furthermore, LIBS provides advantages compared to current methods to calibrate surface relaxivity in terms of speed, portability, and sample size requirements. While this paper focuses on geological samples, the method could potentially be expanded to other types of porous materials.