Simulating MRI flow maps in porous rocks: a new approach

Area of Science:

• Geophysics and Petroleum Engineering
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy
• Computational Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Understanding fluid flow in porous media is crucial for reservoir characterization and hydrocarbon recovery.
• Existing models for voxel coupling in porous media have limitations in representing complex pore structures.
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging techniques offer non-invasive methods for probing porous materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend the Mansfield and Issa model for voxel pair coupling to include interacting voxel clusters.
• To simulate fluid flow velocity distributions in porous rock samples.
• To validate the extended model using the Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo (PGSE) rapid NMR imaging technique.

Main Methods:

• Electrical circuit simulation was employed to extend the voxel coupling model to clusters of up to four contiguous voxels.
• The extended model was used to calculate expected velocity distributions within simulated porous rock geometries.
• Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo (PGSE) NMR imaging was utilized to acquire experimental data for comparison.

Main Results:

• The extended model successfully simulated velocity distributions for various voxel cluster configurations.
• Simulated distributions showed good agreement with expected flow patterns in porous rock structures.
• The integration of electrical circuit simulation provided a robust framework for modeling complex voxel interactions.

Conclusions:

• The extended voxel coupling model offers a more comprehensive approach to simulating fluid flow in porous media.
• This enhanced modeling capability, combined with PGSE NMR, improves the characterization of pore-scale fluid dynamics.
• The findings contribute to more accurate predictions of fluid transport in geological formations.