Nanoscale three-dimensional rock imaging using focussed ion beam
Liviu Tomutsa (ESD) and Velimir Radmilovic (NCEM)
Contact: Liviu Tomutsa, 510/486-5635, LTomutsa@lbl.gov
Research Objectives
Computation of effective flow properties of fluids in porous media
based on three-dimensional (3-D) pore-structure information has
become more successful in the last few years, due to improvements
in both input data and network models. Computed x-ray microtomography
has been successful in 3-D pore imaging at micron scale, which is
adequate for many sandstones. For other rocks of economic interest,
such as chalk and diatomite, nanoscale resolution is needed to resolve
the 3-D-pore structure. To achieve such resolution, a new method
of pore imaging using Focused Ion Beam (FIB) technology is being
developed.
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 (a) Ion-beam image of a diatomite at 20,000x magnification, (b) Diatomite volume reconstructed from binarized successive images spaced at 0.2 micron intervals. The pore space is dark.
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(a) Ion-beam image of a diatomite at 20,000x magnification, (b) Diatomite volume reconstructed from binarized successive images spaced at 0.2 micron intervals. The pore space is dark.