USING CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY TO ATTEMPT TO IMAGE AND UNDERSTAND PORE SPACE NETWORKS

Understanding pore networks in carbonate and siliclastic rocks is important to many geoscience and engineering disciplines. Current porosity imaging methods include Computerized Tomography (CT) scanning and 3D mapping. However, these techniques for mapping pore networks are expensive and time consuming for project developers and scientists. The objective of this research is to create a quick and efficient method utilizing electron microscopy for imaging and analyzing the basic pore network of carbonate and siliclastic rocks.

Using confocal microscopy, carbonate and siliclastic rocks will be analyzed in an attempt to image their pore spaces, and more importantly the interconnectivity of those pore spaces, at a higher resolution than is allowed by traditional microscopy instruments. The samples will be cut and polished into thick thin-sections, greater than 30 microns, then impregnated with florescent dyes based on their composition and pore complexity. An Axiovert 200 M Inverted Research (provided by I2At at Mississippi State) confocal microscope will be used for analysis of the impregnated samples. Images will be collected at 10 – 30 milliwatts (mW). The florescent dyes in the rock will clearly show any pore features in each layer. The layers may then be stacked to create a basic pore network map. The goal of this work will be to create a layered three dimensional image of the sample using these relatively cheap methods.

Results from these methods can help scientists and engineers better understand the pore categorization, pore wall structures, and flow pathways for better predictive modeling, and porosity and permeability estimation for much less than other methods currently used. The images obtained by this method can be used for multiple applications including carbon sequestration, petroleum engineering and groundwater modeling.