Pore Space Characterization of Carbonated Binary Micro-Computed Tomography Images, Case Study

Pore space characterization helps a better understanding of porous media. The pore geometry and topological properties in carbonated rocks are important for a better understanding of the complex hydrologic and elastic properties. A detailed model of the pore space constructed directly from three-dimensional images can bring reliable results because the porous media complexity would be considered. In this study, by considering different methods a deep understanding of some carbonated pore spaces is obtained. Four series of 2D micro-computed tomography binary images for carbonated rock have been collected, and each of them was considered as a 3D binary image. Using novel skeletonization and pore-throat segmentation algorithms, some network properties have been evaluated and compared for the four cases. Those considered properties were pore and grain size distribution, throat length frequency, and coordination number frequency. Moreover, the geometric measures in 2D and 3D have been considered using Minkowski functionals. The area, the perimeter, and the 2D Euler number of 2D binary images and the volume, the surface area, and the mean breadth which is also known as the integral of the mean curvature and the 3D Euler Number of the 3D binary images are also considered.