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The Use of a Medical Computer Tomography (CT) System To

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by V. Cromwell, D.J. Kortum, and D.J. Bradley, Montana C. of Miners/ Science& Technology
SPE Members

Copyr)ght 1984 Socieiy of Petroleum Engineers of Al ME

This paper was presented at the 59th Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, September 16-19, 1964. The material is aub
ject to correction by the author. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Write SPE, 6200 North Central Expressway,
Drawer 64706, Dallas, Texas 75206 USA Telex 730969 SPEDAL.

ABSTRACT qual~~ative rather than quantitative and are meant

only to demonstrate the potential for CT scans in
The value of Computed Tomography (CT) to core analysis.
analyze fluid flow in porous media has been verified,
using a medical CT system. A series of simple dis- In this work, Danian chalk and Berea sandstone
placement experiments using Danian chalk and Berea cores were saturated with various fluids and several
sandstone are presented to prove the feasibility of cross-sectional imagee were constructed using the
this concept. Radial and axial cross sectional CT system. The fluid front and the relative satur-
views of the cores show movement of fluid fronts ations of the phases at a fixed location in the core
and changes in saturations at fixed locations. The were observed as the front was displaced. The capa-
limitations of the medical computer software pro- bilities for use of the system for X-ray micro-
vided with the first generation CT system used in analysis were not demonstrated.
this study are discussed and some possible enhance-
ments of the equipment and software are proposed. Due to the speed of the equipment (about 8 sec.
per section), it is possible to closely monitor
INTRODUCTION fluid saturation changes occurring in the rock pores
and possibly discriminate between proposed displace-
Computed tomography (CT) is a method for obtain- ment mechanisms. This technology yields the
ing computer enhanced X-ray photographs of cross- potential for quantifying porosity, fluid satura-
sectional slices of an object. Tomography is tions and sweep efficiencies as well as monitoring
derived from the Greek word, tomos, meaning section. changes occurring on rock surfaces such as adsorp-
The technique involves rotating an X-ray source and tion and swelling.
diametrically opposed detector (or a fixed series
of detectors may be used) synchronously about the EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT
object to be observed. CT scanning was developed
by Godfrey Hounsfield and Allen Cormack during the The equipment used consisted of a first gener-
early 1970’s and resulted in their receiving the ation CT system and associated software. A tungsten
Nobel Prize in 1979. anode emitted X-ray photons with an energy of 130 kV.
A slice width of 2 mm resulted in greatest resoh-
As originally developed, the technique has been tion for this system. The X-ray attenuation factors
widely used in diagnostic medicine to observe or “densities” are in Hounsfield units2 (H.U.) and
internal organs and tissues. However, the range of are presented in Table 1 for various media. These
potential applicability is much broader. As first units are calculated using the following equation:
demonstrated by Wang et al. 1, CT can be utilized
for core analysis and studies of fluid flow and Y-Yw
enhanced recovery mechanisms. (y ) x lof)o = H.U. ............ (1)
w
This paper documents a series of experiments
designed to demonstrate the capabilities of a where y = X-ray attenuation of material
medical CT system and to point out equipment and
software modifications that would enhance its core Yw = X-ray attenuation of water.
analysis capabilities. These experiments are

References and illustrations at end of paper.

2 computed Tomography (CT) to Observe Fluid Flow
The average properties of the core specimens fol
the experiments are presented in Table 2. Both the
chalk and the sandstone were water-wet.
The apparatus used to hold the core was con-
structed of CPVC pipe with the core held in a wax
sleeve in the pipe. Care was taken to file all
corners of fittings, pipe and core to reduce edge
artifacts.
A water and organically beund iodine solution
was used for the purpose of displacement in the
experiments. This solution has about the same
viscosity as water and was used to increase contrast
in the CT image.
PROCEDURE AND INTERPRETATION OF PHOTOG~HS
The image in Figure 1 and 2 demonstrate the use
of the CT scan to display Berea rock matrix and
fluid saturation variations, with the high-density
(high effective atomic number) regions plainly
visible as the lighter sections of the photograph.
In Figure 1, variations in fluid saturations can be
seen, while in Figure 2, heterogeneities in the sand-
. . ~~~ ~~~krast in the
StOi@ ZOR d?.a~l.~ ‘V’LSIH=.
figures are a sum of X-ray counts per CRT pixel and
are calibrated by a graduated bar at the side of the
image. A cursor, which can be seen in the photograph
can be placed on the image and an X-ray attenuation
value will be given by the CT in Hounsfield units.
An attempt was made to observe differences in
water, oil, and air saturations in separate cores.
The visual contrasts resulting from these satura-
tions were difficult to differentiate. However,
the computer software easily identified the various
fluid “densities.”
A series of displacement experiments were per-
formed using a dilute iodine solution to displace
mineral oil. The iodine solution was then displaced
by air. The images for this displacement were taken
as radial cross-sections and are seen in Figure 3
a, b, and c. Firstr in Figure 3a the cross-section
with mineral oil is seen. In 3b, the high density
iodine solution is moving through the slice.
Finally, in 3c, the iodine solution is displaced by
air and the subsequent “density” is much lower.
A low permeability Danian chalk core was used
to investigate a different rock lithology and to
slow the movement of the fluid front. A low perm-
eability rock was necessary in these experiments
due to a lack of control over injection pressures.
Axial cross-sections were made as the iodine solu-
tion was pushed through the core. Figures 4a, b,
and c show the passage of a well-defined front
through the chalk.
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
By design, a medical CT necessitates the use
of a low beam strength to avoid injury to the
patient. To image the interior of the rock, small
core diameters were needed to enhance resolution.
The phase ‘*densities”had to vary considerably
.~=- tya<t . on the photo-
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SPE 13098
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opaque iodine solution facilitated these contrast
changes without damaging the cores or “altering
+1...
mwAmaw+<~. of +_hefluid=
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The medical software available with this
system precluded magnification greater than 4x,
multiple image summation or subtraction, or quanti-
fiable density measurements of the core.
The system was suitable to produce qualitative
images showing rock heterogeneities, fluid satura-
tions, and displacement. As such, the concept of
CT analysis of cores was proved to a limited degree
v~ry inexpensively.
CONCLUSIONS
To allow for complete core analysis, a CT sys-
..-
cat shwdld hav= = I=rge zrr=y storage CaPaCitY for
the digital signal coming from the detector. The
use of a suite of X-ray sources of higher energy and
signal strength than a medical CT would allow for
the imaging of larger diameter, higher density cores
with good interior resolution.
Currently available CT technology limits the
thickness of the slice to approximately 0.5 nun. To
observe pores of smaller diameter than the slice,
the core may be advanced by some fraction of the
slice thickness and the first image subtracted from
the second. Also, two images from the same location
made as the fluid front is passing may be subtracted
to show only the differences in fluid density in the
pores and not the rock matrix. It may be possible
to alter software from existing Scanning Electron
Microscope (SEM)3 libraries for subtraction, summa-
tion and quantitative X-ray microanalysis for use
with CT equipment.
Much of this work has begun, however the bulk
of the software necessary for quality core analysis
is still unavailable. As this software is developed,
some conventional core analysis techniques may be
replaced by CT analysis. The areas the CT may prove
to be of exceptional value include secondary and
tertiary recovery studies of displacement mechanisms,
sweep efficiencies and other processes occurring
within the core. We hope to carry out some of this
work in the future.
NOMENCLATURE
Y = dimensionless X-ray attenuation factor
W = water
H.U. = Hounsfield Units
AC~OWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to give special thanks to the
Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and St. James
Community Hospital of Butte, Montana for the gener-
ous use of their CT equipment and Joyce Hettick, R.T.
for her help with the scanning. We would also like
to thank Phillips Petroleum company for supplying
the chalk cores used in these experiments.
SPE 13098 Vern Cromwell, David J. Kortum, and Daniel J. Bradley 3

REFERENCES

1. Wang, Simon Y., Ayral, Seyda, Gryte, Carl C.,

(1982), “Computer-Assisted Tomography for
Observation of Oil Displacement in Porous
Media,” SPEJ (February 1984) 53-55.

2. Ter-Pogossain, Michael M. “Physical Principles

Instrumentation .“ In Computed Body Tomography,
Edited by Lee, Joseph K.T., Sagel, Stuart S.
Stanley, Robert J. New York: Raven Press,
(1983),4.

3. Goldstein, J.I., Newbury, D.E., Echlin< Patrick r

Joy, D.C., Fiori, Charles, Lifshin, Eric,
Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Micro-
analysis, Plenum Press, New York and London,
(1981), 186-199.

TABLE 1

X-RAY ATTENUATION IN HOUNSFIELD UNITS

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UE
..-..--..”
.,----
MU.JIA

M~D 1A ATTENUATION
—

Water o
----
Air -lUUU

Fiberglass 870

Bone 860

I)anianChalk* 1280

Berea Sandstone 1550

*~halk cored in De~ark

Fig.2-Air-aaturated Bereasandatoneshowing matrix

heterogeneities.

POROSITY PERMEABILITY DIAMTER LENGTH

% md cm cm

Danian Chalk 44.7 4.4 * .55 1.6 i.8

Berea Sandstone 21.4 250 k 30 1.6 1.8

 Fia.
.-. 2a-!3erea
—— sandstone saturatedwithmineraloil,
1725 H.U.
Fig. 3b-Serea sandstonewith iodinesolution saturation
increasing, 1662 H.U.

Fig. 30-Serea sandstone wtih air saturation

incraeeing, 1694 H.U.

Fin. 4a-Air-Seturated Danian chalk with iodine solution front

Fig. 4b-Chalk with front ptogreaeing. Fig.4c-The fronthas moved approximately half WY thtwgh the
mre — air 1281 H.U. and iodne 1766 H.U.

SP E13098